Washington L&I Moves to Strengthen Tower Crane Safety Rules
Following recent legislative changes, L&I is implementing new permit requirements ensuring safer assembly, disassembly, and use.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Mar 03, 2025
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), through its Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), is moving forward with new rulemaking procedures to implement and enforce Second Substitute House Bill (2SHB) 2022, passed during the 2024 legislative session.
As part of this initiative, L&I has filed a Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (CR-101) on January 21, 2025, to establish new permit requirements for tower crane operations. These new rules will set forth guidelines for the operation, assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration of tower cranes.
The rulemaking process will address several key aspects, including:
- Permit requirements for tower cranes
- Permit application and safety conference procedures
- Grounds for permit denial, suspension, or revocation
- Responsibilities of prime contractors
- General housekeeping updates
To engage industry stakeholders, L&I has scheduled two public meetings where DOSH representatives will provide an overview of the proposed changes, answer questions, and gather feedback.
Stakeholder Meeting Details:
- March 24, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Department of Labor & Industries, 12806 Gateway Drive S., Tukwila, WA 98168
- April 1, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Enduris Training Facility, 1610 S. Technology Blvd., Spokane, WA 99224
L&I encourages industry professionals, contractors, and other stakeholders to participate in these discussions and provide feedback on the preliminary draft of the rule. In addition to verbal feedback at the meetings, written comments are also welcomed and can be submitted to Cindy Ireland at L&I.
For more details on the rulemaking process and to stay updated on future developments, visit the rulemaking stakeholder information webpage at L&I’s official website.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.