OSHA Reaches Consensus on Crane Standard

July 14, 2004 - OSHA announced its Crane and Derrick Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (C-DAC) has reached consensus on language for a revised construction crane and derrick standard. C-DAC was established in June 2003 to function as a part of OSHA's rulemaking process to revise the existing standards for cranes and derricks in construction.

The following are key provisions the C-DAC proposal will include.

·          The scope section covers a wide range of new types of cranes that have been developed over the past 30 years.

·          A qualified person must address a list of key hazards associated with equipment assembly and disassembly.

·          Ground conditions must be made adequate for crane set-up to help prevent tipovers.

·          In order to prevent electrocution, a leading cause of crane-related fatalities, employers must choose from a list of options for ensuring that equipment does not come within a prescribed distance of power lines. When working closer than that distance, a specified list of measures must be taken.

·          After a phase-in period, crane operators will have to be certified by either: (1) any crane operator testing organization approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, or (2) the employer's own qualification program, which must be audited by a testing organization approved auditor.

·          Signal persons must meet specified qualification requirements.

·          Updated requirements for cranes on barges.

·          Safety devices, operational aids, signals, specific types of equipment (such as derricks and tower cranes), inspections, wire rope, prototype design and testing, crushing and overhead hazards, fall protection and equipment modification are also addressed.

The next step for the standard revision is for OSHA staff members to write out the committee's consensus agreement into detailed regulatory language and submitted it to OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. From there, it will be reviewed by other agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget, where it is subjected to an economic analysis.

"This is a significant step forward in protecting the thousands of workers who operate and work around cranes," Henshaw said. "The members of this committee were tasked with a formidable challenge • to develop and reach consensus on a revised cranes and derricks standard in one year • and they achieved that ambitious task."