Crane accidents can have dramatic consequences and one way to prevent such accidents is to make sure crane operators are properly trained and certified. So far, operators of cranes and derricks have been receiving different levels of certification based on the rated operating capacity (ROC) of the machine they are operating. However, after multiple complaints from the construction industry that the ROC was not a suitable indicator of a crane operator skills and experience, OSHA released a new rule that removes the ROC-based certification requirements but instead put the responsibility of making sure that the crane operator is qualified in the hands of the employer. The proposed rule change “requires that every employer evaluate an employee first as an operator-in-training before permitting him or her to operate equipment without oversight.”
In other words, rather than relying on a machine’s rated operating capacity as a measure of skill delivered through standardized testing, OSHA is placing the onus of determining an operator’s competency squarely on his or her employer.
To that end, in addition to hiring certified operators, OSHA’s proposed rule change will require employers to “continue to evaluate the operating competency of potential operators and provide training beyond that which is merely sufficient for those individuals to obtain certifications.”
With this new rule, every newly hired crane operator would have to be properly evaluated by his new employer before he is allowed to operate the crane. Therefore, on their first days of work with a new employer, crane operators would be considered trainees and would be tested on their competency and skills.
OSHA has determined that “while certification by type of crane establishes that an operator has a basic level of skill and knowledge about the operation of that type of crane, it is the employer’s evaluation that best ensures the operator has the skill and knowledge necessary to operate a crane in a particular configuration.”
Among other requirements, employers will have to make sure newly hired crane operators know how to inspect the equipment and how to rig and to level the crane. Employers will have to test crane operators on their judgement about wind speed and other environmental factors. They also will have to make sure that new crane operators know how to hoist loads of irregular size and weight, that they are familiar with personnel hoisting, that they can perform multiple crane lifts and that they are able to hoist blind picks. Additionally employers will have to test operators on their capacity of operating the crane in special conditions such as tight space, near power lines or from a barge.
The agency is hoping to gather further feedback from the construction industry on the proposed changes and has requested public comments.