OSHA discusses operator certification

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled three informal stakeholder meetings to discuss crane operator certification requirements in the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard.

Scheduled for April 2 and 3, the meetings will focus on the effectiveness of crane operator certification to ensure that crane operators can safely operate equipment, and the level of competence and safe operation that certification ensures. The agency seeks information from the public on 1) the usefulness of certifying operators for different capacities of cranes, and 2) the risks of allowing an operator to operate all capacities of cranes within a specific type.

The operator qualification requirements are part of the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard that governs crane safety. The standard is the product of a negotiated rulemaking process that began in the summer of 2003 and culminated in the publication of the final rule on Aug. 9, 2010. The standard requires operators to be certified by November 2014. Secondly, the standard requires that certifications issued by an accredited testing organization specify the "capacity and type" of cranes the operator is certified to operate.