Reglamento 8586

The Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, through its Occupational Safety and Health Administration, formally adopted the federal standard for "Cranes and Derricks: Operator Certification, Final Rule" on April 17, 2015. This adoption incorporates the federal rule published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2014, which specifically addresses the extension of compliance deadlines. The federal rule, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), extends the deadline for employers to ensure crane operators are certified by three years, moving it from November 10, 2014, to November 10, 2017. Concurrently, OSHA also extended the employer's duty to ensure crane operators are competent to safely operate equipment for the same three-year period. This extension was prompted by concerns raised after the original 2010 rule, suggesting that certification alone might be insufficient to guarantee an operator's safe performance on a construction site. The delay allows OSHA to systematically examine and determine how to address the issue of operator competency more comprehensively. The original 2010 standard outlined four options for operator certification, with third-party testing being the most common and portable method. This final rule is not considered economically significant and is projected to result in net cost savings for the affected industries.