Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/08/17/2012-20170/cranes-and-derricks-in-construction-demolition-and-underground-construction
Timestamp: 2015-10-08 16:20:03
Document Index: 783677669

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Federal Register | Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Demolition and Underground Construction
Dates: Submit comments to this proposed rule, including comments to the information-collection (paperwork) determination (described under the section titled AGENCY DETERMINATIONS), hearing requests, and other information by September 17, 2012. All submissions must bear a postmark or provide other evidence of the submission date.
-49749 (9 pages)
Document Number: 2012-20170
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2012-20170 Related Topics
Revising the Underground Construction and Demolition Standards To Make the Cranes and Derricks in Construction Rule Applicable to Those Activities 6 actions from August 17th, 2012 to March 2013
OSHA determined that the subject of this rulemaking is suitable for direct final rulemaking. Under the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction, most construction work involving cranes and derricks falls under new subpart CC of 29 CFR 1926, but underground construction and demolition remain covered under the former rule (i.e.,§ 1926.550). These proposed amendments will result in the new subpart CC covering all construction operations, thereby improving worker safety because the new rule provides better protection to workers than the former rule. Moreover, these proposed amendments will facilitate employer compliance by having all construction operations involving cranes and derricks subject to a single rule rather than by having a few operations subject to a different rule. In addition, this proposed (and the direct final) rule corrects inadvertent errors made to the standards for underground construction and demolition when OSHA issued the final cranes rule. Therefore, OSHA does not expect objections from the public to this rulemaking action. Accordingly, the Agency believes the regulated community will welcome this effort to harmonize the requirements regulating crane and derrick operations in underground construction and demolition, and to remove errors that hinder interpretation and proper application of existing standards.
III. Discussion of Amendments Back to Top
OSHA designed the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction, codified at 29 CFR part 1926, subpart CC, to replace the earlier rule (§ 1926.550) for all construction work.
In proposing the new cranes and derricks rule, OSHA explained that the rule's purpose was “to protect employees from the hazards associated with hoisting equipment when used to perform construction activities” (73 FR 59714). Because OSHA developed the new rule to supplant the former rule entirely, OSHA proposed to remove and reserve § 1926.550 (73 FR 59915). When other OSHA construction standards referred to § 1926.550 directly, or indirectly, as part of subpart N, OSHA proposed to amend those provisions to refer instead to the new requirements in subpart CC (73 FR 59914-15).
In the proposed rule for cranes and derricks in construction, OSHA inadvertently did not propose to amend three provisions that referred to subpart N and encompassed the requirements of § 1926.550. These provisions included two provisions applicable to demolition work (§ 1926.856(c) and § 1926.858(b)), and one provision applicable to underground construction work (§ 1926.800(t)). When it issued the final rule, OSHA noted concerns about potentially inadequate notice to the public regarding any effort to amend these provisions in the final rule; consequently, OSHA decided not to amend these provisions in the final rule. OSHA instead stated that it would revisit the issue later (75 FR 47920-21).
Having removed the requirements of § 1926.550 in the final rule, OSHA had to reestablish the substance of the demolition and underground construction provisions in a new subpart DD in the final rule, redesignate § 1926.550 as § 1926.1501 of subpart DD, and amend the demolition and underground construction provisions that previously referred to subpart N to refer instead to the new subpart DD. OSHA provided in § 1926.1500 of subpart DD that “[t]his subpart applies in lieu of § 1926 subpart CC.” However, in making these revisions, OSHA inadvertently made changes to the demolition and underground construction provisions that modified the meaning of these provisions. In addition, the Code of Federal Regulations eliminated all of the subparagraphs of § 1926.800(t), except for the introductory paragraph, because of a technical error in the draft regulatory language.
This proposed rule, therefore, will accomplish two goals. First, it will bring all crane and derrick use in construction work under new subpart CC. Second, it will correct the errors in the final rule that substantively altered the demolition and underground construction provisions, and replace subparagraphs § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4). Below, OSHA describes the amendments to the demolition and underground construction standards that OSHA made in the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction (including inadvertent errors), as well as the revisions and corrections to these standards that OSHA proposes.
Before OSHA issued the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction, § 1926.856(c) stated, “Mechanical equipment used shall meet the requirements specified in subparts N and O of this part,” and § 1926.858(b) read, “Cranes, derricks, and other hoisting equipment used shall meet the requirements specified in subpart N of this part.” In the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction, OSHA established a new subpart DD, redesignated the prior cranes and derricks rule (§ 1926.550) as § 1926.1501 of subpart DD, and amended § 1926.856(c) to require compliance with the new subpart DD, in addition to the remaining requirements of subparts N and O. OSHA also amended § 1926.858(b) to require compliance with new subpart DD instead of subpart N.
