The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a one-year extension to its deadline for enforcement of crane operator certification. The new deadline is Nov. 10, 2018, at which time it is expected that OSHA will require crane operators to be certified through an OSHA-recognized testing group to operate cranes above a 2,000-pound capacity when used in construction or delivering product to a site.
NPCA has been meeting regularly with OSHA regarding the deadline, said Ty Gable, NPCA president.
“We have been in constant communication with OSHA administrators to let them know about the effects of the 2017 deadline on the plants,” Gable said. “When OSHA initially published the rule several years ago, we were very concerned that the testing requirements did not match up with the types of cranes typically used in precast plants. OSHA listened and we were able to devise a test that is much more appropriate.
“Once the appropriate test was in place, there was not enough time to get all the operators certified before the Nov. 10, 2017, deadline.”
Gable said NPCA continued to collaborate with OSHA, which resulted in the one-year extension that will provide enough time for precast plants to complete the required training and testing as well as the exemption.
“Rich Krolewski, director of certification and regulatory services, was our lead on this and he worked closely with OSHA to get this done,” Gable said. “Marti Harrell, vice president of Technical Services and Professional Development, also played a key role in working with NPCA members to develop operator certification resources and set up training and information sessions.”
Even though the extension has been granted, crane operators will still need to be certified, so NPCA is encouraging companies to continue with their plans. For crane operator certification resources and the latest news on OSHA crane operator certification, visit precast.org/cranes.
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