OSHA to reissue Crane Operator Qualification Regs in 2016

Study suggests many are not prepared for certification requirements

According to the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) in a press release issued Nov. 30, 2015, OSHA continues to work on a Proposed Rulemaking for crane operator qualifications.
 
Jim Maddux, now retired Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction reported at an industry forum hosted by NCCCO, that there will be a “positive resolution” in 2016 and that the language will be different than what was submitted to the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in early 2015.

Those differences are important to employers because the ACCSH language included an employer duty to qualify, evaluate, and document operators that many in the industry considered burdensome.

In related news, Industrial Training International (ITI), Woodland, Wash., conducted a survey in June 2015 to assess the industry’s awareness of the 2017 effective date for the current certification requirement in the OSHA Cranes & Derricks law. Although the current law and 2017 deadline will likely be revised through the Negotiated Rulemaking expected to be released from OSHA this year, the industry needs to continue to move forward with operator certification in anticipation of an eventual requirement from the agency.

Of particular interest in ITI’s findings were that nearly 40% of respondents (515 people out of 1,362) were unaware of impending 2017 requirements for crane operators to be certified. This lack of awareness is concerning since the original requirement was announced in 2010, then extended from 2014 to 2017, and the regulatory initiative has been in the works for more than 10 years.

Yet, according to ITI’s survey results, nearly 73% of respondent believe that as much as half of the crane operator population is not yet in compliance with the pending law. A summary of the results are provided in an infographic from ITI.