§1926.
1418
CONSTRUCTION REGULATORY GUIDE
(iii) For equipment with tires, tire pressure
specified by the manufacturer is maintained.
(v) Rotational speed of the equipment must
be such that the load does not swing out be-
yond the radius at which it can be controlled.
(w) A tag or restraint line must be used if nec-
essary to prevent rotation of the load that would
be hazardous.
(x) The brakes must be adjusted in accor-
dance with manufacturer procedures to prevent
unintended movement.
(y) The operator must obey a stop (or emer-
gency stop) signal, irrespective of who gives it.
(z) Swinging locomotive cranes. A locomotive
crane must not be swung into a position where
railway cars on an adjacent track could strike it,
until it is determined that cars are not being
moved on the adjacent track and that proper
flag protection has been established.
(aa) Counterweight/ballast.
(1) The following applies to equipment other
than tower cranes:
(i) Equipment must not be operated without
the counterweight or ballast in place as speci-
fied by the manufacturer.
(ii) The maximum counterweight or ballast
specified by the manufacturer for the equipment
must not be exceeded.
(2) Counterweight/ballast requirements for
tower cranes are specified in §1926.1435(b)(8).
§1926.1418 Authority to stop operation.
Whenever there is a concern as to safety, the
operator must have the authority to stop and
refuse to handle loads until a qualified person
has determined that safety has been assured.
§1926.1419 Signals—general
requirements.
(a) A signal person must be provided in each
of the following situations:
(1) The point of operation, meaning the load
travel or the area near or at load placement, is
not in full view of the operator.
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(2) When the equipment is traveling, the view
in the direction of travel is obstructed.
(3) Due to site specific safety concerns, either
the operator or the person handling the load
determines that it is necessary.
(b) Types of signals. Signals to operators
must be by hand, voice, audible, or new signals.
(c) Hand signals.
(1) When using hand signals, the Standard
Method must be used (see Appendix A of this
subpart). Exception: Where use of the Standard
Method for hand signals is infeasible, or where
an operation or use of an attachment is not cov-
ered in the Standard Method, non-standard
hand signals may be used in accordance with
paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(2) Non-standard hand signals. When using
non-standard hand signals, the signal person,
operator, and lift director (where there is one)
must contact each other prior to the operation
and agree on the non-standard hand signals
that will be used.
(d) New signals. Signals other than hand,
voice, or audible signals may be used where the
employer demonstrates that:
(1) The new signals provide at least equally
effective communication as voice, audible, or
Standard Method hand signals, or
(2) The new signals comply with a national
consensus standard that provides at least
equally effective communication as voice, au-
dible, or Standard Method hand signals.
(e) Suitability. The signals used (hand, voice,
audible, or new), and means of transmitting the
signals to the operator (such as direct line of
sight, video, radio, etc.), must be appropriate for
the site conditions.
(f) During operations requiring signals, the
ability to transmit signals between the operator
and signal person must be maintained. If that
ability is interrupted at any time, the operator
must safely stop operations requiring signals
until it is reestablished and a proper signal is
given and understood.
(g) If the operator becomes aware of a safety
problem and needs to communicate with the
§1926.64
CONSTRUCTION REGULATORY GUIDE
want their employees to evacuate the danger area and
promptly escape to a preplanned safe zone area, and
allow the local community emergency response organiza-
tions to handle the release. Or whether the employer
wants to use some combination of these actions. Employ-
ers will need to select how many different emergency pre-
paredness or tertiary lines of defense they plan to have
and then develop the necessary plans and procedures,
and appropriately train employees in their emergency
duties and responsibilities and then implement these lines
of defense.
Employers at a minimum must have an emergency
action plan which will facilitate the prompt evacuation of
employees when an unwanted release of highly hazard-
ous chemical. This means that the employer will have a
plan that will be activated by an alarm system to alert
employees when to evacuate and, that employees who
are physically impaired, will have the necessary support
and assistance to get them to the safe zone as well. The
intent of these requirements is to alert and move employ-
ees to a safe zone quickly. Delaying alarms or confusing
alarms are to be avoided. The use of process control cen-
ters or similar process buildings in the process area as
safe areas is discouraged. Recent catastrophes have
shown that a large life loss has occurred in these struc-
tures because of where they have been sited and
because they are not necessarily designed to withstand
over-pressures from shockwaves resulting from
shockwaves resulting from explosions in the process
area.
Unwanted incidental releases of highly hazardous
chemicals in the process area must be addressed by the
employer as to what actions employees are to take. If the
employer wants employees to evacuate the area, then the
emergency action plan will be activated. For outdoor pro-
cesses where wind direction is important for selecting the
safe route to a refuge area, the employer should place a
wind direction indicator such as a wind sock or pennant at
the highest point that can be seen throughout the process
area. Employees can move in the direction of cross wind
to upwind to gain safe access to the refuge area by know-
ing the wind direction.
If the employer wants specific employees in the release
area to control or stop the minor emergency or incidental
release, these actions must be planned for in advance
and procedures developed and implemented.
Preplanning for handling incidental releases for minor
emergencies in the process area needs to be done,
appropriate equipment for the hazards must be provided,
and training conducted for those employees who will per-
form the emergency work before they respond to handle
an actual release. The employer’s training program,
including the Hazard Communication standard training is
to address the training needs for employees who are
expected to handle incidental or minor releases.
