The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it will extend the comment period on the proposed crane operator certification rule.

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it will extend the comment period on the proposed crane operator certification rule.

The comment period, which was set to expire today (June 20), has been extended through July 5. OSHA says that extension aims to give stakeholders more time to review the proposed rule.

The Rule

OSHA announced at the end of May that it was proposing a rule to clarify its crane operating regulations, a point of contention in the industry reaching back to 2010.

OSHA said: "In addition to providing long-term clarity regarding crane operator certification requirements, the proposal reinstates the employer duty to ensure that a crane operator is qualified to safely operate equipment."

This clarity is in reference to the original Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard, issued in 2010, and two guideline deadline delays reaching back to 2014. The most recent delay, issued in November 2017, pushed back the deadline for crane operators to be certified in compliance with the rule to Nov. 10, 2018.

The new proposal would discontinue a 2010 requirement (29 C.F.R. 1926 Subpart CC), which never went into effect, that mandates that a crane operator certification must include the lifting capacity for which the operator was certified, a point of high contention when it was first proposed.

Comments on the proposal can be submitted electronically or by mail.