July 31, 2008 Public hearings set on proposed rules to improve crane safetyTUMWATER – The Department of Labor & Industries has scheduled five public hearings on proposed rules implementing legislation that requires higher standards for construction cranes and crane operators. The legislation and accompanying rules keep Washington state a leader in addressing potential hazards from construction cranes. The proposed rules were developed after the 2007 Legislature required all construction cranes in the state to be certified by an accredited crane inspector and crane operators to be certified for the type of crane they are operating. Crane owners, inspectors, operators, unions and others associated with the industry participated in developing the proposed rules, which must be in effect by Jan. 1, 2010. Complete information is available at the Construction Crane Safety Web site. Public hearings will be held at 10 a.m. at these locations:
Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. Sept. 12. Fax them to 360-902-5619 or mail them to: Cindy Ireland, Department of Labor & Industries, P.O. Box 44620, Olympia, WA 98504-4620. ### For media information: Elaine Fischer, 360-902-5413. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
