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In response to a number of fatal accidents involving cranes, OSHA announced new regulations regarding crane and derrick safety on September 18. Employers can comment on the regulations published in the Federal Register, however, OSHA reserves the right to adopt the regulations as is without further notice.

A complete copy of the new regulations is available here.

“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. According to OSHA, 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.

While OSHA officials deny that these regulations are in response to the tragic accidents, it is hard to view them in any other way.

One of the major issues identified in fatal crane accidents has been untrained operators. 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
• Qualification by a state or local licensing authority

This new regulations were developed through negotiated rulemaking by the Cranes and Derricks Advisory Committee. The federal Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health subsequently recommended that OSHA use that document for developing its proposed rule.

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