Federal OSHA and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) have reached a settlement that resolves EEI’s challenge to OSHA’s 1926 Subpart CC, Cranes and Derricks in Construction.
OSHA has agreed that it will not enforce the crane standard for digger derrick operations covered by Subpart V, Power Transmission and Distribution. According to Chuck Kelly, EEI’s director of industry human resource issues, that means that no digger derrick operator will have to be certified while doing Subpart V (construction) work.
The EEI document also says the agreement states that this expanded exemption would include digger derrick activities conducted both by electric utilities and electric utility contractors.
In addition, the settlement clarifies that utilities have two working days to provide voltage information under 1926.1407(e) and that the crane standard does not require utility companies to de-energize power lines.
OSHA will now begin the process of preparing to propose an amendment of the Cranes and Derricks standard permanently exempting from the coverage of the standard “all digger derrick operations covered by 29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart V,” said a document from EEI.
“Once OSHA had the opportunity to sit down and see how work was actually done in the industry, it agreed that the application of the standard to digger derrick work could be confusing, would not improve safety, and would be prohibitively expensive,” said Kelly. “This is a perfect example of how OSHA can rectify situations—a win for everyone involved.”
Kelly noted that EEI didn’t challenge the standard as a whole, and that utilities are moving forward with training and certification of signalers, crane operators, and other workers.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