It was OSHA's expressed purpose not to make substantive revisions to the requirements of these two sections in the final rule.
Nevertheless, OSHA made an inadvertent substantive change to § 1926.858(b).
That section originally incorporated all requirements of subpart N for “cranes, derricks, and other hoisting equipment,” not just the requirements of subpart N's cranes and derricks standard at § 1926.550. However, the final rule did not reference other requirements of subpart N that pertain to demolition work, which include the requirements of § 1926.552 (Material hoists, personnel hoists, and elevators) and § 1926.554 (Overhead hoists). As a result, the amendment had the effect of deleting the requirement for employers engaged in demolition work to comply with §§ 1926.552 and 1926.554. Therefore, to cover all construction work under subpart CC, and to correct these errors, OSHA is proposing to amend §§ 1926.856(c) and 1926.858(b) by replacing the requirements to comply with subpart DD with requirements to comply with subpart CC, and is proposing to amend § 1926.858(b) by reinstating the requirement to comply with subpart N as well.
Section 1926.800(t) contains requirements for hoisting that are unique to underground construction. Before OSHA issued the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction, the previous version of § 1926.800(t) contained an introductory paragraph that cross-referenced other OSHA standards that apply to hoisting in underground construction; these cross-references consisted of the requirements of the prior cranes and derricks rule at § 1926.550, including most of § 1926.550(g) (the provision of the prior rule that applied to hoisting personnel), and requirements for material hoists, personnel hoists, and elevators at § 1926.552(a) through (d). Previous § 1926.800(t) included one substantive modification to the requirements of prior § 1926.550(g)(2): employers could use cranes to hoist employees for routine access to underground worksites via a shaft without showing that conventional means would be more hazardous, or not possible, for this purpose due to structural design or worksite conditions.
When it issued the underground construction rule, OSHA included this modification because hoisting personnel for routine access to the underground worksites via a shaft occurs under more controlled, and less hazardous, conditions than hoisting personnel in general (54 FR 23824, 23845). Previous § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4) contained additional requirements for hoisting unique to underground construction. Language at the beginning of the introductory paragraph of § 1926.800(t), “Except as modified by this paragraph (t),” clarified that the requirements and exceptions in 1926.800(t)(1) through (4) take precedence over the cross-referenced requirements, including the former cranes standard under § 1926.550.
In the final cranes rule, OSHA redesignated the prior cranes and derricks rule as § 1926.1501 of subpart DD. It was OSHA's expressed purpose to preserve the existing crane requirements for underground construction by changing references in the introductory paragraph of § 1926.800(t) from § 1926.550 and § 1926.500(g)(2) to § 1926.1501 and § 1926.1501(g)(2), respectively. OSHA clarified this purpose in the preamble to the final rule by stating that the revisions to § 1926.800(t) “do not alter any of the substantive requirements of § 1926.800(t)” (75 FR 47920). However, OSHA inadvertently changed § 1926.800(t) by amending the introductory paragraph to require employers engaged in underground construction to comply only with new § 1926.1501(g) (which duplicated § 1926.550(g)), instead of preserving the former routine-access exemption by requiring compliance with § 1926.1501 in its entirety, and modifying the requirements of § 1926.1501(g)(2) (which duplicated former § 1926.550(g)(2)).
Additionally, OSHA inadvertently moved the language “Except as modified by paragraph (t)” to the beginning of the second sentence of the introductory paragraph so that it no longer applied to the cross-referenced § 1926.1501 requirements, but instead only applied to the cross-referenced requirements in § 1926.552(a) through (d). Finally, although OSHA did not plan to alter any of the (then remaining) requirements and exemptions of § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4), but only to amend the introductory paragraph, a technical error in the instructions to the Federal Register resulted in the deletion of subparagraphs § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4). The deletion was not mentioned in the preamble to the final cranes rule.
