Overhead and gantry cranes - Maryland

Maryland follows federal OSHA regulations for overhead and gantry cranes.   

While Maryland has adopted many of the federal standards, it has the following unique state-specific provisions, including requirements for the design, construction, testing, use, and maintenance of personnel platforms, and the hoisting of personnel platforms on the load lines of cranes, derricks, and hoists (COMAR 09.12.38.01). 

Restricted use. The use of a crane, derrick, or hoist to hoist employees on a personnel platform is prohibited, except when the erection, use, and dismantling of conventional means of reaching the worksite, such as a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold either would be more hazardous, or is not possible because of structural design or worksite conditions (COMAR 09.12.38.03). 

Operational criteria. The operational criteria for personnel platforms are as follows: 

• Free fall is prohibited. 
• The use of machines having live booms is prohibited. 
• A jib, boom extension, or similar attachment may not be used to hoist a personnel platform. 
• Except where the electrical distribution, transmission, and service lines have been deenergized and visibly grounded at the point of work or where insulating barriers are not a part of or an attachment to the cranes and hoists have been erected to prevent physical contact with the lines, cranes and hoists must be operated proximate to, under, over, by, or near powerlines only in accordance with the following: 
  • For a line rated 50 kilovolts or below, the minimum clearance between the line and any part of the crane, hoist, or load must be 10 feet; 
  • For a line rated over 50 kilovolts, the minimum clearance between the line and any part of the crane, hoist, or load must be either 10 feet plus 0.4 inch for each 1.0 kilovolt over 50 kilovolts or twice the length of the line insulator, but never less than 10 feet. 
• Hoisting of the personnel platform must be performed in a slow, controlled, cautious manner with no sudden movements of the crane, hoist, or the platform. 
• Load lines must be capable of supporting, without failure, at least double the current safety factor for the specific type of crane being used by applying the 50 percent derating of the crane and hoist capacity. 
• Load and boom hoist drum brakes, swing brakes, and locking devices, such as pawls or dogs, must be engaged when the occupied personnel platform is in a stationary working position. 
• Mobile cranes must comply with the following: 
  • Only the main boom must be used to hoist a personnel platform; 
  • The crane must be uniformly level within one percent of level grade and located on firm footing; 
  • All pneumatic tired cranes used to lift or lower personnel platforms must be equipped with outriggers or stabilizers; 
  • All outriggers or stabilizers, or both, must be fully extended and set; 
  • Carrier wheels within the boundary of the outriggers must be relieved of their weight; 
  • On a crawler crane, the track must be fully extended. 
• The total weight of the loaded personnel platform and related rigging may not exceed 50 percent of the rated capacity for the radius and configuration of the crane.

(COMAR 09.12.38.04). 

Instruments and components. The instrument and component requirements of a crane are as follows: 

• A crane with variable angle booms must be equipped with a boom angle indicator, readily visible to the operator. 
• A crane with telescoping booms must be marked or equipped with a device to indicate clearly to the operator at all times the boom's extended length. 
• Except for an electric crane, the load line hoist drum must have a system or device on the power train, other than the load hoist brake, that: 
  • Regulates the lowering rate of speed of the hoist mechanism; and 
  • Prevents free fall. 
• An electrical crane must meet the requirements of 29 CFR § 1910.179(f)(1), (2), and (3)(ii). 
• Damage prevention device. A crane and hoist must be equipped with a: 
  • Positive acting device, such as anti-two block, which prevents contact between the load block or overhaul ball and the boom tip; or
  • System, such as a two-block damage prevention feature, which deactivates the hoisting action before damage may occur to the load block, overhaul ball, or boom tip.

(COMAR 09.12.38.05).   

Personnel platforms    

• Design criteria: 
  • A personnel platform and suspension system must be designed by a qualified engineer or a qualified person competent in structural design. 
  • Before a rigid suspension system is used with a personnel platform, the suspension system must be approved by a qualified engineer. 
  • The suspension system must be designed to minimize tipping of the platform due to movement of employees occupying the platform. 
  • The personnel platform must be capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least five times the maximum intended load.

