Under the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's current rules for cranes in construction, candidates seeking operator certification must be tested on the type and capacity of crane they will operate. However, implementation of a capacity requirement is controversial in the crane world, and OSHA's final determination on this issue could have major implications for the entire construction industry.
In July 2003, OSHA convened the Cranes and Derricks Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee (C-DAC); I was honored to be a member. This panel of 23 industry professionals was tasked with rewriting the federal government's antiquated safety standards for cranes, and one of our major objectives was to raise the level of operator competency in America.