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For Immediate Release: April 2, 2024
Conact: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov, (212) 393-2126

DOB ISSUES NOTICE OF INTENT TO REVOKE APPROVED COURSE PROVIDER STATUS OF VALOR CONSULTING
17,000 Active Construction Safety Training Identification Cards Issued by Company Invalidated in the Interest of Public Safety

New York, NY – Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo announced today that the Department of Buildings has issued a notice of intent to revoke Valor Consulting’s status as an agency-approved safety training course provider for construction industry professionals, and as a result any Site Safety Training (SST) cards issued by this company will be immediately invalidated. This action was taken in the interest of protecting the public and follows a criminal indictment filed in Manhattan Criminal Court against senior executives and employees at Valor Consulting for allegedly selling construction safety training identification cards to workers, without providing any of the required safety training. Effective immediately, any SST cards that have been issued as a result of training certificates issued by Valor have been deactivated, and construction workers with these SST cards will no longer be allowed to work on the larger and more complex work sites in New York City until they are able to acquire a new SST card from a legitimate DOB-approved course provider.

“The allegations made against Valor by our partners in the Manhattan DA’s office are disturbing, as they have allegedly allowed thousands of people to work on construction sites in our City without the required safety training. The actions of this company put profits ahead of the safety of these workers and the public, which is something we cannot tolerate,” said Commissioner Oddo. “The invalidation of Valor-issued training identification cards was done because we cannot in good conscience continue to allow untrained workers on these work sites, where they are potentially posing a danger to themselves and their colleagues. To the construction industry members impacted by today’s announcement, I urge you to sign up for training courses as soon as possible with a legitimate training provider to get this critical safety training.”

The Department originally suspended Valor’s ability to provide training and issue SST cards in April 2023, when it first became aware of major inconsistencies in Valor’s training records. To date this suspension has remained in effect. Since that time, the Department has worked closely with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation, as a case was built leading to the criminal indictment announced on February 28th, 2024.

Since there are serious questions about the legitimacy of any Valor training certificates, DOB has disabled all of the more than 20,000 Valor SST cards in circulation, of which approximately 17,000 are currently active. For the past month, DOB has conducted direct outreach to the construction professionals with these cards as well as contractors citywide, urging these individuals to get legitimate SST training from a different course provider as soon as possible to avoid any interruptions in their ability to work. These wallet-sized SST identification cards, issued by over 150 different DOB-approved course providers around the City, can be scanned by inspectors and contractors out in the field using a smart-phone app, which will immediately inform the user whether an SST card is valid or not. Workers that attempt to enter a work site that requires the training with an invalidated card must be turned away from the site. If a contractor allows a worker without a valid SST card to enter their work site, they could be subject to enforcement actions from DOB.

Local Law 196, passed in 2017 in response to the rising number of construction-related injuries and fatalities in New York City, requires workers to take at least 40 hours of safety training to work on any of the larger building construction project that require a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, or Site Safety Manager to be on-site. Workers can meet the safety requirement by obtaining 30 hours of OSHA safety training, as well as 10 additional hours of more specialized SST trainings courses. The OSHA training covers an overview of OSHA worker safety regulations, scaffold safety, fall prevention, fire protection, excavations, concrete and masonry construction, lead safety in the workplace, and electrical safety. The more specialized site safety training includes multiple elective courses, such as eight hours of fall prevention training and two hours of drug and alcohol awareness training. With today’s announcement about the invalidation of 17,000 Valor-issued cards, there are now currently over 360,000 individuals working in New York City with active SST cards issued by other course providers.

To obtain information about DOB-approved course provider who offer training, construction workers can visit this page of the Department’s website. New York City regulations allow construction workers to obtain a Temporary SST card from an approved provider after taking 10 hours of safety training. These temporary cards allow individuals to work on SST work sites for six months, during which time workers must take the additional 30 hours of training courses to obtain a full SST card which is good for five years. Eligible workers can apply for no-cost training provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), by visiting this website here. Additional information about the city’s Site Safety Training (SST) program, and requirements for workers on the city’s larger and more complex construction sites can be found on this website here.

“DOB’s notice of intent to revoke Valor Security & Investigations status as an approved training provider and invalidation of Valor’s construction safety training cards seek to ensure that workers receive the training that Valor failed to provide and that New York City law requires. Valor and six of its executives and employees were charged earlier this year by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office with crimes relating to the operation of a sham safety training school, allegations that raise serious concerns about the training provided, and safety cards issued, by Valor. I thank the DOB and our law enforcement partners in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for their commitment to construction safety,” said Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber.

“In an industry as dangerous as construction in New York City, fraud can mean life or death. I applaud Commissioner Oddo and everyone at DOB for taking regulatory action that could save lives following our indictment of Valor Security for allegedly operating a massive sham safety school. Alongside our partners at the Department of Buildings and Department of Investigation, we are determined to root out crime that puts hardworking New Yorkers at risk,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"The Building Trades is proud to have supported the establishment of these robust safety requirements for all construction workers and is thankful that Commissioner Oddo is taking their enforcement seriously,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC). “Under the Commissioner's leadership, the Department of Buildings is undertaking this critical work to ensure only legitimate providers are delivering these training services, which is vital to making construction sites safer for all.”

“The stakes are simply too high to allow unscrupulous course providers to issue Site Safety Training Cards for safety training that was not received,” said Elizabeth Crowley, President and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA). “The safety of our workers is paramount for them, their families, and the BTEA contractors who employ them. I commend the DOB for sending a strong message to safety training course providers that there will be stiff consequences for lapses in qualifications and integrity.”