Speak up for safety

13 March 2015

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This spring has seen two opportunities for the industry to have a say in safety issues, in the USA and the UK. Both have their roots in events many years ago.

The US crane industry has been trying to implement a certification programme for operators across the country since at least the early 1990s. It's been so long in fact, that since the idea was first raised, a potential operator could have been born, completed their schooling, started working as a labourer, been put forward for training as a crane operator, got certified and started building their career, in the time the country's regulator OSHA has taken to move forward with a federal certification requirement.

Free of government involvement, the industry has made great strides on its own. It's developed an industry-backed certification programme, and got it accepted by major contractors, as well as state and municipal regulators. That programme, and its acceptance, has helped grow other schemes, bringing a flourishing certification sector to much of the country.

But, in those states that follow OSHA's federal regulations, adoption of certification has been held back by the regulator's interpretation of the original advice it received.

This involved whether to certify operators by capacity, and whether certification should be viewed as complete qualification, or whether employers should use it as part of their evaluation of operators' skill.

At the end of March, OSHA will hold a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, in Washington DC. The committee will consider a draft proposal from OSHA. As well as commenting at the meeting, comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov. I would recommend that our US readers take the opportunity to do so: we'll be happy to help people find the draft, and the correct place to comment.

Last month, the industry in the UK was given its own chance to comment on safety issues. The Strategic Forum for Construction was established after an unfortunate series of crane accidents (a prosecution in one of which, this month, will make its way to the Crown Court). The forum has worked to improve safety across the industry.

In February, with the help of the Construction Plant-hire Association, the forum held an outreach meeting at a trade shown in Coventry. Attendees were updated on the progress made in cutting ill health among construction workers, in implementing effective certification, and in advising on ground conditions.

One topic that the forum will be looking at over the next year will be lifting suspended loads from telehandlers, and from excavators. This has been a cause of concern for many in the industry. Now seems like a good time to raise those concerns.