The plan was to wait for OSHA to issue a final rule, but pressure from construction companies and a spate of crane collapses across the country prompted North Carolina to enact the proposed federal crane rule before it becomes official. “We just weren’t willing to wait any longer because it seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get that standard out,” said Kevin Beauregard, assistant director of the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Division.
He said the state went through the rulemaking process last year after meeting with local industry stakeholders. The rule went into effect Oct. 1. “I think part of the reason why the rulemaking process went fairly quickly and was streamlined is that we involved industry from the beginning,” he said.
North Carolina’s rule is essentially the same document created by OSHA’s Cranes and Derricks Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee, except it has been reformatted to meet state requirements and lawmakers replaced any language they considered ambiguous, according to Beauregard.
He said officials will look at the final federal rule when it comes out. For now, though, they are concentrating on providing training on the standard. At least 10 classes have already taken place, resulting in the training of 400-500 people. It is too early to evaluate the rule’s impact, but Beauregard has observed an increase in operator training. He estimated 17 violations have been issued since the rule went into effect. “I think that we’re encouraged by the positive comments that we’ve received from industry,” he said.
