What do I need

I copied this from an email from
Crane's "safety specialists"
http://www.cranesaerialtruckservice.com/
great people we use them for all of our safety inspections. I figued this might be helpful rather then just posting stuff we have heard.

Cranes Aerial Truck Service
Tip of the Month, July 2011

State and Federal Crane Licensing based off OSHA 1926.1400 Standards

Licensing
My number one question that we frequently get asked revolves around licensing. The OSHA 1926.1400 standards have, for the first time, spelled out specifics about crane licensing. I'll share my opinion with you in bullet points in the hopes that I can keep it easiest to understand:

• OSHA now has the responsibility to ensure that crane operators are licensed.
• OSHA will cite the employer for employing an unlicensed operator.
• The 1926.1400 standards identify which license is applicable.
• OSHA will only recognize the applicable license
• If you are working in an American State and that state issues licenses, you must possess that states license. If you possess any other license, it will not suffice if the state you're working in doesn't recognize it. I.e.: I'm in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts issues licenses. No other license (Federal, DoD, CCO, CIC etc.) is recognized in Massachusetts today.
• If you are working in another licensing state, you must possess their license. I.e. You're licensed in Massachusetts and need to work in Connecticut. You need to get a Connecticut license. If you are working in Connecticut with a Massachusetts license and get caught by OSHA, you can be cited.
• If you are working in a state that recognizes an accredited license (CCO, CIC), only that license will be applicable in that state
• In the northeast Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island are states that issue licenses.
• New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine don't issue licenses yet.
• States that don't issue licenses have until November 2014 to put together an OSHA compliant license program or adopt an accredited license program.
• New York City issues their own license and is accepting some accredited licenses as well. Call ahead before you take a job there.
• States, like Massachusetts, require licenses regardless of the cranes location. I.e.: private property does not exempt the operator from licensing.

We are trying to keep on top of the decision makers to maintain which states are doing which programs. All info can change, as the 2014 deadline gets closer.

I hope this help make sense of licensing. If you have any questions, call our office at 508.966.4100. We will share any info we have.
 
Marquis, I was under the impression that as long as you're only doing tree work a license is not mandatory in any state. As far as you know, is there any truth to this?
 
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I can't speak for another state but I know when inspectors have shown up to job sites in MA where a crane is set up the first thing they want to see is the opp's license.

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Thanks. That sucks, but it's good to know. Being from NY, I doubt my restrictions would be that far off of yours. How hard was the process of obtaining your license? Just a quick fee at the town hall or was there an extensive knowledge and skills test?
 
In NY you dont need a lisence for trees. But if you lift anything else you do. This would incude lifting a tree to be planted. or air conditioners etc.

Kbooms dont need a lisence in NY because there is no winch line.
 
Allmark, when we were working in central park the owner of the crane company we rented from was telling me that NY just changed how they handled knuckle booms. He said that before they were except from most of the regulations and now they were treated very similarly to other cranes. Is any of this the case? Could it have just been NYC he was talking about?
I personally find it very strange that any of states have an exception for tree work or Knucklebooms, in MA there is no such exception, the Dept of Safety has a separate class of license for "booms without wire ropes"

(copied from http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal...&csid=Eeops )

Q. What activities are covered under the hoisting regulations?

A: The regulations, appearing in 520 CMR 6.00, apply to any hoisting machinery where the height of the lift exceeds ten feet or the weight of the load exceeds 500 pounds or the capacity of the bucket exceeds 1/4 cubic yard capacity. See 520 CMR 6.01

Q. Do I need a hoisting license to operate hoisting machinery exclusively for agricultural purposes?

A. No. M.G.L. c. 146, § 53 provides an exemption for hoisting machinery used exclusively for agricultural purposes.

(I have a feeling you would have a hard time trying to use a farming excemption to cover tree removal IMO, tried to read the general law but couldnt open the whole file)

Q. Are there any other exemptions to the licensing requirements?

A. Aside from the agricultural exemption (see above), Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 146, Section 53 allows for two additional exemptions: (1) for public utility companies that have “self propelled truck mounted cranes, derricks and similar hoisting equipment which is used for the maintenance and construction of the equipment of such company and which has at least one supervisory employee who holds a license issued by the department and is designated as the responsible person in charge of hoisting equipment.” (2) for any other company which has equipment such as cranes, derricks and similar hoisting equipment used only upon utility company property. These exemptions apply only if such companies have an in service training program for employees approved by the department and “the company issues each trained and certified employee a company license.”

In MA we need hoisting licenses for our grapple chippers, and just about everything else
 
Im not sure about NYC. They require a seperate license for the crane as well. In the rest of NY tree services are excluded. This makes no sense but the regulations were actually just redone also.
 
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=1

I don't know what, if anything, OSHA has to do with operating licensing requirements but the link to their site above shows in (c)(13) that normal crane rules don't apply to our industry. Allmark, you might want to read over the knuckleboom portion in (c)(17). Apparently the knuckleboom exclusion you were referencing only applies to delivery of materials, at least as far as OSHA is concerned.

http://www.nccco.org/news/OSHARuleFAQs.html

This NCCCO page discusses certification and states that our industry isn't under the new cert requirement.


Allmark, I tried finding something in NY law that confirms what you told me but my research didn't turn much up other than the above two links. Interesting reading, but not quite what I was looking for. If you have any links to share I'd appreciate it.
 
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Think I found it.

http://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/safetyhealth/PDFs/Industry/CR61.pdf

Section 61-3 Special provisions for crane operators. No exclusion for tree work that I could find in NY.


I apologize to the op now as I feel I'm hijacking this thread w/ NY info that doesn't pertain to him. Sorry. I would listen to Marquis in your situation as you both operate in the same state.

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I know I didn't start the thread but I think it is all good info.
I am going off my interpretation of the ma laws, and my limited experience with inspectors. For all I know we may be able to operate under the agriculture exception.

Also the NYC crane opp did say the knucklebooms were exempt only when used to unload trucks, all other opperations they were considered cranes
 
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http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=1

I don't know what, if anything, OSHA has to do with operating licensing requirements but the link to their site above shows in (c)(13) that normal crane rules don't apply to our industry. Allmark, you might want to read over the knuckleboom portion in (c)(17). Apparently the knuckleboom exclusion you were referencing only applies to delivery of materials, at least as far as OSHA is concerned.

http://www.nccco.org/news/OSHARuleFAQs.html



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This is from the NYS site. We are not part of these 3 industries.
Section 61-3.1 Application. This Subpart applies to every individual who operates a crane, as herein defined, operating in construction, demolition or excavation work.
 
I see. Wasn't sure how to classify our industry. Thought maybe it could be considered demolition but I guess we're more closely related to the forestry/agriculture side. Seems a frisky lawyer could argue either way though. But I'm no law student...
 
I have a job to do. Flat yard all the way to the back edge. Then about a 45-50 degree hill down to a pond. I have to remove fallen storm damaged trees from the hillside. yard is grass, and hill is small trees and weeds. Ground seems solid and has not been disturbed for years.

I normally go by common sense which works very good for me. I am trying to figure out the best way to figure how close I can be to the edge. I will be backing the truck straight up to the edge. I plan to put the rear out riggers and cribbing on large sheets of plywood to spread the weight out a little more. My thought is to keep the outriggers 10ft from the edge. That would leave me reaching about 70ft to the furthest tree which leaves me able to handle a decent amount of weight.
 
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