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Subpart CC – Cranes and Derricks in 

Construction: Assembly/Disassembly 

This fact sheet explains the assembly and 

disassembly requirements of subpart CC – Cranes 

and Derricks in Construction, as specified in 29 

CFR 1926.1403-1926.1406 and 192.1412. These 

provisions are effective November 8, 2010. 

Procedures 

Under this standard, employers must comply with 

all manufacturer prohibitions regarding assembly 

and disassembly. However, the standard generally 

allows employers to choose between the 

manufacturer’s procedures or their own (see 

exception below for synthetic slings procedures). 

Employer procedures must be developed by a 

“qualified person” and must satisfy a number of 

specified requirements, such as providing 

adequate support and stability for all parts of the 

equipment, and positioning employees involved to 

minimize exposure to any unintended movement or 

collapse. 

Assembly/Disassembly responsibilities 

• The rule requires the work to be directed by an 

A/D (Assembly/Disassembly) director. The 

A/D director must meet the criteria for both a 

“competent person” and a “qualified person,” 

which are defined terms in this rule, or must be 

a “competent person” assisted by a “qualified 

person.” 

• The A/D director must understand the 

applicable procedures. 

• The A/D director must review the procedures 

immediately prior to beginning work unless he 

or she understands the procedures and has 

used them before for that equipment type and 

configuration. 

• The A/D director must ensure that each 

member of the crew understands his or her 

tasks, the hazards of the tasks, and any 

hazardous positions or locations to avoid. 

• The A/D director must verify all capacities of 

any equipment used, including rigging, lifting 

lugs, etc. 

• The A/D director must also address hazards 

associated with the operation, including 12 

specified areas of concern: site and ground 

conditions, blocking material, proper location of 

blocking, verifying assist crane loads, boom & 

jib pick points, center of gravity, stability upon 

pin removal, snagging, struck by 

counterweights, boom hoist brake failure, loss 

of backward stability, and wind speed and 

weather. 

Inspection

• Upon completion of assembly, but before use, 

the equipment must be inspected by a 

“qualified person” to ensure that it is configured 

in accordance with the manufacturer 

equipment criteria. If these criteria are 

unavailable, the employer’s “qualified person,” 

with the assistance of a registered professional 

engineer if necessary, must develop the 

appropriate configuration criteria and ensure 

that these criteria are met. 
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Assembly/Disassembly, continued.

General requirements 

• A crew member who moves out of the 

operator’s view to a location where the crew 

member could be injured by movement of the 

equipment (or load) MUST inform the 

operator before going to that location. The 

operator must not move the equipment until 

that crew member informs the operator that 

he or she has relocated to a safe position. 

• Employees must never be under the boom or 

jib when pins (or similar devices) are being 

removed, unless it is required by site 

constraints and the A/D director has 

implemented procedures that minimize the 

risk of unintended movement and the 

duration and extent of exposure under the 

boom. 

• Component weights must be readily available 

for all components to be assembled. 

• All rigging must be done by a “qualified 

rigger.” 

• Pins may not be removed during disassembly 

when the pendants are in tension. 

• Booms supported only by cantilevering must 

not exceed manufacturer limitations or RPE 

limitations, as applicable. 

• Component selection and equipment 

configuration that affects the capacity or safe 

operation of the equipment must be in 

accordance with manufacturer requirements 

and limits or RPE requirements and limits, as 

applicable. 

Synthetic slings 

• The employer must follow manufacturer 

procedures when using synthetic slings 

during assembly or disassembly rigging 

(even when the employer has developed its 

own A/D procedure as an alternative to the 

manufacturer’s other procedures.) 

• Synthetic slings must be protected from 

abrasive, sharp or acute edges, and 

configurations that might reduce the sling’s 

rated capacity. 

Outriggers and stabilizers 

When outriggers or stabilizers are used or are 

necessary in light of the load to be handled and 

the operating radius: 

• Outriggers and stabilizers must be fully 

extended or, if permitted by manufacturer 

procedures, deployed as specified in the load 

chart. 

• Outriggers must be set to remove equipment 

weight from the wheels, except for locomotive 

cranes. 

• Outrigger floats, if used, must be attached to 

the outriggers; stabilizer floats, if used, must 

be attached to the stabilizers. 

• Each outrigger or stabilizer must be visible to 

the operator or to a signal person during 

extension and setting. 

• Outrigger and stabilizer blocking must be 

placed under the float/pad of the jack or, if 

there is no jack, under the outer bearing 

surface of the outrigger or stabilizer beam. 

Blocking must also be sufficient to sustain the 

loads and maintain stability and must be 

properly placed. 

Tower cranes 

• Tower cranes are subject to additional 

requirements for erecting, climbing and 

dismantling, including a pre-erection 

inspection (29 CFR 1926.1435).