OSHA Extends Crane Operator Certification Deadline by Three Years
Nov. 10, 2017, is now the deadline, as specified in a new final rule taking effect Nov. 9, 2014.
Some contractors no doubt will be relieved to know that OSHA issued a final rule Sept. 25 that extends by three years the deadline for crane operator certification requirements established in its Cranes and Derricks in Construction final rule. The deadline was Nov. 10, 2014, and now is Nov. 10, 2017. The rule also extends by three years the employer's responsibility to ensure that crane operators are competent to operate a crane safely.
The new final rule takes effect Nov. 9, 2014. OSHA's announcement of it says that, during the three-year period, it will address operator qualification requirements for the cranes standards, including the role of operator certification. "The final cranes and derricks rule required crane operators on construction sites to meet one of four qualification/certification options by Nov. 10, 2014. After publishing the final rule, a number of parties raised concerns about the Standard's requirement to certify operators by type and capacity of crane and questioned whether crane operator certification was sufficient for determining whether an operator could operate their equipment safely on a construction site," it said.
After OSHA earlier this year proposed to extend both deadlines for three years, a public hearing was requested and held in Washington, D.C., causing OSHA to decide to extend them. OSHA has begun the process of developing a standard to ensure crane operator qualifications, according to the announcement.