16.B Personnel Qualifications.
16.B.01 LHE must be operated only by trained, certified, qualified and designated personnel.
Proof of qualification must be provided by the employer and designation must be in writing. In addition to fully qualified LHE operators, the following personnel may be designated (in writing) to operate LHE under limited conditions;
- Trainees under the direct supervision of the designated operator of the crane or hoist;
- LHE maintenance, inspection and repair personnel are permitted to operate the equipment only where all of the following requirements are met.
- (1) The operation is limited to those functions necessary to perform maintenance, inspect the equipment, or verify its performance.
- (2) Lifting of loads by these personnel is NOT allowed and they must either operate the equipment:
- (a) Under the direct supervision of a qualified operator (see Section 16.B.02), OR
- (b) Must read/review the operator's manual so that they are familiar with the operations, limitation, characteristics and hazards associated with the LHE being inspected, maintained, or repaired.
- LHE maintenance, inspection and repair personnel covered by this Section are exempt from the crane operator physical requirements identified in Section 16.B.05.
Example Certification - Fulford
16.B.02 Crane Operator Requirements - General.
- Prior to the start of a specific activity or task, documentation of operator certifications, qualifications and designations must be included in the AHA and provided to the GDA (contractor operators) or the supervisor/leader of the activity/task (government operators).
- Certification for all crane/hoist operators must be achieved by successful completion of written and operational testing.
- Qualification of all crane/hoist operators must be made by the employer after a review of the certification documents and an assurance that the operator(s) is familiar with the equipment to be operated (has adequate knowledge of USACE and OSHA crane safety requirements and manufacturer recommendations provided in the crane operator's manual).
- The employer then designates the operator(s) in writing for the equipment to be operated.
- Crane Operators must be able to communicate effectively with the lift supervisor, rigger(s), signal person(s) and other affected employees on site.
- Crane operators must demonstrate their ability to read, write and comprehend in the language of the crane manufacturer's operation and maintenance instruction materials, exhibit acceptable arithmetic skills and load/capacity chart usage and use written manufacturer procedures applicable to the type and configuration of equipment for which qualification is being sought.
16.B.03 Crane Operator Certification, Qualification and Designation.
The employer must ensure that, prior to operating any equipment covered under Section 16, the operator of the equipment is covered by Section 16.B.01, or is certified, qualified and designated in writing to operate the equipment in accordance with one of the following options:
- Option 1. Current certification by a Nationally Accredited Crane Operator Testing Organization.
(1) The operator's certificate must identify the type of equipment on which the operator was certified. Once the operator has obtained the certification, the employer must insure that the operator is qualified to operate a particular piece of equipment for that type and capacity and must designate this in writing.
Note: If no accredited testing agency offers certification examinations for a particular type of equipment, an operator will be deemed certified to operate that equipment if he/she has been certified for the type/capacity that is most similar to that equipment and for which a certification examination is available. Employer qualification and designation on the equipment is still required.
- (2) For a testing organization to be considered accredited to certify operators, it must:
- (a) Be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on that agency's determination that industry recognized criteria for written and practical testing materials, conditions and administration are being met;
- (b) Administer written and practical tests that assess operator applicants regarding necessary knowledge and skills and that provided different levels of certification based on equipment capacity and type;
- (c) Have procedures for operators to re-apply and be retested in event operator applicant fails a test or is decertified;
- (d) Have testing procedures for recertification;
- (e) Have accreditation reviewed by the nationally recognized accrediting agency at least every 3 years;
- (f) Issue a certification under this option that is portable and is valid for 5 years from date of issuance.
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Option 2. Qualification by an audited employer program. The employer's qualification of its employee must meet the following requirements:
Note: This "audited" option was associated with a phase-in period. However, because Industry has not yet met these requirements, OSHA has extended the deadline until 14 Nov 2017, to meet this Option. In lieu of a "Certified auditor that is not an employee of the employer", the employer's qualification of its employees may be performed by a "Qualified Person (QP) that may be an employee of the employer". In addition, the following must be met:
- (1) Successful completion of written and practical tests that are either developed by an accredited crane operator testing organization (see Option 1 above) or approved by an auditor (QP) in accordance with the following:
- (a) The auditor (QP) is certified to evaluate such tests by an accredited crane operator testing organization (see Option 1 above);
- (b) The auditor is not an employee of the employer (see Note above);
- (c) The approval must be based on the auditor's determination that the tests meet nationally recognized test development criteria and are valid and reliable in assessing the operator applicants' knowledge and skill needed;
- (d) The audit must be conducted in accordance with nationally recognized auditing standards.
- (2) The employer program must be audited within 3 months of the beginning of the program and every 3 years thereafter;
- (3) The employer program must have testing procedures for recertification;
- (4) Any significant deficiencies identified by the auditor must be corrected prior to further qualification of any operators;
- (5) Records of audits must be retained for 3 years and made available to the GDA upon request;
- (6) A qualification issued under this option:
- (a) Is not portable. Such a qualification meets the requirements of this Section only where the operator is employed by (and operating the equipment for) the employer that issued the qualification;
- (b) Is valid for 5 years from date of issuance.
- Option 3. Qualification by the U.S. Military. An operator who is an employee of the U.S. military is considered qualified if he/she has a current operator certification, qualification and designation issued by the U.S. Military for operation of the equipment. An employee of the U.S. Military is a federal employee of the Department of Defense or Armed Forces and does not include employees of private contractors. This option includes
- USACE crane, derrick and hoist operators) and is further detailed in Section 16.B.04.
- Option 4. Licensing by a State or Local Government Entity. A government (state or local) licensing department/office that issues operator licenses for operating equipment covered by this Section is considered a government accredited crane operator testing organization provided the following criteria are met:
- (1) The requirements for obtaining the license include assessment and determination via written and operational tests of the operator applicant's knowledge regarding safe operation of the specific type of equipment the individual will operate, including, at a minimum, the knowledge and skills listed in Section 16.B.02;
- (2) The testing meets industry recognized criteria for written testing materials, practical examinations, test administration, grading, facilities/equipment and personnel;
- (3) The government authority that oversees the examiners has determined that the requirements for Option 4 licensing have been met;
- (4) The examiner has testing procedures for recertification designed to ensure that the operator continues to meet the technical knowledge and skills requirements;
- (5) A license issued by a government accredited crane operator testing organization:
- (a) Meets the operator qualification requirements of this Section for operation of equipment only within the jurisdiction of the government entity; and
- (b) Is valid for the period of time stipulated by the licensing department/office but no longer than 5 years.
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16-3. What must be accomplished for crane/hoist operator certification?
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