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Product Specific
Crane Makers Petition OSHA
The Power Crane and Shovel Association (PCSA), which is chaired by Ron Dogotch of Tadano America, has increased its efforts to encourage
OSHA to address updating Federal crane regulations.
The Crane Technical Committee, chaired by Dan Quinn of Link-Belt, is spearheading the actions. In a letter to the Construction
Directorate, PCSA urged OSHA's Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health Crane Work Group to update the regulations, which
would include current safety-related crane issues and also be expanded to reference hydraulic cranes.
The issue: the OSHA rule (CFR 1926.550 and CFR 1910.180) still references an outdated ANSI standard that did not include hydraulic
cranes. The current ANSI standard (B30.5), which is used industrywide, does include hydraulic cranes.
PCSA notes that at least 80% of the cranes in use today are hydraulic and has called upon OSHA to incorporate the current ANSI standard
into the federal regulation. In addition, the work practices included in the latest edition of B30.5 have been updated to address
issues such as working around power lines.
"It's a major deficiency to refer to the 1968 (ANSI) standard," stated PCSA to OSHA, explaining that crane manufacturers have
in the past and continue to design and test their cranes to conform to the latest ANSI B30.5 standards.
Other Regulatory Issues
Other PCSA action involves the continued usage of the current standard (B30.5) which covers both lattice boom and hydraulic cranes.
The issue: In 1982 the B30.5 committee combined two standards covering hydraulic cranes and lattice boom cranes after determining they
were essentially the same. There has been discussion within the committee to again establish two separate standards.
PCSA has urged the B30.5 committee to continue use of one combined standard to maintain continuity in standards compliance. "The
1982 standards and subsequent revisions have been well accepted by the crane industry, with all cranes in the U.S. designed to comply
with the standards," stated PCSA to the committee.
PCSA noted that OSHA inspectors also use the current standard for compliance requirements.
As a result, the B30.5 committee took the PCSA opinion under consideration.
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