Frequently Asked Questions about OSHA’s Cranes and Derricks in Construction Rule

Some of the most frequent questions we get from our clients have to do with coverage of OSHA’s new crane standard (29 CFR 1926.1427 subpart CC). What kinds of specialty equipment fall under the standard and what kinds are excluded? What kinds of activities are subject to the requirements of the standard and which are excluded? While definitive answers are sometimes not yet available from OSHA, here are some of the questions we have been able to answer:

Q: Under what circumstances do I need to have a qualified signal person on site?

A: If the operator of a crane or derrick on a construction site cannot see the load or the path of the load at any point during the operation, or if your company or site has a specific policy requiring signal persons, then you need a qualified signal person.


Q: I have an overhead (bridge) crane. Do I have to certify my operators under the new crane standard?
A: It depends on the activity your bridge crane is performing; would that activity fall under the general industry standard, or the construction standard? If the construction standard, then subpart CC applies.


The CIC is currently working on an overhead crane certification and as soon as it’s available, New England Crane School will be offering it.


Q. I do tree work, and I heard that means I don’t fall under the crane standard and therefore don’t have to use qualified signal person and riggers or get certified as an operator. Is that true?
A. Tree trimming and tree removal are specifically excluded from subpart CC; they fall under the general industry standard (29 CFR Part 1910) and are excluded from the requirements of the crane standard. If you use your crane for other, construction-related activities, however, then you still need to comply with the requirements of subpart CC.


Q: If I am a CIC-, NCCCO- or NCCER-certified operator, does that mean I am automatically a qualified signal person and/or rigger?
A: No. You may have enough training and/or experience to self-document as a qualified rigger, and your employer may feel you can be qualified “in-house” as a signalperson, so it is not required that you go to a third party for training. But if you are signaling or rigging for a crane or derrick on a construction site, you must still have documentation specifying that you have been assessed (internally or externally) as a qualified signal person, and you must be able to show that you are a qualified rigger for the type of loads you’re rigging.


If you attend an operator certification class with New England Crane School, we offer you the option of a free signal/rigging class that same week.


Q: I deliver materials to a construction site using a flatbed truck equipped with an articulating crane. At the site, I use the crane to move the materials from the flatbed onto the ground. Must I comply with the standard?
A: No. Subpart CC does not apply when construction materials are delivered from the flatbed to the ground at a construction site and the crane is not used to arrange those materials in a particular sequence for hoisting. This is considered a general industry activity covered by applicable requirements of 29 CFR Part 1910.


Q: I deliver materials to a construction site using a flatbed truck equipped with an articulating crane. At the site, I use the crane to move the materials from the flatbed onto the structure being erected. Must I comply with the standard?
A: This depends on the type of materials you are moving. In general, movement of material onto a structure under construction is a construction activity that is subject to OSHA construction standards. However, subpart CC contains a limited exclusion from coverage of the cranes and derricks standard for when goods delivered directly to the structure are building supply sheet goods or building supply packaged materials such as sheets of sheet rock, sheets of plywood, bags of cement, sheets or packages of roofing shingles, and rolls of roofing felt. In situations where the equipment is used to hoist and hold any materials in support of their application or installation, articulating/knuckle-boom equipment must comply with subpart CC. The use of articulating/knuckle-boom cranes to deliver materials onto a structure is also covered by subpart CC when the types of materials delivered are similar to materials such as: steel joists, beams, columns, steel decking, or components of systems engineered metal buildings; precast concrete members or panels; roof trusses, (wooden, cold formed metal, steel or other material); and prefabricated building sections such as but not limited to, floor panels, wall panels, roof panels, roof structures, or similar items.


For more frequently asked questions and answers about operator certification, including state licensing requirements for New England and New York, visit our website FAQ page:

newenglandcraneschool.com/faqs