House Pressures OSHA on Crane Operator Certification
On Feb. 11, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote to David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, noting its concerns about delays in the implementation process concerning the revised safety standard for cranes and derricks in construction. The letter urged him “to consider the recommendations of all stakeholders, including members of the Coalition for Crane Operator Safety (CCOS). SC&RA is a charter member of CCOS, which also consists of Associated Equipment Distributors; Association of Equipment Manufacturers Associated General Contractors of America; International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union; International Union of Operating Engineers; NationsBuilders Insurance Services, Inc.; National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators; National Center for Construction Education and Research; and Operating Engineers Certification Program.
The letter referred to the new safety standard that was finalized on Aug. 9, 2010, which included revised requirements for crane operator certification based on type and capacity. Because the 17 states and six cities with mandatory crane certification do not use capacity as the criteria, CCOS suggests that without clarification, as many as 100,000 certified crane operators might not be qualified under the current regulatory language, noted the House Committee. The letter further pointed out that OSHA extended the implementation deadline for Crane Operator Certification from Nov. 10, 2014 to Nov. 10, 2017 in an apparent effort to fix a flaw related to how a crane operator is “deemed qualified.”
“It is unclear if OSHA has aligned enforcement guidance within the three year delay,” wrote Minn. Rep. John Kline (R), Chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Mich. Rep. Tim Walberg (R), Chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. “Further, the delay may result in fewer individuals enrolling in training courses, which is clearly not the desired result of the 2010 standard.”
They urged OSHA to work with stakeholders to resolve the discrepancies and “to ensure enforcement guidance is consistent with the implemented delay” until the agency is able to fix the outstanding certification issues.
The letter referred to the new safety standard that was finalized on Aug. 9, 2010, which included revised requirements for crane operator certification based on type and capacity. Because the 17 states and six cities with mandatory crane certification do not use capacity as the criteria, CCOS suggests that without clarification, as many as 100,000 certified crane operators might not be qualified under the current regulatory language, noted the House Committee. The letter further pointed out that OSHA extended the implementation deadline for Crane Operator Certification from Nov. 10, 2014 to Nov. 10, 2017 in an apparent effort to fix a flaw related to how a crane operator is “deemed qualified.”
“It is unclear if OSHA has aligned enforcement guidance within the three year delay,” wrote Minn. Rep. John Kline (R), Chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Mich. Rep. Tim Walberg (R), Chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. “Further, the delay may result in fewer individuals enrolling in training courses, which is clearly not the desired result of the 2010 standard.”
They urged OSHA to work with stakeholders to resolve the discrepancies and “to ensure enforcement guidance is consistent with the implemented delay” until the agency is able to fix the outstanding certification issues.
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