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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