Subchapter 7. General Industry Safety Orders
Group 13. Cranes and Other Hoisting Equipment
Article 98. Operating Rules

§5006.1. Mobile Crane and Tower Crane-Operator Qualifications and Certification.

(a) Qualifications. The employer shall only permit operators who have a valid certificate of competency (certificate) issued in accordance with this section by an Accredited Certifying Entity for the type of crane to be used to operate a crane covered by this section. Certificates shall be issued to operators who:

(1) Pass a physical examination conducted by a physician which at a minimum shall include the examination criteria specified in the Ameri- can Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B30.5-2000 standard, Chapter 5-3.1.2(a)(1-5, 7, 8) or the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) physical examination requirements contained in 49 CFR Sections 391.41 through 391.49.

(2) Pass a substance abuse test. The level of testing shall be consistent with the standard practice for the industry where the crane is in use and this test shall be conducted by a recognized laboratory service;

(3) Pass a written examination developed, validated, and administered in accordance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Copyright 1999) published jointly by the Joint Committee of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council in Measurement in Education. The exam shall test knowledge and skills identified as necessary for safe crane operations and shall, at a minimum, include the following:

(A) operational characteristics and controls, including characteristic and performance questions appropriate to the crane type for which qualification is sought;

(B) emergency control skills, such as a response to fire, power line contact, loss of stability, or control malfunction;

(C) a demonstration of basic arithmetic skills necessary for crane operation and the ability to read and comprehend the crane manufacturer's operation and maintenance instruction materials, including load capacity information (load charts) for the crane for which certification is sought;

(D) knowledge of chapters 5-0 through 5-3 of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B30.5-2000 and B30.5a-2002 Addenda to the standard for mobile and locomotive cranes or chapters 4-0 through 4-3 of the ASME B30.4-1996 standard for portal, tower, and pedestal cranes or Chapter 3-3 of the ASME B 30.3-1996 standard for Construction Tower Cranes, depending on the type of crane(s) the operator intends to operate.

(4) Pass a "hands-on" examination to demonstrate proficiency in operating the specific type of crane, which at a minimum shall include pre-start and post-start inspection, maneuvering skills, shutdown, and securing procedures.

(b) Certification. Certificates shall be valid for a maximum of five (5) years. An Accredited Certifying Entity shall issue the certificate of competency to operators who successfully demonstrate the qualifications set forth in (a)(1)- (4) of this section.

(c) Accredited Certifying Entity. A certifying entity is any organization whose certification program is accredited by either the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI accreditation shall be in accordance with the requirements of the ANSI, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17024:2003(E), Conformity Assessment-General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

(d) Re-certification. Crane operators shall re-certify every five (5) years and shall be required to meet all of the qualifications set forth in subsection (a). Operators with at least one-thousand (1,000) hours of documented experience operating the specific type of crane for which re-certification is sought as covered by this section during the immediately preceding certification period and who meet the physical examination, substance abuse, and written examination requirements set forth in subsections (a)(1), (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section shall not be required to take the "hands-on" examination specified in subsection (a)(4) to re-certify.

(e) Trainees may be authorized to operate mobile or tower cranes provided they are under the direct supervision of an operator possessing a valid certificate of competency for the type of crane operated by the trainee.

The term direct supervision means the supervising operator is in the immediate area of the trainee and within visual sighting distance and able to effectively communicate with the trainee. When performing direct supervision, the supervising operator shall have no other duties other than to observe the operation of the crane by the trainee.

(f) Effective Date. The requirements of Section 5006.1 shall become effective on June 1, 2005.

EXCEPTIONS TO SECTION 5006.1:

(1) Mobile cranes having a boom length of less than 25 feet or a maximum rated load capacity of less than 15,000 pounds.

(2) Operators of electric line trucks (digger derrick trucks) as defined in Section 2700 of the Electrical Safety Orders, and regulated by Section 2940.7 of the High Voltage Electrical Safety Orders. This exception does not include mobile truck cranes designed and built in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B30.5 standards.

(3) Marine terminal operations regulated by Article 14 of these Orders.

   Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.

 HISTORY     1. New section filed 7-3-2003; operative 8-2-2003 (Register 2003, No. 27).

2. Amendment of subsection (f), Exception 2 filed 12-15-2006; operative 1-14-
2007 (Register 2006, No. 50).

3. Amendment of subsection (c) filed 7-27-2009; operative 8-26-2009 (Register
2009, No. 31).