AEM continues to strongly support crane manufacturers seeking OSHA reinterpretation of the new Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard. OSHA’s current interpretation harms manufacturers by imposing millions of dollars of unnecessary testing costs on employers of crane operators.
AEM and member company representatives participated in OSHA stakeholder meetings on the new standard April 2-3, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Discussion focused on the usefulness of certifying operators for different capacities of cranes, and the safety issues related to allowing an operator to operate all capacities of cranes within a specific type.
Stakeholders present included manufacturers, industry organizations, contractors, crane rental companies, operator training and certification organizations, labor organizations, government agencies, and other end-users such as utilities and energy producers. After the stakeholder meetings, OSHA stated its options as: do nothing, rulemaking, directive or interpretation. No deadline was set for a decision. The new standard goes into effect November 10, 2014.
In September 2012, AEM recommended that OSHA endorse a banding proposal of 14 groupings of cranes and capacities. AEM said these groupings should be considered equivalent in operating requirements for training and certification purposes.
Endorsement of these bands will allow certifying bodies to continue to certify operators and issue cards with type and capacity without the need to test operators on the largest crane in a band.
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