(COMAR 09.12.38.06A) 

• Platform specifications: 
  • Each personnel platform must be equipped with a fall protection guardrail system which meets the requirements of 29 CFR § 1910.23(e), and must be enclosed at least from the toe board to mid-rail with either solid construction or expanded metal, having openings no greater than 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters). 
  • A grab rail must be installed inside the entire perimeter of the personnel platform. 
  • A point of attachment for a lanyard must be: 
    • Provided for each employee occupying the platform; and 
    • Appropriate for the hardware of the particular lanyard being used. 
  • Access gates, if installed, may not swing outward. 
  • Access gates, including sliding or folding gates, must be equipped with a restraining device to prevent accidental opening. 
  • Headroom must be provided, which allows employees to stand upright in the platform. 
  • Except over water, when employees are exposed to falling objects, in addition to the use of head protection, employees must be protected by an overhead structure on the personnel platform. 
  • All rough edges exposed to contact by employees must be surfaced or smoothed in order to prevent injury to employees from punctures or lacerations.
  • All welding of the personnel platform and its components must be performed by a qualified welder familiar with the weld grades, types, and material specified in the platform design. 
  • Identification Plate:  The personnel platform must be conspicuously posted with a plate or other permanent marking which indicates the following: 
    • Occupancy is limited to four persons;
    • Weight of the platform; 
    • Rated load capacity or maximum intended load; and 
    • Platform identifying number. 
  • The identification plate or marking must remain legible.

(COMAR 09.12.38.06B)   

• Safety belts, lifelines, and lanyards:
  • A lifeline, safety belt, and lanyard must be used only for employee safeguarding. 
  • A lifeline, safety belt, or lanyard subjected to impact as a result of a full restraint of an employee's weight during a fall: 
    • Must be immediately removed from service; and 
    • May not be used again for employee safeguarding. 
  • A lifeline or lanyard attached to a safety belt shall be secured to a structural member capable of supplying a sufficient safety factor of 5,400 pounds per person secured to that structural member. 
  • Safety belt lanyard. 
    • A safety belt lanyard must be a minimum of 1/2 inch diameter nylon, or equivalent, with a maximum length to provide for a fall of no greater than 6 feet. 
    • The lanyard must have a nominal breaking strength of 5,400 pounds. 
  • Safety belt and lanyard hardware. 
    • All safety belt and lanyard hardware must be drop-forged or pressed steel, and cadmium plated in a commercially accepted manner. 
    • Surfaces must be smooth and free of sharp edges. 
    • All safety belt and lanyard hardware, except rivets, must be capable of withstanding a tensile loading of 4,000 pounds without cracking, breaking, or becoming permanently deformed. 
    • A lanyard hook must be: 
      • Of a self-closing design; and 
      • Used only in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

(COMAR 09.12.38.06C). 

• Personnel platform loading: 
  • The personnel platform may not be loaded in excess of its rated load capacity. 
  • When a personnel platform does not have a rated load capacity, then the personnel platform may not be loaded in excess of its maximum intended load. 
  • The number of persons occupying the personnel platform must be limited to: 
    • The number of employees required for the work being performed; and 
    • A maximum of four persons. 
  • A personnel platform: 
    • Must be used only to move or transport the employees, tools, and materials necessary to perform the work; and
    • When not hoisting employees, they may not be used to hoist materials or tools. 
  • Personnel lift: 
    • Before a personnel lift, materials and tools must be: 
      • Evenly distributed within the confines of the platform to ensure the platform remains level while suspended; and 
      • Secured to prevent displacement. 
    • During a personnel lift, materials and tools must remain secured.

(COMAR 09.12.38.06D).   

