L&I Announces Draft Regs Affecting Virtually All Types of Cranes
If you have or use any of these cranes you are affected: power-operated cranes and derricks used in construction that can hoist lower and horizontally move a suspended load (with or without attachments). Such equipment includes but is not limited to: Articulating boom cranes (such as knuckle-boom cranes); crawler cranes; floating cranes; cranes on barges; locomotive cranes; mobile cranes (such as wheel-mounted rough-terrain all-terrain commercial truck-mounted and boom truck cranes); multipurpose machines when configured to hoist and lower (by means of a winch or hook) and horizontally move a suspended load; industrial cranes (such as carry-deck cranes); dedicated pile drivers; service/mechanic trucks with a hoisting device; a crane on a monorail; tower cranes (such as fixed jib (hammerhead boom) luffing boom and self-erecting); pedestal cranes; portal cranes; overhead and gantry cranes; straddle cranes; side-boom tractors; derricks; and variations of such equipment.
That list comes straight out of the proposed L&I rule which requires compliance by Jan. 1 2010. The rule also requires NCCCO Certification as well as documented hours of experience for all crane operators. (NCCCO is the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators.)
The AGC Crane Task Force chaired by Thom Sicklesteel of Sicklesteel Cranes invites AGC members to attend its meeting on Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. in the conference room of the AGC Building in Seattle. The purpose of the meeting is to review the draft rule and discuss its impacts and develop a position statement to be used during the rulemaking process. AGC members interested in attending the task for meeting or receiving more info about the rule should email AGC Safety Director Mandi Kime or call her at 206-284-0061.
AGC members are encouraged to participate in the rule-making process and the Department of Labor & Industries has scheduled public hearings to discuss proposed rules implementing legislation that requires higher standards for construction cranes and crane operators. The proposed rules were developed after the 2007 Legislature required all construction cranes in the state to be certified by an accredited crane inspector and crane operators to be certified for the type of crane they are operating.
AGC and other groups worked with L&I during the pre-draft stage. Now that draft rules have been released another round of hearings will be held. AGC members who want to participate are asked to coordinate with Mandi Kime.
Complete information including copies of the draft rules is available at L&Is Construction Crane Safety website.
Public hearings will be held at 10 a.m. at these locations:
• Yakima: Aug. 26 Yakima Clarion Hotel 1507 N. First St.
• Spokane: Aug. 27 Doubletree Hotel 322 N. Spokane Falls Court
• Vancouver: Sept. 3 Heathman Lodge 7801 N.E. Greenwood Dr.
• Seattle: Sept. 4 Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport 18740 International Blvd.
• Tumwater: Sept. 5 Tumwater Comfort Inn 1620 74th Ave. S.W.
Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. Sept. 12. Fax them to 360-902-5619 or mail them to: Cindy Ireland Department of Labor & Industries P.O. Box 44620 Olympia WA 98504-4620.