Guide Details Osha Qualification Requirements For Crane Operators

Addressing a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard governing the use of cranes and derricks in construction the first major OSHA

Addressing a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard governing the use of cranes and derricks in construction Û the first major OSHA revision in that area since regulations were first issued in 1971 Û National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators has published what it calls the definitive guide to personnel qualification requirements mandated by the rule. For the first time, crane operators must be either certified by an accredited crane operator testing organization, such as NCCCO, or qualified by an audited employer program. Signal persons and riggers also must be qualified.

Although this final rule is based on a document that has been circulating since 2004, many employers are not aware of the new responsibilities that OSHA has placed upon them, warns NCCCO Executive Director Graham Brent. Most of the requirements take effect in November, so there is little time to lose.

It is vitally important that these key provisions are known and adopted by all responsible parties in the industry, he adds, noting that NCCCO provides the guide as a public service to the industry, whether employers choose to certify their operators through NCCCO, another organization, or in-house.

Representing a continuation of efforts initiated over a quarter century ago on the national crane-operator standard, the guide has been compiled and posted as a series of questions and answers based on NCCCO’s careful reading of the 1,070-page rule and preamble. Since FAQs will be continually updated as questions arise, visitors to the NCCCO website are invited to submit queries on personnel-qualification issues. Û www.nccco.org