§ 23-8.5 Special provisions for crane operators

(a) Finding of fact. The board finds that the trade or occupation of operating cranes of the type described in subdivision (b) of this section, in construction, demolition and excavation work involves such elements of danger to the lives, health and safety of persons employed in such trade or occupation as to require special regulations for their protection and for the protection of other employees and the public in that such cranes may fall over, collapse, contact electric power lines, dislodge material and cause such material to fall or fail to support intended loads and convey them safely, unless such cranes are operated by persons of proper ability, judgment and diligence.

(b) Limited application of this section. This section applies only to mobile cranes having a manufacturers' maximum rated capacity exceeding five tons or a boom exceeding forty feet in length and to all tower cranes operating in construction, demolition and excavation work. The word crane as used in this section refers to tower cranes and to such mobile cranes of the following type: a mobile, carrier-mounted, power-operated hoisting machine utilizing hoisting rope and a power-operated boom which moves laterally by rotation of the machine on the carrier.

(c) Certificate of competence required. No person, whether the owner or otherwise, shall operate a crane in the State of New York unless such person is a certified crane operator by reason of the fact that:

(1) He holds a valid certificate of competence issued by the commissioner to operate a crane; or

(2) He is at least 21 years of age and holds a valid license issued by the Federal government, a State government or by any political subdivision of this or any other State and such license has been accepted in writing by the commissioner as equivalent to a certificate of competence issued by him; or

(3) He is a person who:

(i) is at least 21 years of age and is employed by the Federal government, the State or a political subdivision, agency or authority of the State and is operating a crane owned or leased by the Federal government, the State or such political subdivision, agency or authority and his assigned duties include operation of a crane;

(ii) is at least 21 years of age and is employed only to test or repair a crane and is operating it for such purpose while under the direct supervision of a certified crane operator; or under the direct supervision of a person employed by the Federal government, the State or a political subdivision, agency or authority of the State and his assigned duties include the operation of a crane;

(iii) an apprentice or learner who is at least 18 years of age and who has the permission of the owner or lessee of a crane to take instruction in its operation and is operating such crane under the direct supervision of a certified crane operator or under the direct supervision of a person employed by the Federal government, the State or a political subdivision, agency or authority of the State and whose assigned duties include the operation of a crane.

(d) Application forms and photographs. An application for a certificate of competence or for a renewal thereof shall be made on forms provided by the commissioner. Upon notice from the commissioner to an applicant that a certificate of competence or a renewal thereof will be issued to him, the applicant must forward photographs of himself in such numbers and sizes as the commissioner shall prescribe, and such photographs must have been taken within 30 days of the request for such photographs.

(e) Physical condition. No person suffering from a physical handicap or illness, such as epilepsy, heart disease, or an uncorrected defect in vision or hearing, that might diminish his competence, shall be certified by the commissioner.

(f) Experience required. An applicant for a certificate of competence must be at least 21 years of age and must have had practical experience in the operation of cranes for at least three years and, in addition, have a practical knowledge of crane maintenance.

(g) Examining board. The commissioner may appoint an examining board which shall consist of at least three members, at least one of whom shall be a crane operator who holds a valid certificate of competence issued by the commissioner, and at least one of whom shall be a representative of crane owners. The members of the examining board shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner and their duties will include:

(1) The examination of applicants and their qualifications, and the making of recommendations to the commissioner with respect to the experience and competence of the applicants;

(2) The holding of hearings regarding appeals following denials of certificates;

(3) The holding of hearings prior to determinations of the commissioner to suspend or revoke certificates, or to refuse to issue renewals of certificates;

(4) The reporting of findings and recommendations to the commissioner with respect to such hearings;

(5) The acts and proceedings of the examining board shall be in accordance with regulations issued by the commissioner.

(h) General examination. Each applicant for a certificate of competence will, and each applicant for a renewal thereof may, be required by the commissioner to take an appropriate general examination.

(i) Operating examination. An applicant who passes the general examination will also be required to take a practical examination in crane operation, except that the commissioner may waive this requirement with respect to an applicant for a renewal of a certificate of competence. The commissioner may designate one or more individual members of the examining board to conduct the practical examination. When the practical examination is conducted by a single member of the examining board, the applicant must achieve a passing score from the member to receive a certificate of competence. When the practical examination is conducted by two or more members of the examining board, the applicant must achieve a passing score, which shall be calculated as an average of all scores received from the members that conducted the practical examination. The procedures used regarding the conduct of the practical examination, the establishment of the passing score and the assignment of the board members to conduct individual examinations shall be set forth in a guidance document approved by the examining board.