As amended by the final cranes rule, § 1926.800(t) presents four problems. First, the prior version of § 1926.800(t) incorporated all of § 1926.550, not just § 1926.550(g). However, the amended version of § 1926.800(t) refers only to § 1926.1501(g), the successor to § 1926.550(g). Therefore, as now written, § 1926.800(t) does not explicitly require employers to comply with either the final cranes rule or the prior rule at § 1926.550, except for § 1926.1501(g), the prior rule's provision on hoisting personnel. Second, the exception from § 1926.550(g)(2), specified in the former version of § 1926.800(t), provided that employers could use cranes to hoist personnel for routine access to underground worksites via a shaft without showing that other means of access are more hazardous or impossible. OSHA did not include this exception in the new version of § 1926.800(t). This inadvertent error places an additional and unnecessary burden on employers that use cranes for this purpose. Third, moving the text “Except as modified by paragraph (t)” to the beginning of the second sentence of the introductory paragraph of § 1926.800(t) results in ambiguity as to the relationship between incorporated crane requirements and the provisions in § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4). Finally, the inadvertent elimination of § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4) from the Code of Federal Regulations resulted in eliminating requirements that OSHA adopted in a 1989 rulemaking (54 FR 23843) to ensure that employees engaged in underground construction receive adequate protection from hazards unique to hoisting in this setting.
In this proposed rule, OSHA is proposing to amend § 1926.800(t) to extend subpart CC to underground construction, and to resolve the technical errors set forth in this section. OSHA is proposing to amend the introductory paragraph of § 1926.800(t) to restore the provision allowing employers to use cranes to hoist personnel for routine access to the underground worksites via a shaft without the need to show that conventional means of access are more hazardous or impossible for this purpose. This amendment excepts routine access of employees to an underground worksite via a shaft from the requirements of § 1926.1431(a). The requirements of § 1926.1431(a) are virtually identical to the requirements of § 1926.550(g)(2). In addition, OSHA is proposing to amend § 1926.800(t) by restoring the clause “Except as modified by this paragraph (t)” to the beginning of the introductory paragraph, and restoring § 1926.800(t)(1) through (4). OSHA is also proposing to revise the language in the introductory paragraph for clarity, and is proposing to correct three minor grammatical errors that appeared in the text of paragraphs § 1926.800(t)(3)(vi), (t)(4)(iii), and (t)(4)(iv), as previously published in the Code of Federal Regulations.
The revisions made by this proposed rule will enable OSHA to cover all cranes and derricks used in construction under subpart CC. These revisions implement the original purpose of the rule and will benefit both employees and employers. These revisions would ensure that the significant benefits of subpart CC, which include saving 22 lives per year and preventing 175 non-fatal injuries per year compared to prior § 1926.550 (75 FR 48079), extend to demolition and underground construction. Accordingly, applying subpart CC to demolition and underground construction will ensure that construction workers in those sectors receive the same safety protections from new subpart CC as other construction workers.
The revisions also will benefit construction contractors that engage in underground construction or demolition work, in addition to other types of construction work, because these contractors will now be subject to a single standard rather than having some of their activities covered under subpart CC and other work covered by subpart DD. This action will avoid the confusion that would result if new subpart CC covers part of a project and revised § 1926.800(t) covers another part of the project. For example, in a cut-and-cover tunneling project, the underground construction standard applies only after covering the excavation in such a manner as to establish conditions characteristic of underground construction. 29 CFR 1926.800(a). Therefore, under the current requirements, subpart CC would apply to the work while the excavation is open, but after covering the excavation, subpart DD would apply, thereby resulting in the same crane or derrick being subject to different standards during different phases of the project. Finally, this action will facilitate employer compliance because demolition and underground construction contractors will no longer be subject to the outdated requirements in prior § 1926.550, which relied heavily on pre-1970 consensus standards.
The Agency concludes that the final standard is economically feasible for the affected industries. As described above, a standard is economically feasible if there is a reasonable likelihood that the estimated costs of compliance “will not threaten the existence or competitive structure of an industry, even if it does portend disaster for some marginal firms.”United Steelworkers of America v. Marshall, 647 F.2d 1189, 1272 (D.C. Cir. 1980). The potential impacts on employer costs associated with achieving compliance with the final standard fall well within the bounds of economic feasibility in each industry sector. Costs of 0.2 percent of revenues and 4 percent of profits will not threaten the existence of the construction industry, affected general industry sectors, or the use of cranes in affected industry sectors. OSHA does not expect compliance with the requirements of the final standard to threaten the viability of employers or the competitive structure of any of the affected industry sectors. When viewed in the larger context of the construction sector, an increase in costs of $148.2 million a year is effectively negligible, and will have no noticeable effect on the demand for construction services. Even when viewed as an increase in the costs of using cranes, an increase in the cost of rentals services of 0.2 percent will not cause the construction industry to forego the use of cranes and, thus, put crane leasing firms out of business.
