| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to regulation of hoisting equipment used |
| 3 | in construction, demolition, or excavation work; creating |
| 4 | s. 489.1138, F.S.; defining the terms "hoisting |
| 5 | equipment," "mobile crane," and "tower crane"; requiring |
| 6 | an applicant for a building permit to submit certain |
| 7 | information to a local building official; requiring radio |
| 8 | communications between certain crane operators; requiring |
| 9 | certain preparations for a hurricane or high-wind event; |
| 10 | requiring a preparedness plan for certain cranes; |
| 11 | requiring that hoisting equipment be secured in a |
| 12 | specified manner under certain circumstances; providing |
| 13 | penalties for violation of the act by certain licensed |
| 14 | contractors; preempting regulation of hoisting equipment |
| 15 | and persons operating the equipment to the state; |
| 16 | providing that the act does not apply to the regulation of |
| 17 | elevators; providing an effective date. |
| 18 |
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| 19 | WHEREAS, cranes, derricks, hoists, elevators, and conveyors |
| 20 | used in construction, demolition, or excavation work are |
| 21 | currently regulated under federal rules adopted by the |
| 22 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 29 C.F.R. parts |
| 23 | 1910 and 1926, and |
| 24 | WHEREAS, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| 25 | has conducted a thorough and exhaustive review of these rules in |
| 26 | an effort to better protect against the hazards presented by |
| 27 | these types of hoisting equipment, and |
| 28 | WHEREAS, the review conducted by the Occupational Safety |
| 29 | and Health Administration was undertaken in consultation with |
| 30 | many of the most knowledgeable engineering, construction, and |
| 31 | safety experts in the nation and in the world, and |
| 32 | WHEREAS, this review has culminated in the production of |
| 33 | proposed rules setting forth comprehensive and detailed new |
| 34 | regulations applicable to cranes, derricks, hoists, elevators, |
| 35 | and conveyors, and to the operators of these types of hoisting |
| 36 | equipment, as published in the Federal Register on October 9, |
| 37 | 2008, and |
| 38 | WHEREAS, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| 39 | should be commended and supported in these efforts, and |
| 40 | WHEREAS, cranes, derricks, hoists, elevators, and conveyors |
| 41 | are routinely transported across city, county, and state lines, |
| 42 | making uniform federal regulation of these types of hoisting |
| 43 | equipment and their operators essential to commerce, to |
| 44 | Florida's economic competitiveness, and to minimizing |
| 45 | construction costs in our state, and |
| 46 | WHEREAS, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| 47 | entered into a strategic alliance with the Associated Builders |
| 48 | and Contractors of Florida, the South Florida Chapter of the |
| 49 | Associated General Contractors of America, the Construction |
| 50 | Association of South Florida, and the Florida Crane Owners |
| 51 | Council to improve crane safety, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 52 |
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| 53 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 54 |
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| 55 | Section 1. Section 489.1138, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 56 | to read: |
| 57 | 489.1138 Regulation of hoisting equipment used in |
| 58 | construction, demolition, or excavation work.- |
| 59 | (1) As used in this section, the term: |
| 60 | (a) "Hoisting equipment" means power-operated cranes, |
| 61 | derricks, hoists, elevators, and conveyors used in construction, |
| 62 | demolition, or excavation work that are regulated by the |
| 63 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration under 29 C.F.R. |
| 64 | parts 1910 and 1926. |
| 65 | (b) "Mobile crane" means a type of hoisting equipment |
| 66 | incorporating a cable-suspended latticed boom or hydraulic |
| 67 | telescoping boom designed to be moved between operating |
| 68 | locations by transport over a roadway. The term does not include |
| 69 | a mobile crane with a boom length of less than 25 feet or a |
| 70 | maximum rated load capacity of less than 15,000 pounds. |
| 71 | (c) "Tower crane" means a type of hoisting equipment using |
| 72 | a vertical mast or tower to support a working boom in an |
| 73 | elevated position, where the working boom can rotate to move |
| 74 | loads laterally either by rotating at the top of the mast or |
| 75 | tower or by the rotation of the mast or tower itself, whether |
| 76 | the mast or tower base is fixed in one location or ballasted and |
| 77 | moveable between locations. |
| 78 | (2) An applicant for a building permit for construction, |
| 79 | demolition, or excavation work involving the use of a tower |
| 80 | crane or mobile crane must submit to the local building official |
| 81 | of the appropriate county, municipality, or other political |
| 82 | subdivision: |
| 83 | (a) A site plan accurately identifying the location of the |
| 84 | crane, clearances from above-ground power lines, the location of |
| 85 | adjacent buildings, and the structural foundation of the crane. |
| 86 | (b) Documentation of compliance with the requirements of |
| 87 | all governmental authorities related to operation of the crane |
| 88 | on the work site, including compliance with the lighting |
| 89 | requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration. |
| 90 | (3) When two or more tower cranes or mobile cranes are |
| 91 | operating within the same swing radius, there must be at all |
| 92 | times a clear, independent, and operable channel of radio |
| 93 | communications between the persons operating the cranes. |
| 94 | (4)(a) When a tower crane or mobile crane is located on a |
| 95 | work site, a hurricane and high-wind event preparedness plan for |
| 96 | the crane must be available for inspection at the site. |
| 97 | (b) In preparation for a hurricane or high-wind event, |
| 98 | hoisting equipment must be secured in the following manner: |
| 99 | 1. All hoisting equipment must be secured in compliance |
| 100 | with manufacturer recommendations relating to hurricane and |
| 101 | high-wind events, including any recommendations relating to the |
| 102 | placement, use, and removal of advertising banners and rigging. |
| 103 | 2. Tower crane turntables must be lubricated before the |
| 104 | event. |
| 105 | 3. Fixed booms on mobile cranes must be laid down whenever |
| 106 | feasible. |
| 107 | 4. Booms on hydraulic cranes must be retracted and stored. |
| 108 | 5. The counterweights of any hoists must be locked below |
| 109 | the top tie-in. |
| 110 | 6. Tower cranes must be set in the weathervane position. |
| 111 | 7. All rigging must be removed from hoist blocks. |
| 112 | 8. All power at the base of tower cranes must be |
| 113 | disconnected. |
| 114 | (5) A person licensed under this part who intentionally |
| 115 | violates this section is subject to discipline under ss. 455.227 |
| 116 | and 489.129. |
| 117 | (6) This section preempts any local act, law, ordinance, |
| 118 | or regulation, including, but not limited to, a local building |
| 119 | code or building permit requirement, of a county, municipality, |
| 120 | or other political subdivision that pertains to the regulation |
| 121 | of hoisting equipment and persons operating the equipment in the |
| 122 | state. |
| 123 | (7) This section does not apply to the regulation of |
| 124 | elevators under chapter 399. |
| 125 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |