SC&RA responds to latest OSHA certification plan

The response supports key aspects of the new proposed federal rulemaking, but raises some new concerns.

The US industry has pushed for a federal rule for crane operator certification since the 1990s: the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) was founded as a result of work done by SC&RA members, and the original proposed federal rulemaking was shaped by the work of the Cranes and Derricks Advisory Committee, which included many SC&RA members.

Implementation of the federal rule has been repeatedly delayed as OSHA responds to concerns over a requirement for certification by capacity, and over the extent to which certification should be seen as ‘qualifying’ an operator or merely as a first step in demonstrating competence.

OSHA latest proposed federal rulemaking appears to satisfy the SC&RA’s key concerns here. In a letter (PDF) submitted as part of the consultation process for the new proposed rulemaking, the SC&RA says that it “supports the requirement for employers to evaluate their operators and operators-in-training” and “the change of requiring crane operator certification ‘by type and capacity’ to certification ‘by type and/or type and capacity’.”

However, the association points out new areas of concern. It says it does not support a prescriptive list by which employers must evaluate their operators, or a requirement for third-party evaluations. It points out that “there is no supporting evidence indicating employers are not fulfilling their obligations to train and evaluate their operators for the cranes to which they are assigned.”

The SC&RA says it does not support a proposal to add requirements on ‘over-the-road driving’, pointing out this is already regulated at local and federal levels. The association also says that it does not support the deletion of a requirement for re-certification, saying that this “establishes a baseline of ongoing assessment and supports the employer’s obligation for continuing education and training on important national industry standards and government regulations.” The association points out that the two national bodies accrediting certification, ANSI (the American National Standards Institution) and the NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies), both require recertification.