1. There are some big changes, the biggest of which is mandatory nationwide crane operator certification, coming four years after the standard is published. There are new rules about working near power lines, assembly/disassembly and crane inspections that together OSHA reckons will cost the industry $123m per year. Are you going to be okay with that?
2. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The process has already taken more than six years, and is not finished yet. No one will be in a hurry to modify this standard; the US will be stuck with it, right or wrong, for a generation.
3. The process has included representatives of a cross-section of the industry: crane manufacturers, dealers, crane users, construction contractors, insurers and unions. But neither the construction industry nor the crane industry agrees on everything. What if they got it wrong? What if they missed something?
4. You don’t have to read it all. In fact, you couldn’t. At 242 pages, the proposed standard is too long to read. But it is organised by topic; we present a table of contents in this issue (p29). Just review the parts that apply.
5. Why read it? Because you can. There are not many countries in the world whose industries have had a say in making the rules. In the case of C-DAC, that process has relied on a lot of people sacrificing their time. But their generosity puts everyone in the US crane industry in a strong position to say their piece.
You have until December 8.
* We say goodbye this month to classified sales exec Kirsty Guest, who some readers might remember at recent shows. Good luck, Kirsty.
