This article was published in the August 2018 edition of NTEA News.
Articulating Crane Council of North America (ACCNA), established in 1992, promotes and serves common interests of articulating crane manufacturers. As many of these specialized truck-mounted crane manufacturers reside overseas, membership includes authorized national importers.
There are many applications for articulating cranes, which are also known as knuckleboom cranes since the booms operate in a similar manner to a finger. Usage varies with specialized end attachments, such as forks for drywall delivery. From a regulatory view, articulating cranes fall under different Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) categories, such as forestry for log-loaders or maritime standards for such equipment when used on docks. OSHA’s construction standards mostly cover truck-mounted variations due to the broad definition of what is considered a construction activity.
ACCNA tracks changes to OSHA standards involving cranes, as well as any applicable state requirements. OSHA revised its standards for cranes and derricks used in construction, now contained in Code of Federal Regulations Title 29 Part 1926, Subpart CC. Since it regulates workplace safety, changes to OSHA standards become the responsibility of equipment owners/operators. ACCNA members forecast the effects of such regulatory changes to ensure customers can meet new requirements based on equipment use and function.
One of the biggest changes to the construction standards for cranes involves certification requirements for operators. In 2008, ACCNA partnered with National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) to develop a series of written and practical exams for articulating cranes. This was a significant undertaking as nothing was previously created to formally officiate an operator for this type of equipment. The task force, which included ACCNA member company representatives, created three categories of articulating crane operator certification to cover construction industry equipment groupings subject to the new regulations.
Given the scale of changes to the crane and derrick requirements, OSHA received numerous interpretation requests. ACCNA will continue to monitor these rulemakings and act accordingly.
Visit ntea.com/accna to learn more or contact Steve Spata, NTEA technical assistance director, at steves@ntea.com.