Preplanning for releases that are more serious than
incidental releases is another important line of defense to
be used by the employer. When a serious release of a
highly hazardous chemical occurs, the employer through
preplanning will have determined in advance what actions
employees are to take. The evacuation of the immediate
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release area and other areas as necessary would be
accomplished under the emergency action plan. If the
employer wishes to use plant personnel such as a fire
brigade, spill control team, a hazardous materials team, or
use employees to render aid to those in the immediate
release area and control or mitigate the incident, these
actions are covered by 1926.65, the Hazardous Waste
Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
standard. If outside assistance is necessary, such as
through mutual aid agreements between employers or
local government emergency response organizations,
these emergency responders are also covered by
HAZWOPER. The safety and health protections required
for emergency responders are the responsibility of their
employers and of the on-scene incident commander.
Responders may be working under very hazardous
conditions and therefore the objective is to have them
competently led by an on-scene incident commander and
the commander’s staff, properly equipped to do their
assigned work safely, and fully trained to carry out their
duties safely before they respond to an emergency. Drills,
training exercises, or simulations with the local community
emergency response planners and responder organiza-
tions is one means to obtain better preparedness. This
close cooperation and coordination between plant and
local community emergency preparedness managers will
also aid the employer in complying with the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Risk Management Plan criteria.
One effective way for medium to large facilities to
enhance coordination and communication during emer-
gencies for on plant operations and with local community
organizations is for employers to establish and equip an
emergency control center. The emergency control center
would be sited in a safe zone area so that it could be
occupied throughout the duration of an emergency. The
center would serve as the major communication link
between the on-scene incident commander and plant or
corporate management as well as with the local commu-
nity officials. The communication equipment in the emer-
gency control center should include a network to receive
and transmit information by telephone, radio or other
means. It is important to have a backup communication
network in case of power failure or one communication
means fails. The center should also be equipped with the
plant layout and community maps, utility drawings includ-
ing fire water, emergency lighting, appropriate reference
materials such as a government agency notification list,
company personnel phone list, SARA Title III reports and
safety data sheets, emergency plans and procedures
manual, a listing with the location of emergency response
equipment, mutual aid information, and access to meteo-
rological or weather condition data and any dispersion
modeling data.
14. Compliance Audits. Employers need to select a
trained individual or assemble a trained team of people to
audit the process safety management system and pro-
gram. A small process or plant may need only one knowl-
edgeable person to conduct an audit. The audit is to
include an evaluation of the design and effectiveness of
the process safety management system and a field

CONSTRUCTION REGULATORY GUIDE
signal person, the operator must safely stop op-
erations. Operations must not resume until the
operator and signal person agree that the prob-
lem has been resolved.
(h) Only one person may give signals to a
crane/derrick at a time, except in circumstances
covered by paragraph (j) of this section.
(i) [Reserved.]
(j) Anyone who becomes aware of a safety
problem must alert the operator or signal per-
son by giving the stop or emergency stop sig-
nal. (Note: §1926.1417(y) requires the operator
to obey a stop or emergency stop signal).
(k) All directions given to the operator by the
signal person must be given from the operator’s
direction perspective.
(l) [Reserved.]
(m) Communication with multiple cranes/
derricks. Where a signal person(s) is in com-
munication with more than one crane/derrick, a
system must be used for identifying the crane/
derrick each signal is for, as follows:
(1) for each signal, prior to giving the function/
direction, the signal person must identify the
crane/derrick the signal is for, or
(2) must use an equally effective method of
identifying which crane/ derrick the signal is for.
§1926.1420 Signals—radio, telephone or
other electronic transmission of
signals.
(a) The device(s) used to transmit signals
must be tested on site before beginning opera-
tions to ensure that the signal transmission is
effective, clear, and reliable.
(b) Signal transmission must be through a
dedicated channel, except:
(1) Multiple cranes/derricks and one or more
signal persons may share a dedicated channel
for the purpose of coordinating operations.
(2) Where a crane is being operated on or
adjacent to railroad tracks, and the actions of
the crane operator need to be coordinated with
the movement of other equipment or trains on
the same or adjacent tracks.
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§1926.1423
(c) The operator’s reception of signals must
be by a hands-free system.
§1926.1421 Signals—voice signals—
additional requirements.
(a) Prior to beginning operations, the opera-
tor, signal person and lift director (if there is
one), must contact each other and agree on the
voice signals that will be used. Once the voice
signals are agreed upon, these workers need
not meet again to discuss voice signals unless
another worker is added or substituted, there is
confusion about the voice signals, or a voice
signal is to be changed.
(b) Each voice signal must contain the follow-
ing three elements, given in the following order:
function (such as hoist, boom, etc.), direction;
distance and/or speed; function, stop com-
mand.
(c) The operator, signal person and lift director
(if there is one), must be able to effectively com-
municate in the language used.
§1926.1422 Signals—hand signal chart.
Hand signal charts must be either posted on
the equipment or conspicuously posted in the
vicinity of the hoisting operations.
§1926.1423 Fall protection.
(a) Application.
(1) Paragraphs (b), (c)(3), (e) and (f) of this
section apply to all equipment covered by this
subpart except tower cranes.
(2) Paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2), (d), (g), (j) and
(k) of this section apply to all equipment cov-
ered by this subpart.
(3) Paragraphs (c)(4) and (h) of this section
apply only to tower cranes.
(b) Boom walkways.
(1) Equipment manufactured after November
8, 2011 with lattice booms must be equipped
with walkways on the boom(s) if the vertical pro-
file of the boom (from cord centerline to cord
centerline) is 6 or more feet.
(2) Boom walkway criteria.
(i) The walkways must be at least 12 inches
wide.