Site Safety Managers and Coordinators: When Does NYC Require One?

DOB’s Site Safety program puts a dedicated safety role on certain construction sites — generally those reaching 15 stories or more, along with other site conditions DOB’s site safety rules define (major demolition, sites with certain occupancy or hazard classifications). Smaller or lower-risk sites are more often covered by a Construction Superintendent instead, a lighter-weight role with narrower responsibilities.

What the role covers

A Site Safety Manager (or, for some site classifications, a Site Safety Coordinator) is responsible for the site’s overall safety program day to day: enforcing fall protection, coordinating crane and hoist safety, running the site’s safety plan and logs, and acting as DOB’s point of contact on safety compliance for the job. It’s a full-time presence on qualifying sites, not a periodic inspection.

Filing it

The Site Safety Manager or Coordinator assignment is filed with the job in DOB NOW, alongside the site safety plan the role is responsible for carrying out. Getting the classification wrong — assigning a Construction Superintendent to a site that actually needs a full Site Safety Manager, for instance — is the kind of thing that surfaces as a DOB objection well after a GC has already staffed the job, which is exactly the expensive way to find out.

If you’re staffing site safety roles across active jobs, our SST card & worker roster tool keeps track of who’s assigned where and flags certification issues before an inspector does.