When OSHA issued the final rule on August 9, 2010, it submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) titled Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart CC). This ICR
covered all establishments in the construction industry, including all of the establishments in NAICS 237990 and NAICS 238910. On November 1, 2010, OMB approved the ICR under OMB control number 1218-0261, with an expiration date of November 30, 2013. Subsequently, in December 2010, OSHA discontinued the Cranes and Derricks Standard for Construction (29 CFR 1926.550) ICR (OMB Control Number 1218-0113) because the new ICR superseded the existing ICR. In addition, OSHA retitled the new ICR to Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart CC and Subpart DD).
This proposed rule requires no additional collection of information.
OMB's approval of OSHA's ICR under Control Number 1218-0261 already covers all collections of information required by this proposed rule, and OSHA does not believe it is necessary to submit a new ICR to OMB seeking to collect additional information under this proposed rule.
Subpart S—Underground Construction, Caissons, Cofferdams, and Compressed Air Back to Top
2. Amend § 1926.800 by revising paragraph (t) to read as follows:
§ 1926.800 Underground construction.
(t) Hoisting unique to underground construction. Except as modified by this paragraph (t), employers must: comply with the requirements of subpart CC of this part, except that the limitation in § 1926.1431(a) does not apply to the routine access of employees to an underground worksite via a shaft; ensure that material hoists comply with § 1926.552(a) and (b) of this part; and ensure that personnel hoists comply with the personnel-hoists requirements of § 1926.552(a) and (c) of this part and the elevator requirements of § 1926.552(a) and (d) of this part.
(xviii) Wire rope used in load lines of material hoists shall be capable of supporting, without failure, at least five times the maximum intended load or the factor recommended by the rope manufacturer, whichever is greater. Refer to § 1926.552(c)(14)(iii) of this part for design factors for wire rope used in personnel hoists. The design factor shall be calculated by dividing the breaking strength of wire rope, as reported in the manufacturer's rating tables, by the total static load, including the weight of the wire rope in the shaft when fully extended.
(v) All personnel cages shall be provided with a protective canopy. The canopy shall be made of steel plate, at least3/16-inch (4.763 mm) in thickness, or material of equivalent strength and impact resistance. The canopy shall be sloped to the outside, and so designed that a section may be readily pushed upward to afford emergency egress. The canopy shall cover the top in such a manner as to protect those inside from objects falling in the shaft.
Subpart T—Demolition Back to Top
4. Amend § 1926.856 by revising paragraph (c) to read as follows:
§ 1926.856 Removal of walls, floors, and material with equipment.
5. Amend § 1926.858 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
§ 1926.858 Removal of steel construction.
Subpart DD—[Removed] Back to Top
1. OSHA published the final rule at 75 FR 47906 (Aug. 9, 2010).
2. OSHA explained in the preamble to the final rule that the “redesignation of § 1926.550 and the replacement of references [to subpart N] do not alter any of the substantive requirements of §§ 1926.856(c) and 1926.858(b)” (75 FR 47921).
3. OSHA also inadvertently listed the heading of § 1926.858 as “Removal of walls, floors and materials with equipment” (the same heading as § 1926.856), instead of “Removal of steel construction,” but this erroneous heading did not appear in the subsequent edition of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Therefore, OSHA finds no need to address this error in this rulemaking.
4. Prior § 1926.550(g)(2) required employers to show, before using cranes to hoist personnel to a worksite, that conventional means would be more hazardous than cranes, or not possible, due to structural design or worksite conditions.
5. OSHA stated in the final rule that it was including the reference to § 1926.1501(g) to avoid any potential notice problem that may arise if OSHA substituted a reference to subpart CC in place of the prior reference to § 1926.550(g) (75 FR 47920).
6. The ICR is part of Exhibit 0425 in the docket for the final rule on cranes and derricks in construction (OSHA-2007-0066). It is available at www.regulations.gov and at www.reginfo.gov (OMB Control Number 1218-0261).
7. The request and OMB approval for discontinuing the previous Cranes and Derricks in Construction ICR (OMB Control Number 1218-0113) and the retitling of the ICR are available at www.reginfo.gov.
8. Although the final rule for cranes and derricks in construction did not require employers covered by subpart DD to meet the information-exchange requirements of subpart CC, OSHA did not subtract these employers from its analysis of the burden and costs for these requirements in the paperwork analysis for subpart CC. Therefore, this approach inflated the burden and costs estimates of the ICR approved by OMB for subpart CC; however, the burden and costs estimates are accurate now that OSHA is applying subpart CC to underground construction and demolition work.