Crane operator rules in California

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are pages of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations as published by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). DIR's own notice on each page says the regulations are provided for convenience and makes no representation that the information is accurate or up to date. The national picture is on the parent page, cranes in tree work.

At a glance

Item	What the sources say
Tree work article	Article 12 of the General Industry Safety Orders, sections 3420 to 3428; section 3427 holds the crane hoisting criteria
Hoisting a tree worker	Only when a tree cannot be safely accessed by climbing or the use of aerial devices
Operator certificate	Section 5006.1: certificate from an Accredited Certifying Entity for mobile and tower cranes in general industry
Certificate term	A maximum of five years, with re-certification every five years
Construction operator section	Section 1618.1 is shown as repealed, filed July 26, 2022

What the tree work article covers

Section 3420 says the standard applies to work performed and equipment used in tree and ornamental palm maintenance and removal. A note in that section sends line clearance tree trimming near high voltage conductors to Article 38 of the High-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders, and section 3427 repeats the pointer.

Hoisting a tree worker by crane

Section 3427(a)(1)(A) says a qualified tree worker may be hoisted into position by a crane only when a tree cannot be safely accessed by climbing or the use of aerial devices. The worker is attached by an approved tree worker's saddle to the crane hook, which is closed with a positive locking device, and also to an independent line attached above the hook. The section then lists ten criteria.

Criterion	What section 3427(a)(1)(A) says
1	All climbing equipment, lines and rigging have a minimum breaking strength of at least 5,000 pounds
2	The boom and load line move in a slow, controlled, cautious manner with no sudden movements while the worker is attached
3	The personnel platform requirements of sections 5004(d)(2), (4), (5), (6) and 5004(e) apply to a worker suspended in a saddle
4	Cranes used for tree work have a functional load indicating device
5	The crane operator is familiar with the hazards and operational techniques of tree work
6	The worker is in continuous communication with the operator, or signals are relayed by a qualified signal person under section 5001
7	The operator remains at the controls while the worker is attached
8	The worker is detached from the crane while the load is hoisted
9	The employer ensures the operator and the worker determine the weight of the load being lifted
10	Hoisting is promptly discontinued on any indication of dangerous weather or other impending danger

Two notes follow the list. One says other crane provisions are in Group 13 of the General Industry Safety Orders. The other sends line clearance work to the High-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders.

Training and records

Section 3427(a)(1)(B) says the employer ensures that every qualified tree worker involved in crane access to a tree is instructed and competent in nine areas: safe work procedures and the hazards of tree work with cranes, protective equipment, inspection and use of climbing equipment, lines and rigging, crane signals and communication under section 5001, electrical hazards under section 3423, safe use of chain saws, the conditions and criteria for using a crane for access, handling loads under section 4999 and rigging for tree work, and controlling pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Paragraph (C) says the training record is kept as section 3203 prescribes.

The platform rules it borrows

Section 5004 is headed Crane or Derrick Suspended Personnel Platforms. Its general rule in (c) is that using a crane or derrick to hoist employees on a platform is prohibited, except where the usual means of reaching the worksite, such as a ladder, aerial lift or scaffold, would be more hazardous or is not possible. The paragraphs section 3427 names say, in the section's own terms:

(d)(2). Load lines support at least seven times the maximum intended load, or ten times where rotation resistant rope is used.
(d)(4). The crane is uniformly level to the manufacturer's specifications, not to exceed one percent of level grade, on footing a qualified person has determined to be firm and stable, with outriggers fully deployed where fitted.
(d)(5). The total weight of the loaded platform and related rigging does not exceed 50 percent of the rated capacity for the radius and configuration. Paragraph (C) sets the same 50 percent for hoisting personnel without a platform.
(d)(6). Machines with live booms are prohibited.
(e). Instruments and components, including a boom angle indicator and boom hoist limiting device on cranes other than articulating boom cranes, an anti-two-block device, controlled load lowering, and an automatic overload protection device on articulating boom cranes.

Signals

Section 5001 says a signal person is provided when the point of operation is not in full and direct view of the operator unless a signaling or control device is provided, that only qualified persons give signals except a stop signal, which anyone may give, and that signals are by hand, voice or audible means. It says that if the ability to transmit signals is interrupted the operator safely stops operations until it is reestablished.

Operator certification

Section 5006.1 is headed Mobile Crane and Tower Crane, Operator Qualifications and Certification, and says it applies to cranes in general industry only. It says the employer only permits operators who hold a valid certificate of competency issued by an Accredited Certifying Entity for the type of crane. A certificate goes to operators who:

pass a physical examination that meets either the ASME B30.5-2000 criteria it cites or the US DOT requirements in 49 CFR 391.41 to 391.49;
pass a substance abuse test from a recognized laboratory;
pass a written examination that covers operational characteristics and controls, emergency control skills, arithmetic and reading load charts, the technical knowledge in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC Appendix C, and ground, site hazard and site access knowledge;
pass a hands-on examination that includes pre-start and post-start inspection, maneuvering, shutdown and securing.

Certificates are valid for a maximum of five years, and operators re-certify every five years. An operator with at least 1,000 hours of documented experience on the specific crane type in the preceding period, who meets the physical, substance and written requirements, does not take the hands-on examination again. The certifying body must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, which reviews it at least every three years.

Trainees may operate under direct supervision of a certificated operator, who has no other duties while supervising. The section bars a trainee from operating where equipment could get within 20 feet of a power line up to 350 kV or within 50 feet of a line over 350 kV, from hoisting personnel and from multiple-equipment lifts, among other limits. It lists three exceptions: mobile cranes with a boom length of less than 25 feet or a maximum rated load capacity of less than 15,000 pounds; operators of electric line trucks (digger derrick trucks) as defined in section 2700 of the Electrical Safety Orders, though not mobile truck cranes built to ASME B30.5; and marine terminal operations under Article 14.

The construction side

DIR's page for section 1618.1, Operator Training, Certification and Evaluation, in Article 15 (Cranes and Derricks in Construction), is headed [Repealed]. Its history lists a repealer filed July 26, 2022. DIR's page does not say whether another section replaced it. The index to Group 13, Cranes and Other Hoisting Equipment, lists the articles on operating rules, hydraulic cranes and boom-type mobile cranes in the group that the tree work article points to.