The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is giving employers until April 15, 2019 to meet the documentation requirements of a new rule establishing a national requirement to certify U.S. operators of cranes used in construction.
Scott Ketcham, acting director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, issued a memorandum
A candidate maneuvers a test load through a National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators’ service truck crane operator practical exam.File photo: NCCCO
Feb. 7 delaying enforcement of the documentation requirement for 60 days. During that period, “OSHA will evaluate good faith efforts taken by employers in their attempt to meet the new documentation requirements for operators of cranes used in construction,” the memo states.
However, the memo also notes that “OSHA will be fully enforcing the requirement that employers must evaluate their operators before allowing them to operate cranes independently.”
According to the memo, OSHA has delayed the documentation requirement after receiving feedback from construction industry employers indicating they need more time.
Until April 15, OSHA “intends to offer compliance assistance, in lieu of enforcement, for those employers who have evaluated operators in accord with the final rule and are making good faith efforts to comply with the new documentation requirement. If, upon inspection, it is determined that an employer has failed to make sufficient efforts to comply, OSHA should cite for that deficiency.”
The rule, which also applies to service truck cranes when used in construction, went into effect Dec. 10, 2018. It requires that operators of cranes of more than 2,000 pounds capacity, when used in construction, be certified by an accredited certification body.
The new rule specifically includes “service/mechanic trucks with a hoisting device” but also excludes a “mechanic’s truck with a hoisting device when used in activities related to equipment maintenance and repair.”