OSHA Issuing Proposed Rules for Cranes

-- Associated Construction Publications, 9/19/2008

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will soon issue its proposed rule for cranes and derricks in construction, according to PR Newswire.

A copy of the 1,100 page proposed standard is available on OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/doc/proposedrule/Cranes_Derricks_Proposed_Rule.html for the public to review. The public comment period on the proposed rule will only begin after the proposal has been formally published in the Federal Register.

"The cranes and derricks proposed rule comprehensively addresses the hazards associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction, including tower cranes," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. "This draft rule will both protect construction employees and help prevent crane accidents by updating existing protections and requiring crane operators to be trained in the use of construction cranes."

The cranes and derricks proposed rule would apply to the estimated 96,000 construction cranes in the U.S., including 2,000 tower cranes. The proposed standard addresses key safety issues associated with cranes, including:

ground conditions
the assembly and disassembly of cranes
the operation of cranes near power lines
the certification and training of crane operators
the use of safety devices and signals
and inspections of cranes.

It significantly updates existing tower crane requirements and more comprehensively addresses tower crane safety, with respect both to erecting and dismantling, and to crane operations.

The proposed standard would establish four options for the qualification or certification of crane operators:

certification through an accredited third-party testing organization
qualification through an audited employer testing program
qualification issued by the U.S. military and
qualification by a state or local licensing authority.

This proposed rule was developed through negotiated rulemaking by the Cranes and Derricks Advisory Committee (C-DAC). The federal Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health subsequently recommended that OSHA use that document for developing its proposed rule. Since then and as required by law, OSHA has conducted a regulatory flexibility analysis, small business review and paperwork burden analysis of the proposed rule. In addition, OSHA was required to write a preamble to the regulatory proposal that explains in detail the purpose and application of the proposed standard. That preamble is almost 1,000 pages. The members of C-DAC were sent an advance copy for review as part of their role in the negotiated rulemaking.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.