(j) Contents of certificate. Each certificate of competence issued shall include the name and address of the certified crane operator, a brief description of him for the purpose of identification and his photograph.

(k) Term of certificate. Each certificate of competence or renewal thereof shall be valid for three years from the date issued, unless its term is extended by the commissioner or unless it is sooner suspended or revoked. The commissioner may extend the term of any certificate of competence as he may find necessary to relieve a certified operator of unnecessary hardship.

(1) Carrying certificate. Each certified crane operator shall carry his certificate on his person when operating any crane and failure to produce the certificate upon request by the commissioner shall be presumptive evidence that the operator is not certified.

(m) Renewals. An application for renewal of a crane operator's certificate of competence shall be made within one year from the expiration date of the certificate sought to be renewed, except that the commissioner may extend the time to make such application to prevent any undue hardship to a certified crane operator.

(n) Suspension, revocation, refusal to renew, denials of certificates, hearings.

(1) The commissioner may, upon notice to the interested parties and after a hearing before the examining board, suspend or revoke a certificate of competence upon finding that the certified operator has failed to comply with an order of the commissioner or that the certified operator is not a person of proper competence, judgment or ability in relation to the operation of cranes, or for other good cause shown.

(2) Prior to a determination by the commissioner not to renew a certificate of competence, the commissioner shall require a hearing before the examining board upon notice to the interested parties.

(3)[(i)] An applicant whose application for a certificate has been denied by the commissioner may, upon his written request made to the commissioner within 30 days after the mailing or personal delivery to him of a notice of such denial, have a hearing before the examining board.

[(ii) Such hearing shall be held by the examining board which] (4) The commissioner shall designate a panel of two or more members of the examining board to conduct all hearings required pursuant to this section. The commissioner may also designate a hearing officer to assist the panel in conducting the hearings. The panel shall make its recommendations to the commissioner within three days after such hearing has been concluded. A written notice of the commissioner's decision, containing the reasons therefor, shall be promptly given to the certified operator or applicant, as the case may be, and to any interested parties who appeared at the hearing. Every such hearing shall be held in accordance with such regulations as the commissioner may establish.

1. Statutory Authority:

Section 27(2) of the Labor Law authorizes the Commissioner of Labor to adopt, amend or repeal safety and health standards which provide reasonable and adequate protection to the lives, safety and health of employees and of persons lawfully frequenting a place of employment. The Commissioner may also require licenses as a condition of carrying on an industry, trade, occupation or process which the Commissioner finds contains special elements of danger. Section 21 of the Labor Law also gives the Commissioner general rulemaking authority. Finally, Section 483 of the General Business Law gives the Commissioner of Labor the authority to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for the administration and enforcement of Article 28-D relating to Crane Operators and Blasters. Such regulations may provide for examinations, categories of certificates, licenses or registrations (Section 483(2)).

2. Legislative Objectives:

The rulemaking accords with the public policy objectives the Legislature sought to advance when it adopted Section 483 of the General Business Law. These regulatory revisions clarify administrative procedures regarding the administration of the practical examinations for crane operator's certificates and the conduct of hearings by the examining board regarding the revocation, suspension, refusal to renew or denial of a crane operator's certificate. The Department is seeking to make it easier to schedule the practical examinations by authorizing the Commissioner to designate one or more members of the examining board to conduct the exams. Currently, at least a quorum of the entire Crane Examining Board must be present to conduct the exams. Crane Board members already dedicate more than forty (40) days annually to crane testing and hearings without compensation. This is a substantial commitment of time given that Board members are responsible for operating their own businesses or are employed full-time. Finding adequate number of Board members to participate in each testing series can be difficult given limitations on availability, particularly in the construction season when demand for testing can be at its highest. The proposed rule will facilitate the conduct of examinations by allowing one or more members of the Board to be present. Additionally, the Department wants to make it easier to get administrative hearings scheduled regarding the revocation, suspension, refusal to renew or denial of a crane operator's certificate. The Board is responsible for conducting these hearings and making a report and recommendation to the Commissioner. Individuals seeking review of adverse determinations regarding their operator's certificate expect timely access to the hearing process.

It is important that crane operators not have any delays in getting their exams scheduled. It is even more important that administrative hearings not be delayed due to scheduling difficulties.

