Articulating Boom Certifications
First off, we’d like to apologize for being a little late with our latest “Safety Saturday” blog! Craneology Inc. isn’t normally open on the weekends, but this current weekend, we opened on Saturday to give one of our students extra training time with our on-site TSS crane, prior to his CCO exam. Life happens, right? We have to do what we can and make adjustments from time to time, so here’s the latest installment, albeit on Sunday!
In today’s topic, we will discuss Articulating Boom Certifications…hence the title. Our reference for this topic comes from the OSHA CFR 1926.1400, Subpart CC, which deals with cranes in construction. I will only be paraphrasing this OSHA information, but unlike the ASME Volumes Craneology Inc. has a license for, this information is available to the public.
A question that comes up from time to time is, “Why do my ‘knuckle boom’ operators need a certification?” The answer is not quite as simple as because “OSHA says so”.
There are 17 exclusions within the scope of Subpart CC that refer to “crane” and/or “crane-related” operations which DO NOT fall under the scope of work within the Subpart CC. This is not to say there are no regulations for these types of operations, just that they are not covered in this Subpart. These exclusions include but are not limited to:
Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts)
Tree Trimming
Helicopter Cranes, etc.
All of these exclusions are limited to 1–2 lines of text, with the exception of 1926.1400(c)(17) Material Delivery, which has 6 paragraphs covering the various conditions and work environments an articulating boom may be working in.
The Material Delivery section is split into 2 parts — Articulating Boom Exclusions and Non-Exclusions. Part 1, covering exclusions, refers to when no certification is required. An Articulating Boom Crane is excluded when:
1. Transferring materials from truck to ground without arranging materials in any specific order.
2. Transferring building supply sheet goods (sheet rock, plywood, shingles, etc.), using a fork/cradle at the end of the boom, and ONLY if the crane is equipped with an overload prevention device.
Part 2 refers to Non-Exclusions. Now, pay close attention, because this is where a lot of companies go wrong in NOT getting their employees certified and performing this type of work. THE EXCLUSION DOES NOT APPLY WHEN:
1. The crane is used to support or stabilize material to facilitate a construction activity.
2. The material being handled is a prefabricated component (Roof trusses, concrete panels, floor panels, etc).
3. The material being handled is a structural steel member or a component of a metal building.
4. The Activity is NOT specifically excluded under Sec. 1400.
You may be an employee or Operations Manager at a company that does not perform operations that would require a crane certification. Understood.
HOWEVER, you may find yourself in a situation where the scope of your company’s operations changes drastically and quickly, either due to restructuring or downsizing, and those responsibilities can differ from branch to branch. Your company can find itself having certified operators where they are not required and vice versa, which can ultimately lead to the company being found to be out of compliance for a specific operation(s).
Please, if you aren’t sure, dig a bit deeper into what OSHA has to say in relation to your company’s day-to-day operations, and whether or not what is currently happening within the company can cause compliance issues with the standards.
As always, from us at Craneology Inc., BE SAFE.
