Special Rules for Articulating / Knuckle Boom Cranes

SPECIAL RULES FOR ARTICULATING / KNUCKLE BOOM CRANES USED TO DELIVER MATERIAL TO A CONSTRUCTION SITE:

It is common for material to be delivered to and unloaded on a construction site using a truck on which is mounted an articulating/knuckle-boom crane. Such equipment is covered by the standard when used in construction work.

When such equipment delivers materials by placing them on the ground without arranging them in a particular sequence for hoisting, the activity is not considered construction work and is not covered under the standard. This exclusion applies regardless of the type of material being delivered.

However, OSHA states that, when the delivery equipment is used to transfer the materials onto a structure, the activity is considered construction work. Nevertheless, the activity is excluded from the standard if all of the following conditions are met:

• The materials are sheet goods (such as sheet rock, plywood, or sheets of roofing shingles) or packaged goods (such as roofing shingles, bags of cement, or rolls of roofing felt).
• The equipment uses a fork/cradle at the end of the boom to deliver the materials.
• The equipment is not used to hold, support, or stabilize the material to facilitate a construction activity, such as holding material in place while it is attached to the structure.
• The equipment is equipped with a properly functioning automatic overload prevention device.

This exception, as noted, is limited to delivery of sheet goods and packaged goods. It does not apply to delivery of prefabricated components or building sections, such as roof trusses and wall panels. It also does not apply to delivery of structural steel members or components of a systems-engineered metal building.

Learn this and a lot more in our NCCCO Articulating Boom Crane Operator Preparatory Training program.