House Committee Leaders Want OSHA to Change Crane Rule

Leaders of a House committee are urging the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to revise its 2010 construction cranes and derricks rule, saying the language that spells out how operators are to be certified is problematic.

"We encourage you to work with the stakeholders to resolve the discrepancies," House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), a subcommittee chair, told OSHA chief David Michaels in a Feb. 11 letter.

At issue is a section of the rule requiring crane operators to be certified by a nationally accredited testing agency. Certification exams would test operators on the type and capacity of crane they would run. But industry groups have pushed back on the capacity mandate, saying it would restrict the workforce, complicate testing and burden employers.

Last September, OSHA moved to delay enforcement of the certification section for three years so it can clarify the regulations. It was to take effect last November.

Pam Hunter McFarland was a Senior Editor of ENR and her expertise was: Sourcebooks, Environment, Labor

After a short stint as a freelance contributor to ENR, Tudor joined the editorial staff in 2002 and was a managing editor. His areas of expertise included construction equipment, trucks, tools, materials and global construction. He was a certified crane operator and reported heavy construction news in the U.S. and outside—including Europe, Dubai, India and China.

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