OSHA announces temporary enforcement policy on monorail hoists in construction

Washington – OSHA will not issue citations to employers whose monorail hoists fail to comply with requirements in the Crane and Derricks in Construction Standard – as long as they adhere to other regulations, the agency announced in a recent memorandum.

OSHA issued the temporary enforcement policy June 30, saying stakeholders identified gaps in the standard regarding monorail hoists, which typically are mounted on scaffolding systems, trucks or trailers. They are used to lift items such as mechanical equipment, precast concrete components and oil/propane storage tanks.

In a July 3 press release, OSHA acknowledged that monorail hoists are “significantly different from other cranes and derricks in construction.”

“Some monorail hoists can be extended and contracted in only a fixed horizontal direction,” the release states. “They do not rotate, swing on a hinge, or boom out much farther than the equipment on which they are mounted.”

Employers still need to comply with the agency's overhead hoist and general training standards. General industry requirements for monorail hoists remain in effect.

“This enforcement policy is a commonsense approach to addressing industry concerns while also ensuring workers are protected,” Dean McKenzie, director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, said in the release.