OSHA Proposes Rule to Alter, Enforce Long Delayed Crane Operator Qualifications

construction cranes

Last November, OSHA issued a final rule that would finally allow them to enforce language, which has been in their standards since 2010, requiring construction crane operators to be formally qualified to operate the equipment.  The first day of enforcement for that rule had been set for November 10, 2018, but the agency has recently proposed a new rule that would pull back some of the initial requirements.

On May 18, 2018, OSHA announced that it was proposing a change to the crane operator qualification requirements that they hoped would allow more operators to meet the requirements.

According to the Federal Register notice, the proposed rule removes the provision that “requires different levels of certification based on rated lifting capacity of equipment.” Testing organizations will still be allowed to certify workers based upon rated capacity, but they will no longer be required to do so. The proposal also establishes clearer minimum requirements for determining an operator’s competency.

Full text of the Crane Operator Qualification Proposal can be found on the Federal Register.  Section III gives a detailed summary and explanation of the proposed changes, which will be helpful for anyone that will be affected by the rules.

If you would like to comment on the proposal, you can do so electronically by visiting http://www.regulations.gov.  The Federal Register notice provides detailed instructions for doing so:

“This docket may include several Federal Register notices for active rulemakings; therefore it is necessary to select the correct notice, or its ID number, to submit comments for this rulemaking. After accessing the docket (OSHA-2007-0066), check the “proposed rule” box in the column headed “Document Type,” find the document posted on the date of publication of this document, and click the “Submit a Comment” link.”

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