OSHA expresses intent to extend crane rule deadline

June 5, 2017 By    

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) expressed intent to postpone the Nov. 10, 2017, compliance deadline for the Cranes and Derricks in Construction regulation, according to the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA).

Although OSHA intends to delay the compliance deadline, the administration has not officially postponed it. NPGA reached out to OSHA to obtain additional information on the delay, as well as potential next steps for the agency, NPGA says.

Last month, NPGA called on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to immediately delay the compliance deadline for the regulation by an additional three years, NPGA says. The association also plans to take this matter to Congress to re-emphasize its concerns during Propane Days. In addition, NPGA is preparing a white paper to detail the requirements of the Cranes and Derricks in Construction regulation.

The Cranes and Derricks in Construction regulation impacts the propane industry by requiring that employees working at a construction site and operating a crane with a lifting capacity of more than 2,000 pounds receive third-party certification. At the onset of this regulation, NPGA challenged its relevance to the propane industry and argued for exclusion from the regulation. OSHA has maintained that the regulation is activity-specific rather than industry-specific, and therefore its requirements may cover some propane tank deliveries by articulating or mobile cranes, according to NPGA.

About the Author:

Megan Smalley was an associate editor at LP Gas magazine.

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