SC&RA Members Disappointed in Lack of Progress <br>with New Crane Safety Regulations
April 20, 2005 • The status of new safety regulations for cranes and derricks was of top concern for many crane owners attending the April 2005 Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) annual conference in Chandler, Ariz.
It has been more than nine months since the Crane and Derrick Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee (C-DAC) reached consensus on the proposed rule. As of March 2005, OSHA had not yet begun the economic analysis of the rule's impact and an independent consultant to do the work had not been selected.
SC&RA members attending the Crane & Rigging Safety and Education Committee meeting last week, including Doug Williams, president of Buckner HeavyLift Cranes, Graham, N.C., and SC&RA's official C-DAC representative, speculated that it could be another five years before the regulation is finalized and put into effect.
Summarizing the general feeling of anticipation and disappointment, Williams stated, “Whatever frame of mind we were in [regarding the finalization of the regulations] last fall, we can start that all over again [this spring.]”
In February, the SC&RA wrote to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to express disappointment concerning the lack of progress in efforts to update the safety regulation.
Williams was one of several new officers named to lead the association in 2005 and 2006. He will serve as vice president under new president Jerry Thompson of Trail King,
