September 24, 2008

The 2004 negotiated, consensus rule on cranes and derricks completed by the Crane & Derrick Advisory Committee (“C-DAC”) is receiving increased media attention lately.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) submitted its proposed final rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) in mid-June.  OMB completed its review of the proposed final rule at the end of August and returned the rule to OSHA. 

OSHA recently circulated a copy of the proposed final rule to the C-DAC members.  This recent activity has fueled media speculation that an impending release of the final crane and derrick standard should be expected soon, as early as October.  Conflicting articles, however, report that the OSHA will not release the final rule until next year. 

The preamble and the rule, combined, are over 1,000 pages.  Patton Boggs will be reviewing the rule, and can provide analysis of the rule, if requested.  In the interim, we continue to closely monitor the crane and derrick standard as it progresses through the government rulemaking process.  As new information develops, we will provide updates. 

Please contact Henry Chajet (202.457.6511), Brian Hendrix (202.457.6543), or Stacy Swanson (202.457.5627) for additional information on the crane and derrick rule. 

 *******************************

The Patton Boggs Health and Safety Law Group consists of attorneys who have resolved client problems in environmental, energy, natural resource, and safety and health law since the late 1960s. With lawyers in Washington, D.C., Alaska, Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Northern Virginia, we have experience with EPA, OSHA, MSHA, NIOSH, DOT, OPS, Coast Guard, NTSB, FAA, FDA, CSP, the Chemical Safety Board, and almost every other federal and state government health and safety agency in the United States and throughout the world. We speak a variety of languages; have backgrounds in business, science, engineering, industry, and government; and combine preventive law counseling with courtroom and lobbying expertise to achieve results. For more information go to: http://www.pattonboggs.com or contact Henry Chajet (hchajet@pattonboggs.com) at 202-457-6511, Mark Savit (msavit@pattonboggs.com) at 202-457-5269,  or John Austin (jaustin@pattonboggs.com) at 202-457-6167.

Important Note: This ALERT does not constitute legal advice and counsel should be consulted regarding specific factual situations which will determine the compliance advice applicable to any particular question regarding the subject matter. If you would like additional information or advice and counsel on training, compliance or audits, please let us know. 

NOTE: You may receive this alert from other people, which often occurs. To SUBSCRIBE, change your address or to change your e-mail format, simply click here. To UNSUBSCRIBE or OPT-OUT, simply e-mail INSIGHTS@pattonboggs.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line. To correspond with INSIGHTS, send your message to INSIGHTS@pattonboggs.com. Thanks.