back to OSHA Safety and Health Topics

Contents
Page last reviewed: 05/15/2007
Highlights
Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety - Copyright WARNING: Not all materials on this Web site were created by the federal government. Some content — including both images and text — may be the copyrighted property of others and used by the DOL under a license. Such content generally is accompanied by a copyright notice. It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary permission from the owner's of such material prior to making use of it. You may contact the DOL for details on specific content, but we cannot guarantee the copyright status of such items. Please consult the U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress — http://www.copyright.gov — to search for copyrighted materials.
Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety

Moving large, heavy loads is crucial to today's manufacturing and construction industries. Much technology has been developed for these operations, including careful training and extensive workplace precautions. There are significant safety issues to be considered, both for the operators of the diverse "lifting" devices, and for workers in proximity to them. This page is a starting point for finding information about these devices, including elevators and conveyors, and their operation.

Crane, derrick, and hoist safety hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry, marine terminals, longshoring, gear certification, and the construction industry.

OSHA Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, the Regulatory Agenda (a list of actions being taken with regard to OSHA standards), Federal Registers (rules, proposed rules, and notices), directives (instructions for compliance officers), and standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards) related to crane, derrick, and hoist safety.

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917)

Longshoring (29 CFR 1918)

Gear Certification (29 CFR 1919)

  • 1919.2, Definition of terms

  • 1919.12, Recordkeeping and related procedures concerning records in custody of the vessel

  • 1919.15, Periodic tests, examinations and inspections

  • 1919.16, Heat treatment

  • 1919.21, Marking and posting of safe working loads

  • 1919.24, Limitations on use of wire rope

  • 1919.28, Unit proof tests-cranes and gear accessory thereto

  • 1919.73, Unit proof test and examination of derricks

  • 1919.75, Determination of crane or derrick safe working loads and limitations in absence of manufacturer's data

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

Regulatory Agenda

Federal Registers

Directives

Standard Interpretations

Hazards and Solutions

To a crane operator, few experiences may be as frightening as when a crane becomes unbalanced while a load is being lifted or when the crane collapses under the weight of an excessive load. The following references aid in recognizing and evaluating hazards in the workplace.

OSHA Bulletins (SHIBs), (HIBs) and (TIBs)

OSHA and the Crane, Hoist and Monorail Alliance

Additional Information

Related Safety and Health Topics Pages

Training

Other Resources

  • Safe Work Australia. Australian Government. Provides several publications related to crane and hoist operations which can be found through the search page.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

*These files are provided for downloading.