Overhead Crane Regulations & Standards

By Richard Wehrmeister for the Crane Certification Association of America (CCAA)

How did ANSI standards become part of OSHA regulations? In the early 1970’s when OSHA was issuing new workplace safety regulations, they would often use what was available as the basis for new regulations or incorporate by reference an existing standard. In either case, the ANSI voluntary standards would fill the bill, as they were considered best practices at the time.

Not all ANSI standards are incorporated by reference. ANSI standards can also be interpreted as implicit regulations through our American legal system. The standards make a great reference on how a particular machine should be, or more likely in the case of a trial, “should have been”. The failure to comply can cause employers and manufacturers to increase their liability exposure, should an accident occur. It is difficult to persuade a jury that a particular document is just a voluntary document while the opposing lawyer advocates it is really the Holy Grail of safe guarding.

A good example of this is OSHA incorporates ANSI B30.2 that covers double girder cranes. OSHA does not incorporate the ANSI standards covering single girder cranes or monorails. These are found in ANSI B30.17 and B30.11. These two ANSI standards were not written at the time ANSI B30.2 was incorporated by reference. However, OSHA has cited the General Duty Clause in issuing citations on equipment that doesn’t meet ANSI B30.17 and B30.11. The general duty provisions are used where there is no Federal Regulation that applies to a particular hazard.

Industry standards or practices are other examples. One of these is CMAA. CMAA is a design specification. OSHA does reference CMAA however the reference only applies to clearances from obstructions. ANSI B30.2 also references CMAA however this reference applies to rails and bridge girder design and installation. Both OSHA and ANSI reference only a small part of the specification. The specification is a complete design specification that includes electrical, mechanical and structural design criteria and CMAA also states that inspection and maintenance be performed in accordance with ANSI B30.2 and the CMAA “Overhead Crane Inspection Checklist”.

Why is all this important if OSHA and ANSI does not incorporate the entire CMAA specifications? It can be important in a court of law because virtually all overhead crane builders design and manufacture their overhead cranes to CMAA specifications. This has become an Industry Standard. While OSHA may never write a citation referencing the CMAA specification, you can bet the opposing lawyer will hang the crane inspector out to dry if in fact the inspector neglected to ensure that the crane complied with CMAA specifications and this noncompliance resulted in an accident. Remember all the lawyer has to do is convince a jury with the help of an expert witness that the equipment did not comply with Industry Standards.

In summary, the overhead crane industry does have a long list of Standards, Regulations and Specifications that the equipment must adhere to and this doesn’t include the changes in technology, design and safety that OSHA or ANSI has not kept up with. Being an overhead crane inspector is a constant learning process. To error in this process could find you before a jury.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA)