On Feb. 7, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a temporary enforcement policy for the crane operator evaluation requirements in the 2018 Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualification final rule. The evaluation and documentation requirements became effective on Feb. 7, 2019.

According to a memo from Acting Director of the Directorate of Construction Scott Ketcham, OSHA is fully enforcing the requirement that employers must evaluate their operators before allowing them to operate cranes independently. OSHA stated, however, that it has received feedback from the construction industry indicating some employers may need more time to document evaluations of crane operators prior to the effective date. 

Therefore, OSHA states:

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. If, upon inspection, it is determined that an employer has failed to make sufficient efforts to comply, OSHA should cite for that deficiency.

The temporary enforcement policy memo also states that beginning April 15, 2019, OSHA will fully enforce all applicable provisions of the final rule.

For more information on OSHA’s cranes and derricks in construction standard, see OSHA’s website.