Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR 1926, Subpart CC): Operator Qualification

OSHA is updating the agency’s standard for cranes and derricks in construction by clarifying each employer’s duty to ensure the competency of crane operators through training, certification or licensing, and evaluation. OSHA is also altering a provision that required different levels of certification based on the rated lifting capacity of equipment. While testing organizations are not required to issue certifications distinguished by rated capacities, they are permitted to do so, and employers may accept them or continue to rely on certifications based on crane type alone. Finally, this rule establishes minimum requirements for determining operator competency. This final rule will maintain safety and health protections for workers while reducing compliance burdens. Paragraph (f) sets out new specific requirements that employers must follow to conduct an operator evaluation and re-evaluation, including documentation requirements. Paragraph (f)(6) requires the employer to document the evaluation of each operator and to ensure that the documentation is available at the worksite while the operator is employed by the employer. OSHA is adding language to this final rule that states explicitly the documentation must be maintained while the operator is employed by the employer. This paragraph also specifies the information that the documentation needs to include: the operator’s name, the evaluator’s name and signature, the date of the evaluation, and the make, model and configuration of the equipment used in the evaluation. However, the documentation would not need to be in any particular format. The employer must make the document available at the worksite for the duration of the operator’s employment.

The latest form for Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR 1926, Subpart CC): Operator Qualification expires 2022-02-28 and can be found here.