PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2011
40
certification of crane operators; and
procedures for working in the vicinity
of power lines.
•
This final standard is expected to
prevent 22 fatalities and 175 non-fatal
injuries each year.
•
Several provisions have been modified
from the proposed rule. For example:
◆
Employers must comply with local
and state operator licensing require-
ments which meet the minimum
criteria specified in § 1926.1427.
◆
Employers must pay for certification
or qualification of their currently
uncertified or unqualified operators.
◆
Written certification tests may be
administered in any language under-
stood by the operator candidate.
◆
When employers with employees
qualified for power transmission
and distribution are working in
accordance with the power trans-
mission and distribution standard
(§ 1910.269), that employer will be
considered in compliance with this
final rule’s requirements for work-
ing around power lines.
◆
Employers must use a qualified
rigger for rigging operations during
assembly/disassembly.
◆
Employers must perform a pre-erec-
tion inspection of tower cranes.
•
This final rule requires operators of
most types of cranes to be qualified
or certified under one of the options
set forth in § 1926.1427. Employers
have up to 4 years to ensure that their
operators are qualified or certified,
unless they are operating in a state or
city that has operator requirements.
•
If a city or state has its own licens-
ing or certification program, OSHA
mandates compliance with that city or
state’s requirements only if they meet
the minimum criteria set forth in this
rule at § 1926.1427.
•
The certification requirements in the
final rule are designed to work in con-
junction with state and local laws.
•
This final rule clarifies that employers
must pay for all training required by
the final rule and for certification of
equipment operators employed as of
the effective date of the rule
•
State plans must issue job safety and
health standards that are “at least as ef-
fective as” comparable federal standards
within six months of federal issuance.
State plans also have the option to
promulgate more stringent standards
or standards covering hazards not ad-
dressed by federal standards.
Safety News
Continued from page 39
T
he following were the top 10 safety and health
topics raised in telephone calls handled by
OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs in
September 2010:
1.
Bloodborne pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030)
2.
Powered industrial trucks (29 CFR 1910.178)
3.
Sanitation (29 CFR 1910.141)
4.
Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
5.
Personal protective equipment, general requirements (29
CFR 1910.132)
6.
Ergonomics [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
7.
Respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134)
8.
Air contaminants (29 CFR 1910.1000)
9.
Medical services and first aid (29 CFR 1910.151)
10.
Guarding of floor and wall openings and holes (29 CFR
1910.23)
T
he following were the top 10 safety and health
topics raised in e-mail questions handled by
OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs in
September 2010:
1.
Bloodborne pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030
2.
Sanitation (29 CFR 1910.141)
3.
Indoor air quality
4.
Ergonomics
5.
Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
6.
Personal protective equipment, general requirements (29
CFR 1910.132)
7.
Mold
8.
Powered industrial trucks (29 CFR 1910.178)
9.
Medical services and first aid (29 CFR 1910.151
10.
Permit-required confines spaces (29 CFR 1910.146)
OSHA Facts
I
n conjunction with Drive Safely Work Week in Octo-
ber, OSHA announced an education campaign calling
on employers to prevent work-related distracted driv-
ing, with a special focus on prohibiting texting while
driving.
“Year after year, the leading cause of worker fatalities is
motor vehicle crashes,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for
OSHA Adds Web Resource on Distracted Driving
Continued on page 41