Article 2. Certification of California Labor Code >> Division 5. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 2.

(a) The division shall adopt regulations for the certification of all cranes and derricks used in lifting service, exceeding three tons rated capacity. Tower cranes shall be certified annually and whenever they are erected on a new site.
  (b) These regulations shall specify the procedure for licensing the certificating agencies or agents to conduct certification inspections, and shall establish specific criteria for licensure as a certifier, including a written examination.
  (c) No individual may certify a crane in which the individual or his or her employer has a direct or indirect financial interest, nor may an individual certify equipment that belongs to his or her employer. An individual may not certify equipment or devices that he or she has manufactured or helped to manufacture, if the equipment is owned by his or her employer. However, this subdivision shall not prohibit any of the following:
  (1) The licensure of certifiers who are employed by insurance carriers that insure the specific crane.
  (2) Except with respect to certification of tower cranes, the licensure of certifiers who are employed by an electrical, gas, or telephone corporation, as defined in Sections 218, 222, and 234, respectively, of the Public Utilities Code, or a municipal utility serving a city having a population of 3,000,000 or more, that is issued a certificate of self-insurance pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 16050) of Chapter 1 of Division 7 of the Vehicle Code and that is a self-insured employer under Article 1 (commencing with Section 3700) of Chapter 4 of Division 4 of this code.
  (d) The certificating agency shall attest that it tested or examined the device or equipment and found it to meet the requirements of the division.
  (e) The certificating agency shall notify the division of any deficiencies found during the crane certification inspection. A certificate shall not be issued until all deficiencies are corrected.

(a) The division shall suspend or revoke a license to certify for the following reasons:
  (1) Gross negligence, gross incompetency, a pattern of incompetence, or fraud in the certification of a crane.
  (2) Willful or deliberate disregard of any occupational safety standard while certifying a crane.
  (3) Misrepresentation of a material fact in applying for, or obtaining, a license to certify under this chapter.
  (4) Upon a showing of good cause.
  (b) The period of suspension or revocation shall be for six months for a first suspension or revocation, and one year for each subsequent suspension or revocation. The certificating agency shall obtain a new license from the division following a suspension or revocation. The division shall establish a hearing procedure and an appeal process for license suspensions and revocations.

Revocation of a license to certify may be appealed to the Director of Industrial Relations.

A licensed certifier who fraudulently certifies that a crane is in compliance with the criteria established by the division under subdivision (a) of Section 7375 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed six months, or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

It shall be a misdemeanor for an individual to engage in the certification of a crane as specified in this chapter if that individual is not licensed pursuant to this chapter. Any violation of this section shall be punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed six months, or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

The division may collect fees for the examination and licensing of crane certifiers as necessary to cover the actual costs, including administrative costs. All fees collected by the division under this chapter shall be paid into the General Fund.

(a) Notwithstanding Sections 6319 and 6425, if serious injury or death is caused by any serious or willful repeated violation of a crane standard, order, or special order, or by any failure to correct a serious violation of a crane standard, order, or special order within the time specified for its correction, the employer shall be assessed a civil penalty in an amount equal to double the maximum penalty allowable for each violation contributing to the injury or death.
  (b) Notwithstanding any provision of this division, any employer who violates any tower crane standard, order, or special order, if that violation is a serious violation, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each serious violation. The penalty shall not be reduced for any of the reasons listed in Section 6319.

No person shall install or dismantle a tower crane, or increase the height of a crane, known in the construction trade as "jumping or climbing a crane," without a safety representative of the crane manufacturer, distributor, or a representative of a licensed crane certifier being present on site for consultation during the procedure. The standards board shall adopt a regulation making failure to provide the designated safety representative a serious violation of a safety order. Local governmental entities may restrict the hours during which these procedures may be performed.

(a) The division shall require all crane employers to disclose all of their previous business identities within the previous 10 years. The disclosure shall be made to the division on forms provided by the division. The division shall maintain the confidentiality of this information.
  (b) The division shall consider the violations of safety and health orders and standards of the previous business identities when assessing penalties against a crane employer for current violations.
  (c) For purposes of this section "business identities" means current and previous business affiliations in the construction industry which involve the use of cranes. These shall include, but not be limited to, fictitious business names and corporate names.
  (d) The purpose of this section is to enable the division to get a complete safety record of crane employers when assessing penalties for the violation of safety orders.

The division shall prepare an annual report concerning revenues obtained from all funding sources and expenditures. The division shall file the report with the Legislative Analyst, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the Department of Finance, and the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.