Small businesses with questions about OSHA’s cranes and derricks rule can get answers in the form of a new brochure, Small Entity Compliance Guide for Cranes and Derricks in Construction, issued yesterday by the agency.

The guide contains information on the final rule, assembly and disassembly, and the qualifications and certifications needed by various personnel. A Frequently Asked Questions answers queries like:

• Does the final rule require crane operators to be qualified or certified?
• What interests were represented on the C-DAC committee?
• Does the final rule allow cities or states to have their own licensing or certification program for crane operators?

The guide joins other crane-related compliance materials already on the OSHA website, which include a PowerPoint overview, a web chat transcript, a webinar and fact sheets.

OSHA published the cranes and derricks rule in August 2010 to address the number of worker injuries and deaths associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction as well as technological advances in equipment since the old rule was issued in 1971.

"Over the past four decades, we've continued to see a significant number of worker injuries and deaths from electrocution, crushed-by and struck-by hazards while performing cranes and derricks operations," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "This guide will help employers understand what they must do to protect their workers from these dangerous, sometimes fatal incidents."

The guide is available at: http:// www.osha.gov/cranes-derricks/index.html.