Crane proof test requirements

New cranes must be proof tested before initial use and every four years thereafter. This requirement is stated in 1919.71(a)(1).

Uncertificated cranes that have been in use must be proof tested at the time of initial certification and then every four years after that. See 1919.71(a)(2).

A unit proof test is required after important alterations or renewals and after repairs due to failure of, or damage to, major components. This is specified in 1919.71(a)(3).

The boom should be positioned in the least stable direction relative to the mounting, based on the manufacturer's specifications, when conducting unit proof load tests. See 1919.71(b).

Unit proof load tests for most cranes must apply a proof load equal to 10 percent in excess of the manufacturer's load ratings at maximum and minimum radii and at intermediate radii as needed. This requirement is set out in 1919.71(c).

The weight of all auxiliary handling devices — such as magnets, hooks, slings, and clamshell buckets — must be included as part of the proof test load. See 1919.71(c).

Trolley-equipped (bridge-type) cranes are subject to a proof load of 25 percent in excess of the manufacturer's load rating. See 1919.71(c).

The examination must check all functional operating mechanisms for improper function, maladjustment, and excessive component wear, with particular attention to sheaves, pins, and drums. This is described in 1919.71(d)(1) and 1919.71(d).

All safety devices must be examined to ensure they are not malfunctioning. See 1919.71(d)(2).

Lines, tanks, valves, drains, pumps, and other parts of air or hydraulic systems must be examined for deterioration or leakage. See 1919.71(d)(3).

Wire rope, wire rope terminals, and hooks must be checked carefully, paying special attention to sections exposed to abnormal wear and to sections not normally visible; cracked or deformed hooks must be discarded and not reused. The provisions of 1919.24 apply to wire rope examinations as referenced in 1919.71(d)(4).

Rope reeving must comply with the manufacturer's recommendations. See 1919.71(d)(5).

Deformed, cracked, or excessively corroded structural members and booms must be repaired or replaced; loose bolts, rivets, or other connections must be corrected; worn, cracked, or distorted parts affecting safe operation must be corrected; and brake and clutch system parts, linings, pawls, and ratchets must be examined for excessive wear and free operation. These requirements appear in 1919.71(d)(6) through 1919.71(d)(9).

Load, boom angle, and other indicators must be checked over their full range for any significant inaccuracy, and a boom angle or radius indicator must be fitted. See 1919.71(d)(10).

A durable rating chart covering the complete range of the manufacturer's capacity ratings at all operating radii (for all permissible boom and jib lengths, with alternate ratings for optional equipment) must be visible to the operator, and operating controls must be marked or an explanation posted at the operator's position. See 1919.71(d)(11).

Clamshell buckets and similar equipment must be carefully examined in all respects with special attention to closing line wires and sheaves; the accredited person may request operational tests as appropriate. See 1919.71(d)(12).

Junction areas of removable boom sections must be carefully examined for proper seating, cracks, deformities, defects in securing bolts, and defects in the vicinity of such bolts. See 1919.71(d)(13).

You must ascertain that no counterweights in excess of the manufacturer's specifications are fitted on the crane. See 1919.71(d)(14).

Yes, the accredited person may require such other examinations or supplemental functional tests as the accredited person deems necessary under the circumstances. See 1919.71(d)(15).

The accredited person (or the accredited person's authorized representative) must determine what corrections are necessary after the examination. The role of an accredited or competent person is to assess deficiencies and require corrective action; procedures for recognizing competent/accredited persons are discussed in OSHA guidance such as the April 26, 1977 letter on accreditation and competent person procedures. See 1919.71(d) and the OSHA interpretation Competent person accreditation procedures (April 26, 1977).

Yes. The examination must include operation with a partial load in which all functions and movements — including, where applicable, maximum possible rotation in both directions — are performed. See 1919.71(d).

For foreign-manufactured cranes, the manufacturer's specifications are subject to approval by the certificating authority as being equivalent to U.S. practice before they are used as the basis for unit proof tests. See 1919.71(c).

If the manufacturer provides no guidance, the certificating (accredited) authority should determine the least stable boom direction and required test positions based on equivalent U.S. practice and engineering judgment; this follows from the requirement that tests be carried out in the least stable direction based on the manufacturer's specifications and the certificating authority's role in approving foreign specifications. See 1919.71(b) and 1919.71(c).

Optional equipment that affects capacity must be shown with alternate ratings on a durable rating chart that is visible to the operator; necessary precautions or warnings associated with those alternate ratings must also be included. See 1919.71(d)(11).