Crane operator rules in New Brunswick

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are New Brunswick Regulation 91-191, the general regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, as published by the province, the Government of Canada's Job Bank, with its pages for crane operators and for tower crane operators in New Brunswick. The national picture is on the parent page, cranes in tree work.

At a glance

Item	What the sources say
Law	Regulation 91-191 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act; mobile cranes are in sections 213 to 213.31
Who operates a large mobile crane	For a wheel- or crawler-mounted lattice or hydraulic boom crane with a lifting capacity over 25 t, an operator with a certificate of qualification under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act
Other mobile cranes	A competent person
Inspection	Every twelve months by an engineer or a competent person supervised by an engineer
Job Bank	Mobile crane operator trade certification compulsory in New Brunswick; hoist operator certification voluntary

Who may operate a mobile crane

Section 213.11 says an employer ensures a mobile crane is operated by one of two kinds of person. If the crane is a wheel- or crawler-mounted lattice boom crane or hydraulic boom crane with a lifting capacity of over 25 t, the operator holds an appropriate certificate of qualification issued under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act. For any other type of mobile crane, the operator is a competent person. The regulation defines competent as qualified, through knowledge, training and experience, to do the assigned work so as to ensure the health and safety of persons, knowledgeable about the Act and the rules for that work, and knowledgeable about the dangers connected with it.

The same section lists equipment the employer ensures a mobile crane has, among them adequate chassis brakes, a manually operated horn, a rear-view mirror or other means of safe manoeuvring, an audible back-up alarm when wheel mounted, adequate headlights and tail lights for use after dark, guarded gears and moving parts, and three-point contact for reaching the cab. It also says the crane is used only for the purposes for which it is designed and equipped.

Safety features, load chart and barriers

Section 213(1) says an employer ensures a mobile crane has protection for the operator if there is a hazard of falling material, load limit brakes, a two-blocking damage prevention mechanism or an audible warning of an impending two-block, safety devices and limit switches installed and used as the manufacturer specifies, and a boom angle indicator clearly visible to the operator. Section 213(2) requires barriers to keep people out where the swing clearance of an obstruction is less than 600 mm. Section 213.1 says the manufacturer's load chart is kept with the crane and accessible to the operator.

Critical lifts, signallers and the code of practice

The regulation defines a critical lift in the definitions section, and the term is used for cranes generally. Its seven paragraphs include these cases.

A lift by a mobile crane where the load exceeds 90 percent of rated capacity while lifting at a load radius of more than 50 percent of the maximum permitted radius.
A tandem lift by two powered hoisting apparatuses where the load of one exceeds 75 percent of its rated capacity, and a lift by more than two.
A lift of a person in a personnel carrying device suspended from a mobile crane or powered hoisting apparatus.
A lift of a submerged load, and a lift where the centre of gravity changes, the length of a sling leg changes, or the load goes over or between energized high voltage conductors.

Section 212.1 says that for every critical lift the employer and the contractor each ensure a code of practice is established covering rigging details, wind speed limitations, maximum hoist line speed, maximum crane travel speed if applicable, load distribution, the need for and position of signallers, and an effective communications system. The supervisor documents telling the employees involved, and a new code is established if the equipment changes. Section 212 says the employer designates a competent employee as a signaller to direct a hoisting apparatus by visual or auditory signals, readily identifiable by the operator.

Inspection and daily checks

Section 213.21 says an employer ensures a mobile crane is inspected every twelve months by an engineer or a competent person supervised by an engineer. The engineer certifies in writing that the inspection complies with the requirements and that the crane is in safe working order, and the inspection follows clause 5.3.5.2.1 of CSA standard Z150-20, Safety code on mobile cranes, or a standard that protects equally or better. A copy of the certification is accessible to the operator in the cab and available to an officer on request. An employer may accept a certification from an engineer in another jurisdiction. Section 213.3 applies the load chart and inspection rules to a person who owns a mobile crane.

Under section 213.31, an operator visually inspects the crane daily before starting work, and each operator does so if more than one uses the crane in a day. The list includes rope reeving, control mechanisms, safety devices, hydraulic hoses, and hooks and latches. Section 213.2 lists duties of the operator, such as not letting a person ride on a part not designed to carry passengers, and what to do when leaving a crane unattended: secure it against movement, set the brake, not leave a load suspended and remove the key.

Tree work and certification

Regulation 91-191 defines an arboricultural operation as work connected with the care and maintenance of trees that includes pruning and tree removal. The mobile crane sections do not mention tree work. Job Bank says in its requirements page for crane operators in New Brunswick that mobile crane operator trade certification, for specified types of cranes, is compulsory in New Brunswick, and that hoist operator certification is available but voluntary. Its page for tower crane operators lists Mobile Crane Operator, Mobile Hoisting Equipment Operator and Tower Crane Operator as regulated in New Brunswick, each with Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification, Government of New Brunswick, as the regulatory body. The same page says tower crane operator certification is compulsory in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, a list that does not include New Brunswick.