Rigging requirements: 

• When a wire rope bridle is used to connect the personnel platform to the load line, each bridle leg must be connected to a master link or shackle in such a manner to ensure that the load is evenly divided among the bridle legs. 
• A hook on an overhaul ball assembly, a lower load block, or other attachment assembly must be:
  • Of a type that can be closed and locked, eliminating the hook throat opening; or 
  • A forged steel anchor type shackle with either a forged alloy steel bolt with nut and retaining clip, or a forged alloy steel pin with retaining clip. 
• Wire rope, shackles, rings, master links, and other rigging hardware must be capable of supporting, without failure, at least five times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to that component. 
• When rotation resistant rope is used, the slings must be capable of supporting, without failure, at least 10 times the maximum intended load. 
• An eye in a wire rope sling must be fabricated with thimbles. 
• A bridle and associated rigging for attaching the personnel platform to the hoist line: 
  • Must be used only for the platform and the necessary employees, their tools, and the materials necessary for them to perform their work; and 
  • When not hoisting personnel, it may not be used for any other purpose.

(COMAR 09.12.38.07).   

Trial lift  

• Mobile cranes: 
  • A trial lift with the unoccupied personnel platform loaded at least to the weight of the maximum intended load must be: 
    • Made from ground level, or any other location where employees will enter the platform, to each location to which the personnel platform will be hoisted and positioned; and 
    • Performed immediately before placing employees on the platform. 
  • A trial lift may be performed at one time for all locations that are to be reached from a single set up position. 
  • When the crane or derrick is moved and set up in a new location or returned to a previously used location, a trial lift must be repeated before hoisting employees

(COMAR 09.12.38.08A). 

• Fixed-track mounted cranes: 
  • A trial lift with the unoccupied personnel platform loaded at least to the weight of the maximum intended load shall be: 
    • Made from ground level or any other location where employees will enter the platform, to the location at which the personnel platform will be hoisted and positioned once along the route of the track; and 
    • Performed during each shift when employees will be lifted, immediately before the first lift. 
  • A trial lift may be performed at one time for all locations that are to be reached from a single set up position.

(COMAR 09.12.38.08B).  

• Fixed cranes and hoists. A trial lift with the unoccupied personnel platform loaded at least to the weight of the maximum intended load must be: 
  • Made from ground level at each location at which the personnel platform is to be hoisted and positioned; and 
  • Performed during each shift, immediately before the first lift.

(COMAR 09.12.38.08C). 

• Operator requirements. For each trial lift performed, the employer must ensure that the operator determines that: 
  • All systems, controls, and safety devices are activated and functioning properly; 
  • No interferences exist; and 
  • All configurations necessary to reach each work location will allow the operator to remain under the 50 percent limit of the rated capacity of the crane or hoist, as provided in COMAR 09.12.38.04F. (COMAR 09.12.38.08D). 
• Materials and tools. Materials and tools to be used during the actual lift may be loaded onto the platform as provided in COMAR 09.12.38.06D(5), for the trial lift. (COMAR 09.12.38.08E). 
• Inspections: 
  • Before each personnel lift, the platform, with maximum intended load, must be hoisted a few inches and inspected to ensure that it is secure and properly balanced. 
  • Before an employee is hoisted, the employer must ensure that: 
    • Hoist ropes are free of kinks; 
    • Multiple part lines are not be twisted around each other; 
    • The primary attachment is centered over the platform; and 
    • If the load rope is slack, the hoisting system is inspected to ensure all ropes are properly seated on drums and in sheaves. 
  • Visual inspection: 
    • Immediately after the trial lift, a visual inspection of the crane, hoist, rigging, personnel platform, and the base support or ground must be conducted by a competent designated person to determine whether the testing has exposed any defect or produced any adverse effect upon any component or structure. 
    • The inspection must include, but not be limited to, all wire rope, hooks, brakes, the boom, safety devices, and other mechanical, structural, and rigging equipment. 
  • Any defect found during the trial lift or inspection which creates a safety hazard must be corrected before hoisting personnel.  

(COMAR 09.12.38.08F).  

