If work has to operate closer than the Table A values, then the following precautions must be taken. The employer must show that Table A is infeasible and that it is infeasible to de-energize and ground or relocate the line. Safe distances must be determined by the owner/operator of the line or a registered professional engineer who is a qualified person, and A planning meeting must be heldm which will discuss the following; automatic reenergizing devices (reclosers) must be inoperative, a dedicated spotter must be assigned, an elevated warning line/barricade or an insulating link must be installed between the line and the load, non-conductive rigging must be used, a range of motion limiting device must be used. non-conductive tag lines must be used. barricades at least 10 feet from the equipment (where feasible) must be established. equipment must be properly grounded, workers must be kept from touching the line above the insulating link, the owner and user must meet with the equipment operator and other workers to review procedures, one person must be identified who will implement the plan and can stop work if necessary, and finally, documentation of these procedures must be immediately available on site.

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Continued from part six

f) § 1926.1407-1411 Power Line Safety

One of the most critical aspects of signal person training is explaining the need to stay away from power lines. Cranes contacting power lines are the single biggest cause of crane fatalities, and the new standard should help tremendously, as it gives contractors and operators something to do at 20 feet from power lines. I believe this “early warning system” at least will impress workers of the importance of staying away from power lines, and will raise awareness on the job.
First, the work zone around the crane must be demarcated 360 degrees around the equipment’s greatest reach to ensure that no encroachments can occur within 20 feet of a power line. If the work could encroach on the 20 ft. clearance, the Employer must; confirm with the power company that the line is de-energized and visibly grounded at the worksite, make sure no part gets within 20 feet of the power line (through the use of spotters, etc.), and follow Table A, which has minimum distances based on voltage. (more…)

New Qualified Crane Signal Person Requirements – Part Five of Seven

b) § 1926.1420 Signals – radio, telephone or other electronic transmission of signals

The device(s) used to transmit signals must be tested on site before beginning operations to ensure that the signal transmission is effective, clear, and reliable (including extra batteries). Signal transmission must be through a dedicated channel, except multiple cranes/derricks and one or more signal persons may share a dedicated channel for the purpose of coordinating operations. Where a crane is being operated on or adjacent to railroad tracks, and the actions of the crane operator need to be coordinated with the movement of other equipment or trains on the same or adjacent tracks. The operator’s reception of signals must be by a hands-free system

c) § 1926.1421 Signals – voice signals – additional requirements

Prior to beginning operations, the operator, signal person and lift director (if there is one), must contact and identify each other and agree on the voice signals that will be used. Once the voice signals are agreed upon, these workers need not meet again to discuss voice signals unless; another worker is added or substituted; there is confusion about the voice signals or; a voice signal is to be changed.

Each voice signal must contain the following three elements, given in the following order:

• function (i.e. hoist, boom, etc.) & direction
• distance and/or speed
• function stop command

If by radio, the parties shall identify themselves each time (i.e. “Mike, it’s Jim, Cable Down” ). Also, there’s no requirement to speak English, only that the operator, signal person and lift director must be able to effectively communicate in the language used

d) § 1926.1422 Signals – hand signal chart

This is a simple requirement in that the hand signal chart must be posted on the equipment or conspicuously posted in the vicinity of the hoisting operations. This means that the chart cannot just be in the main bulletin board along with all the other posters.

e) § 1926.1428 Signal person qualifications

The employer of the signal person must ensure that each signal person meets the Qualification Requirements prior to giving any signals. Again in my opinion, this should be a Competent Person, after all, who should direct the most expensive piece of equipment that can cause the most damage on a jobsite? However, OSHA also give the following two options for qualifying potential signal persons.

Option 1- Third party qualified evaluator

The signal person has documentation from a third party qualified evaluator showing that the signal person meets the Qualification Requirements. An assessment by a third party qualified evaluator under this option is portable between employers.