3. Needs and Benefits:

As previously mentioned, the members of the Board serve without salary or other compensation (General Business Law, Section 483(3)). The time estimated to conduct the exams and hearings is approximately 40 days per year. While Board members have been extremely generous in making themselves available for their duties, it is increasingly difficult to find testing and hearing dates when sufficient numbers of the board members are available for tests or hearings given other professional and personal demands on their time. This creates many scheduling difficulties and can create delays which affect crane operator applicants and individuals who are seeking hearings to review adverse determinations regarding their operator certificates. Moreover, since General Construction Law § 41 establishes a default quorum of a majority of Board members for the conduct of official business, increasing the size of the Board to make more members available to serve as examiners or hearing panelists will only exacerbate this problem. The amendments to 12 NYCRR Section 23-8.5 establishing a smaller number of Board members who need to be present at either examinations or hearings will make it easier to schedule the exams, thereby making certain that there will be no delays in the process. Additionally, the amendments will also make it easier to schedule administrative hearings. It is very important that there not be any delays in the hearing process.

4. Costs:

This amendment imposes no compliance costs upon state or local governments. There will be no additional costs to crane operators. There will also be no additional costs to the Labor Department.

5. Local Government Mandates:

The proposed amendment imposes no new programs, services, duties or responsibilities on local government.

6. Paperwork:

The proposed amendment imposes no new paperwork requirements.

7. Duplication:

This rule does not duplicate, overlap or conflict with any other State or federal requirements.

8. Alternatives:

The primary alternative is to leave the regulation unchanged.

Another alternative would be to add new Board members, thereby increasing the pool of available members for testing and/or hearing panelists. The current regulations provide for the Commissioner of Labor to appoint the Board members and that the Board be comprised of at least three members. Accordingly, the Commissioner could increase the number of Board members to provide for a larger pool of members to conduct tests or hearings. However, as described above, since General Construction Law § 41 establishes a default quorum of a majority of Board members for the conduct of official business, increasing the size of the Board to make more members available to serve as examiners or hearing panelists will only exacerbate this problem.

9. Federal Standards:

There are no federal standards regulating the testing and licensing of crane operators, or administrative hearings relating thereto.

10. Compliance Schedule:

The provisions of this amendment will take effect immediately.

These emergency regulations make revisions regarding the number of Crane Examining Board members required to be in attendance in order to conduct a practical examination for a crane operator’s certificate and how passing scores will be calculated when the exam is conducted by two or more members of the Board. The emergency regulations also permit the Commissioner to designate a panel of two or more members of the Board together with an administrative hearing officer to conduct hearings regarding the suspension, revocation, refusal to renew, and the denials of a certificate to operate a crane. The practical examination was already required in regulation and does not impose any new requirement on crane operators. The regulations also currently provide for hearings for crane operators who have their certificate of competence to operate a crane suspended, revoked, refused to renew or denied. This amendment merely clarifies that the hearings need not be conducted by the entire examining board, but rather may be conducted by a panel of two or more members of the board.

The emergency regulations do not impose any additional obligations on any local government or business entity. Nor do they impose any adverse economic impact, reporting or recordkeeping, or other compliance requirements on small businesses and/or local governments. Rather, they are intended to facilitate the testing of individuals seeking crane operator certificates, some of whom are employees of local governments or businesses. Accordingly, a regulatory flexibility analysis for small businesses and local government is not required and one has not been prepared.

The rule will not impose any additional reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements on public or private entities in rural areas. On the contrary, the rule is intended to facilitate the timely conduct of crane operator examinations and hearings. Therefore, the regulations will not have a substantial adverse economic impact on rural areas or reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements on public or private entities in such rural areas. Accordingly, a rural area flexibility analysis is not required and one has not been prepared.

The regulation relates to the administration of a crane operator’s practical examination and the conduct of hearings regarding a suspension, revocation, refusal to renew, or denial of a crane operator’s certificate. Currently, regulations already require that a crane operator pass a practical examination before being given a certificate to operate a crane. Additionally, where a certificate is suspended, revoked, refused a renewal or denied, the individual is given an opportunity for a hearing before the Crane Examining Board. The regulation merely clarifies that the practical examination may be administered by one or more members of the Board and that the hearings may be conducted by a panel of two or more members of the Board. Accordingly, the regulation will not have a substantial adverse impact on jobs and employment opportunities. Rather, the rule will encourage and support employment opportunities for qualified crane operators because it will facilitate the testing of individuals seeking crane operator licenses. Because it is evident from the nature of the regulation that it will have a beneficial impact on job and employment opportunities, no further affirmative steps were needed to ascertain that fact and none were taken. Therefore, a job impact statement is not required and one has not been prepared.