OSHA’s historic new standard replaces a decades old standard and affects approximately 267,000 construction, crane rental, and crane certification establishments with about 4.8 million workers. The significant number of fatalities associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction and the considerable technologic advances in equipment since the publication of the old rule issued in 1971, led OSHA to undertake this rulemaking.

In 1998, OSHA’s expert Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) established a workgroup to develop recommended changes to the current standard for cranes and derricks. In December 1999, ACCSH recommended that the Agency use negotiated rule making to develop the rule. The Cranes and Derricks Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (C-DAC) was convened in July 2003 and reached consensus on its draft document in July 2004. In 2006, ACCSH recommended that OSHA use the C-DAC consensus document as a basis for OSHA’s proposed rule, which was published in 2008. Public hearings were held in March 2009, and the public comment period on those proceedings closed in June 2009.

The new rule is designed to prevent the leading causes of fatalities including electrocution, crushed-by/struck-by hazards during assembly/disassembly, collapse, and overturn. It also sets forth requirements for ground conditions and crane operator assessment. In addition, this rule address tower crane hazards, the use of synthetic slings for assembly/disassembly work, and clarifies the scope by providing both a functional description and a list of examples for the equipment that is covered.

OSHA anticipates that this standard will prevent 22 fatalities and 175 non-fatal injuries each year.