OSHA responds to crane operator recertification debate

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has posted a letter of interpretation on its website, clarifying whether or not a practical test is required for recertification of crane operators. The letter from James Maddux, OSHA’s director of the directorate of construction, was in response to a question posed by James Callahan, general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Maddux Wrote: “While the Agency contemplated that recertification could be less rigorous than the initial certification process, at a minimum, there must be some valid assessment of the operator’s performance during the time following the previous certification, such as completing the requisite number of hours without any incident that would call into question the operator’s skills in the specified areas...OSHA recommends that any determinations based on demonstrated experience should factor in how recent the operating experience is and count only time spent operating a crane and not time accrued while performing other crane-related activities. Ultimately, however, when a nationally recognised accrediting agency determines that a requisite number of equipment-operation hours are sufficient for verifying an individual's operating skills, no practical exam would be needed for recertification purposes.”

Maddux noted that in addition to the practical exam, the recertification process must:

• Include a written exam that meets the requirements of the OSHA Cranes & Derricks in Construction standard
• Be for the same crane type and capacity for which the operator was previously certified
• Be for an operator who has not otherwise demonstrated during the previous certification period that he or she lacks the required knowledge or ability to operate the equipment safely
• Satisfy all of the other applicable requirements of the cranes standard

The 27 September 2012 edition of the SC&RA newsletter reported on the OSHA letter of interpretation on requirements for crane operator recertification. A sentence in the article was ambiguous and SC&RA wishes to clarify it:

OSHA does require a practical examination for crane operator initial certification. OSHA does not require a practical examination for recertification so long as “there are no specified incidents that would call into question the operator’s skills” and that the operator has a sufficient number of recent equipment operation hours to verify the individual’s operating skills according to “a nationally accredited certification agency.”