On May 21, 2018, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to update its to ensure crane operators are qualified to safely operate equipment.

Entitled , the rule proposes the following changes to the existing standard:

Require comprehensive training of operators.
Remove certification by capacity from the requirements.
Clarify and permanently extend the employer duty to evaluate potential operators for their ability to safely operate equipment.
Require documentation of that evaluation. 

The public has the opportunity to . All comments must be submitted by the June 20, 2018, deadline. 

Background

On Nov. 9, 2017, OSHA published a extending the operator certification compliance date until Nov. 10, 2018, in order to provide the agency with additional time to complete this rulemaking to address stakeholder concerns related to the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard.

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓ during the proposed rule phase on Sept. 27, 2017. In its comments, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓreiterated its position that while it appreciated OSHA’s proposed one-year delay, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓstrongly encouraged the agency to consider an indefinite extension. Extending the certification deadline indefinitely would alleviate any confusion regarding the current compliance deadline and allow OSHA to craft the safest possible solution to the type and capacity issue to ensure the competency of crane operators.