Option 2- Employer’s qualified evaluator

The employer’s qualified evaluator assesses the individual and determines that the individual meets the Qualification Requirements and provides documentation of that determination. An assessment by an employer’s qualified evaluator under this option is not portable from one employer to another.

Onsite Documentation: The employer must make the documentation for whichever option is used available at the site while the signal person is employed by the employer. The documentation must specify each type of signaling (e.g. hand signals, radio signals, etc.) for which the signal person meets the requirements of this section.

Retraining: If subsequent actions by the signal person indicate that the individual does not meet the Qualification Requirements, the employer must not allow the individual to continue working as a signal person until re-training is provided and a re-assessment is made that confirms that the individual meets the Qualification Requirements. Again, these new provisions will eventually require additions/ alterations to your overall construction contractor’s safety and health program.

This is continued from part three…

4) Know and understand the relevant requirements of:

a) § 1926.1419 Signals – general requirements

A signal person must be provided in each of the following situations; when the point of operation, meaning the load travel or the area near or at load placement, is not in full view of the operator; when the equipment is traveling and the view in the direction of travel is obstructed; and when due to site specific safety concerns, either the operator or the person handling the load determines that it is necessary (more…)

This is continued from part two…

3) Have a basic understanding of equipment operation and limitations, including the crane dynamics involved in swinging and stopping loads and boom deflection from hoisting loads (cont.)

This is an extremely important part of this training – again this section especially may be above the layperson’s comprehension, and care should be considered who takes this training. The following is a brief rundown of basic crane operations I discuss in my classes.

Avoid swinging loads over personnel (workers, public, etc) –best practice is 100% avoidance. Extra Caution/ Care should be used when; Engaged in hooking, unhooking or guiding a load. Engaged in the initial attachment of the load to a component or structure. Working with suspended equipment. (more…)

For a signal person to be qualified, they simply must:

1. Know and understand the type of signals used
   If hand signals are used, the signal person must know and understand the Standard Method for hand signals. This means that a signal person has to be independently qualified (more on this later) in the type of signaling they will use. For instance, if you’re only going to use a radio to signal a crane in the future, you must understand the requirements for this type of signaling, proper radio protocol, etc. However, your certification (again more on this later) would only be for radio signaling, and not, say for hand signaling (and of course, vice-versa). In essence, this handicaps the signal person and raises the possibility for non-compliance as someone may be called upon to signal in another method. My point is that any signal person course should be for radio, audible, voice, and hand signals to make the student as well-rounded as possible. In addition, certification and/or documentation is required to be onsite, and shall specify the types of signals the person is qualified to give. (more…)

After forty years since OSHA’s inception, on August 8, 2010 OSHA released Subpart CC. Subpart CC, also known as the “Construction Cranes” Standard, or more correctly, the “Cranes & Derricks” Standard is a wide-reaching, comprehensive standard of over 250 pages that addresses almost every aspect of crane operation on a construction site. This standard was developed over several years in a cooperative effort with experts from the business and labor world in a committee-style environment. This seems to be the trend with the development of standards in recent years, and may be the template for future rulemaking.
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Pre-manufactured guardrail systems have been utilized by many contractors, for a variety of applications in recent years. As more of these systems come on the market, it is important to note the limitations for the use of these systems.

It is not uncommon to see fall protection being misused in general. For example, we often see improperly installed systems or PPE utilized incorrectly. Another example of this unfortunate reality is portable guardrail systems.
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OSHA requires that workers wear steel toe shoes when working on certain jobsites. Steel toe shoes have become a common piece of safety equipment in the workplace. These durable shoes help to protect the feet from injury on the jobsite. Many that wear steel toe shoes at work know how important it is to protect ones feet from injury.
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Scaffolds can be some of the most complex, time-consuming, and ultimately dangerous tools to use on the job. Proper setup and use of scaffolds can be some of the most technical challenges for the worker since there are multitude of regulations, manufacturer’s and/or engineer’s requirements, and common sense that have to be utilized when erecting, altering, using, and dismantling scaffolds. This article will address selection of the best type of scaffold for your project.
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