OSHA Delays Crane Certification

OSHA Delays Crane Certification

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced plans to delay its crane certification

Previously, OSHA said the compliance date for crane certification would be November 10, 2017. However, the Administration recently announced that it would require operators to receive certification by a third party evaluator and be designated as "qualified" at a later date. While OSHA has not yet announced a specific date for the new crane certification requirements, labor analysts believe it will likely occur sometime in 2018.

Of course, OSHA expressed desire in changing the crane and derricks requirement back in 2013. During this time, OSHA said the existing mandates do not follow recommendations from industry experts, many of whom believe they are inadequate at protecting workers from serious injury.

So, just how much of a problem is crane safety? According to OSHA, roughly 89 workers sustain fatal injuries each year while working on cranes. However, OSHA also says that some 21 of these incidents could be avoided by implementing the proposed final rule. OSHA cited, for instance, an incident in April 2006, during which a roofing crew used a crane to lift plywood onto a roof, which caused the load to fall onto a worker, killing him.

The new rule will require all crane operators to receive at least one of the following certifications:

  1. Certification from a third-party organization that's accredited by a recognized accrediting organization in the U.S.
  2. Qualification from an employer's independently auditing program.
  3. Qualification from the U.S. military.
  4. Compliance with qualifying state licensing requirements. 

 Of course, these requirements are subject to change. It's not uncommon for OSHA to revise and update its guidelines before making them final.

"ACCSH will hold a teleconference meeting June 20, 2017, to consider a proposed rule to extend the enforcement date for OSHA’s crane operator certification requirement in the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard for an additional year until November 10, 2018. OSHA also proposes to extend the existing employer duty to ensure that crane operators are trained and competent to operate equipment safely for the same period of time," wrote OSHA in a press release.

The ultimate goal behind these new requirements is to strengthen the safety of crane operators. As noted above, OSHA believes the new changes could save some 21 workers' lives every year.

Click here to access OSHA's press release about the new crane operator certification requirements.

Jun 12th 2017

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