OSHA Proposes to Extend Crane Safety Deadline
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced that they have officially proposed a rule that would delay the implementation of crane certification requirements impacting the sign and visual communications industry from November 10th, 2014 to November 10th, 2017. The full announcement can be found here. In the meantime, comments on the proposed extensions are due to OSHA by March 12, 2014. ISA will be commenting on the proposed delay and welcomes member feedback.
ISA has been expecting this announcement from OSHA for some time. During meetings and hearings on this issue, it became clear that technical barriers existed that would prevent the full implementation of the rule by the 2014 deadline. This newly-announced delay was necessary in order to address these problems.
Over the past few years, ISA has been following closely the development of the crane certification rule. Since 2009, ISA staff has worked on behalf of members and the industry on this issue by meeting with government agencies, attended and testified at hearings, meeting with the assistant secretary of labor, and generally been very vocal over our concerns regarding the implementation and impacts of this rule on the sign and visual communications industry. ISA has stayed in constant contact with OSHA and industry partners to make sure ISA members’ interests were represented. Following the implementation of the rule, ISA undertook a massive effort to develop a crane certification program that trained over 250 crane operators all across the US. Awaiting the expected announcement of delayed implementation, in May 2013, ISA temporarily suspended its Crane Operator Training program until adjustment of the rule deadline.
If you’d like to send a comment on this OSHA ruling or have questions about what this rule change means for you and your sign shop, please contact ISA’s Education Program Manager, Emily O’Connor. For more information, please visit ISA’s FAQ page.
