Washington Cranes and Derricks (Construction): What you need to know

Washington has adopted its own requirements for cranes in construction and crane operator certification that govern private and public sector workplaces (WA Admin Code (WAC) 296-155-525 to 296-155-575).

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) administers the rules for cranes and derricks in construction and the crane operator certification requirements in the state.

In addition to the federal OSHA requirements, Washington has adopted the following requirements for construction cranes and operators:

• All constructions cranes must be inspected and proof-load tested by an accredited crane certifier and certified by the state.
• Qualification requirements for riggers include written and practical exams and requalification every 5 years. Signal persons require requalification every 5 years.
• Employers must have a preventive maintenance program for their cranes.
• Assembly/Disassembly Director must visually inspect and document that the crane components meet the manufacturer’s recommendations, are of sound physical condition, and assembled/dissembled per the manufacturer’s instructions. The documentation must remain on the jobsite while the crane is in use.
• Crane Operator, Crane Owner, Crane User, Lift Director, and Site Supervisor must be assigned at the jobsite and the definition and responsibilities of each listed out.

All crane operators in construction must have a valid crane operator certificate for the type of crane to be operated issued by a crane operator testing organization accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting ...