Following a federal OSHA proposal to delay qualification and certification requirements for crane operators, Oregon OSHA postponed work on its proposed crane operator safety-training rule.
In December 2012, Oregon OSHA proposed a new rule (Crane operator safety training requirements, 437-002-0231) governing crane operator safety training for small-capacity cranes. After three public hearings in January 2013 and a comment period that extended until Feb. 21, 2013, Oregon OSHA announced the agency would re-evaluate the scope of the rule and repropose it.
In the meantime, however, a number of parties voiced concerns to federal OSHA about the crane operator qualification and certification requirements in the federal rule (Operator qualification and certification, 1926.1427), which required crane operators on construction sites to meet one of four qualification and certification options by Nov. 10, 2014. As a result, federal OSHA proposed a three-year extension (until Nov. 10, 2017) before the requirements took effect.
After federal OSHA issued its proposal, Oregon OSHA decided to postpone work on its proposed crane operator safety-training rule. Federal OSHA is considering addressing concerns about crane operator qualification and certification requirements in future rulemaking.