OSHA urged to act swiftly on Crane Rule reopening

摘要

In the wake of the May announcement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to extend the compliance date for its crane operator certification requirements, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) has urged OSHA to pursue the necessary rulemaking without further delay. OSHA announced May 22 that it was planning to postpone the effective date of its crane operator certification requirements by three years to November 10, 2017. The three-year window would provide time, Jim Maddux, Director of the Directorate of Construction said, for OSHA "to re-examine the issue of certifying by capacity, and the proper way to ensure crane operators are qualified." Speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in Washington, DC, May 23, Maddux reported that OSHA had put a team in place that had been tasked with ensuring that "we have a good crane standard to ensure crane safety."