The Occupational Heath and Safety Administration is preparing to move into negotiated rulemaking this spring on a replacement for a 30-year-old crane and derrick safety standard that industry experts say needs updating. On Feb. 27, OSHA announced its list of members who will serve on an industry advisory committee, which will meet in May or June, officials say.

OSHA Administrator John Henshaw says the negotiated rulemaking process is "the most effective way" for participants to draft a new document. It is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. According to Henshaw and others, new technology, such as load indicators, will be a central issue in the new standard. "The document will contain a lot of language that is in the American National Standards Institute B30.5 safety standard for cranes," says Graham Brent, executive director of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, Fairfax, Va.

OSHA is accepting public comments on the standard until March 31.