Proof testing of platform and rigging:  

• An employer may not hoist employees on a personnel platform until the following proof testing requirements are satisfied. 
• The platform and rigging must be proof tested to 125 percent of the platform's rated capacity. 
• Proof testing must be performed by holding the platform in a suspended position for five minutes with the test load evenly distributed on the platform. 
• After proof testing: 
  • A competent designated person must inspect the platform and rigging; and 
  • If any deficiency is found, then before employees are hoisted: 
    • It must be corrected, and 
    • Another proof test must be conducted. 
• The platform and rigging must be proof tested: 
  • Before the first use to lift personnel; 
  • Annually after that; and 
  • After any repair or modification. 
• The proof testing may be performed concurrently with any trial lift conducted at a time set forth in COMAR 09.12.38.08 A, B, or C.

(COMAR 09.12.38.09).  

Certification record. The employer must prepare a certification record which includes: 

• The date the personnel platform items were inspected; 
• The signature of the person who inspected the personnel platform items; 
• A serial number, or other identifier, for the personnel platform inspected; and 
• The date of the proof test.   

The most recent certification record must be maintained on file until a new one is prepared. (COMAR 09.12.38.10). 

Work practices: 

• Except for an occupant of the platform performing the duties of a signal person, employees must keep all parts of the body inside the platform during raising, lowering, and positioning. 
• When employees are to exit or enter a hoisted personnel platform that is not landed, the platform must first be secured to the structure where access or egress is to take place, unless securing to the structure creates an unsafe situation 
• When employees work from the platform, the platform may not be secured to any structure other than the crane, derrick, or hoist. 
• Tag lines must be used unless their use creates an unsafe condition. 
• The crane operator must remain at the controls at all times when the platform is occupied. 
• The hoisting of employees must be promptly discontinued upon indication of any weather condition or other impending condition which could adversely affect the safe hoisting of personnel on a platform. 
• Except as noted in below, employees being hoisted must remain in continuous sight of, and in direct communication with, the operator or signal person. 
• When direct visual contact with the operator is not possible and the use of a signal person would create a greater hazard for that person, direct communication alone, such as a two-way radio system, may be used. 
• Except over water, employees occupying the personnel platform must use a body belt/harness system with lanyard appropriately attached to the lower load block or overhaul ball, or to a structural member within the personnel platform capable of sustaining a fall impact. 
• While personnel are suspended on a platform, a lift may not be made on any other load line of the crane or hoist. 
• An employee must be permitted to stand on or to work from only the floor of the platform. 
• Head protection must be worn by all employees while using personnel platforms. 
• When employees are working over or adjacent to water, an employer must comply with the following requirements: 
  • Totally enclosed personnel platforms or platforms with overhead structures are prohibited; 
  • Personal flotation devices: 
    • Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices must be: 
      • Provided by the employer, and 
      • Worn by all employees while using the personnel platform;
    • Before and after each use, personal flotation devices must be inspected for defects which would alter their strength or buoyancy; 
    • A defective personal flotation device may not be used;
  • Ring buoys: 
    • Ring buoys with at least 90 feet of line must be provided and readily available for emergency rescue operations; 
    • The distance between ring buoys and the work being performed may not exceed 200 feet; 
  • At least one lifesaving skiff must be immediately available.

(COMAR 09.12.38.11).  

Traveling. Except for a crane which travels on a fixed track, while a crane is traveling it may not be used to hoist an employee. 

When using a crane that travels on a fixed track, an employer may hoist employees on a personnel platform while the crane is traveling, upon implementing the following procedures to safeguard employees: 

• The boom must be parallel to the direction of travel; 
• A complete trial run to test the route of travel: 
  • Shall be performed before employees are allowed to occupy the platform, and  May be performed at the time of the trial lift required by COMAR 09.12.38.08

(COMAR 09.12.38.12). 

Pre-lift meeting. A pre-lift meeting must be: 

• Held to review the appropriate requirements of COMAR 09.12.38 and the procedures to be followed; 
• Held before each trial lift; 
• Repeated for any employee newly assigned to the operation; and 
• Attended by the crane or hoist operator, signal person, employee or employees to be lifted, and the person responsible for the task to be performed.

(COMAR 09.12.38.13).