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SEAA Board of Directors Hears Presentation on Crane Operator Certification Graham Brent, CEO of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, attended SEAA’s August 2015 Board Meeting in Gainseville, Va., to explain what OSHA’s delay for crane operator certification means for steel erection contractors. All but section 1926.1427-1430 has been in force since 2010; this includes requirements for qualifying signal persons and riggers. Crane operator certification was pushed back to November 2017 in order to allow OSHA to address industry concerns over three areas: Certification based on type and capacity. Industry groups have asserted that testing by capacity of crane would be difficult due to the fiscal impact and availability of equipment. Changing the employer’s responsibilities so that it is understood that certified is not equivalent to qualified. Clarification of the status of any operators who are certified prior to publication of the rule and any interpretations. In March/April 2015, OSHA issued a draft proposed regulatory text that was presented to ACCSH. It included new language that created significant annual employer evaluation and documentation requirements for each operator by crane configuration. The industry promptly rejected this proposed evaluation process, which was even more cumbersome than anything presented previously. Today, OSHA is still reviewing public and ACCSH comments and it plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by December 2015 to address the concerns. In the meantime, employer responsibilities to ensure operators are trained and competent remain in place. In addition, these issues have no effect on state licensing requirements. Employers should continue to certify or license operators, accordingly. Many employers ask whether they should continue to re-certify operators as we wait for new NPRM and/or the 2017 date. According to NCCCO’s Top 10 FAQs on the delay, “Absolutely. OSHA’s decision to reopen the rule doesn’t affect your certification. You should make sure your certification does not lapse since you would have to start over.”
SEAA Board of Directors Hears Presentation on Crane Operator Certification
In March/April 2015, OSHA issued a draft proposed regulatory text that was presented to ACCSH. It included new language that created significant annual employer evaluation and documentation requirements for each operator by crane configuration. The industry promptly rejected this proposed evaluation process, which was even more cumbersome than anything presented previously. Today, OSHA is still reviewing public and ACCSH comments and it plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by December 2015 to address the concerns. In the meantime, employer responsibilities to ensure operators are trained and competent remain in place. In addition, these issues have no effect on state licensing requirements. Employers should continue to certify or license operators, accordingly. Many employers ask whether they should continue to re-certify operators as we wait for new NPRM and/or the 2017 date. According to NCCCO’s Top 10 FAQs on the delay, “Absolutely. OSHA’s decision to reopen the rule doesn’t affect your certification. You should make sure your certification does not lapse since you would have to start over.”