February 8, 2019—In response to industry requests, OSHA has announced it is delaying full enforcement of its requirement for employers to evaluate their crane operators.
In a memorandum to OSHA Regional Administrators and State Plans, OSHA Acting Director of the Directorate of Construction, Scott Ketcham, stated that, during the first 60 days of enforcement (until April 15, 2019), OSHA will evaluate good faith efforts taken by employers in their attempt to meet the new documentation requirements for operators of cranes used in construction.
During this period, OSHA intends to offer compliance assistance, in lieu of enforcement, for those employers who have evaluated operators in accord with the final rule and are making good faith efforts to comply with the new documentation requirement. However, if it is determined that an employer has failed to make sufficient efforts to comply, OSHA should cite for that deficiency.
OSHA has requested Regional Administrators and State Plan Designees to consult the Directorate of Construction in Washington, DC before issuing any proposed citations arising during this time period that are related to documenting crane operator evaluations.
Note that this temporary policy applies only to the documentation requirement. OSHA is fully enforcing the requirement that employers evaluate their operators before allowing them to operate cranes independently.
Further resources are available at NCCCO’s OSHA Crane Rule Resource Center.