City of Cincinnati proposes new crane safety rules

New crane safety regulations have been proposed by the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The reforms would include mandatory crane operator certification, equipment registration, a requirement for higher minimum insurance levels and a phasing out of cranes that are more than 20 years old. According to news reports, the Cincinnati City Council is set to approve the regulations, which will go into effect by early July.

At a press conference on March 29, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the new rules, which are a part of the mayor’s "Building the Middle Class" initiative.

The new legislation was the result of the work of a joint task force that included local contractors, owners, industry groups and IUOE Local 18. Frank Bardonaro, president of Maxim Crane Rental, was a leader in drafting the legislation, according to news reports.

In recognizing Bardonaro’s leadership role, Mayor Cranley said Bardonaro and Maxim have done "great work in this community for a long time.”

The mayor emphasized the importance of workplace safety and the need to raise the standards for all projects that are taking place in the Greater Cincinnati region. He thanked Maxim and Bardonaro for their industry leading efforts regarding safety related issues and in particular for supporting “this ground breaking legislation,” according to press reports.

“These new standards are critical to ensure the safety of the public as well as the contractors and employees," said Bardonaro, president of Maxim. "Maxim is a company focused on our employees and the safety of those around us. We are a company built by and concerned with our local communities. This new legislation will ensure that all crane related operations in the city are held to a new and higher standard with increased insurance limits, operator certifications and crane registrations.”

Bardonaro added that the new law is focused on people, not profits.

"We believe that the Mayor and his team are leading the community and the nation to establish a higher level of expectations that will benefit our city as well as the individuals that work in our industry,” he said. “The City of Cincinnati did an outstanding job of working with the stakeholders on this initiative and we look forward to this new proposal becoming law.”