Crane safety regulations introduced by North Carolina’s Department of Labor in 2009 are to be repealed to allow implementation of the new federal OSHA cranes and derricks rule, Crane Today magazine reports.
The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), announced the update to the previous federal standard in late July; the law is expected to come into effect on 8 November 2010.
The new OSHA cranes and derricks rule replaces existing regulations based on 39-year old standards, which do not take into account advancements in construction plants and processes.
North Carolina’s Department of Labor (NCDOL) introduced its own state-wide crane safety standard, ‘Cranes and Derricks, 13 NCAC 7F.0900’ in October 2009, based on a draft version of the new federal rule published in the Federal Register a year earlier.
As a result, the changeover to the new rule will have little effect on crane owners and operators, with one of the few significant changes being that employers now have four years instead of two to ensure their employees are certified.
Anticipating the length of time the federal regulations would take to be implemented, the NCDOL decided it could bring its own regulations into force much quicker to bridge the gap until the federal rules were ready.
Now the final rule is ready to take effect, NCDOL intends to repeal the state laws before November to ensure consistency, and eliminate potential confusion for North Carolina’s crane owners and operators. Read More.