[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 22552-22553]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10560]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Parts 1910, 1915, 1917, 1918, and 1926

RIN 1218-AB33


Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training; Correction to Final 
Rule

AGENCY: Occupatioal Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is 
clarifying that until employers come into compliance with the new 
Powered Industrial Truck Training Standard required by December 1, 
1999, they must comply with the pre-existing standards for powered 
industrial truck operator training.

DATES: The effective date of this correction is April 27, 1999.
    The effective date for the new Powered Industrial Truck Operator 
Training Standard published December 1, 1998 (63 FR 66238) is March 1, 
1999.
    Compliance Dates: The dates by which powered industrial truck 
operators must be trained and evaluated pursuant to the new standard 
are shown on the following table.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              The initial training and
         If the employee was hired           evaluation of that employee
                                                  must be completed
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before December 1, 1999...................  By December 1, 1999.
After December 1, 1999....................  Before the employee is
                                             assigned to operate a
                                             powered industrial truck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Until operators are trained and evaluated pursuant to the new 
standard, employers must remain in compliance with the prior operator 
training standards: 29 CFR 1910.178(1) (1998) for general industry and 
shipyards; 29 CFR 1926.602(c)(1)(vi) (1998) for construction; 29 CFR 
1917.27 (1998) for marine terminals; and 29 CFR 1918.98 (1998) for 
longshoring.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct press inquiries to: Bonnie 
Friedman, Director, Office of Information and Consumer Affairs, Rm. 
N3637, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone (202) 693-1999, Fax (202) 693-1634. 
Direct technical inquiries to: Richard Sauger, Directorate of Safety 
Standards Programs, Rm. N3621, telephone (202) 693-2062, Fax (202) 693-
1663 or Wil Epps, Directorate of Compliance Programs, Rm. N-3603, 
telephone (202) 693-1850, Fax (202) 693-1628 at the above address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 1, 1998, OSHA published a final 
standard improving training requirements for powered industrial truck 
operators at 63 FR 66238-66274. That new standard applies to employees 
in general industry, shipyards, marine terminals, longshoring and 
construction. The new standard will replace existing more general 
training requirements in each of those industrial sectors. The new 
standard has an effective date of March 1, 1999, and a completion of 
initial training and evaluation date of December 1, 1999 for operators 
employed before December 1, 1999. Completion of initial training and 
evaluation of operators hired on or after December 1, 1999 shall be 
prior to being assigned to operate a truck.
    OSHA's intention was that employers would remain in compliance with 
the old training standard while they commenced, on March 1, the 
phasing-in of compliance with the new training standard. That phase-in 
would be completed by Dec. 1, 1999 (63 FR 66261). An employer meeting 
the requirements of the new standard would clearly meet the 
requirements of the old standards.

Need for Correction

    Some confusion has been indicated about the phase-in schedule and 
the employer's obligation between the effective date of the new 
standard and the completion of training and evaluation dates contained 
in that standard. To clarify this, OSHA is correcting the DATES 
paragraph of the Federal Register preamble.
    This clarifies that employers must remain in compliance with the 
prior training standards through Nov. 30, 1999. They do not have to be 
in compliance with the new training standard until December 1, 1999 and 
will not be cited for violating the new standard prior to December 1, 
1999.
    However, because the new standard is more protective than the 
requirements of the prior powered industrial truck operator training 
standards, employers who choose to meet the requirements of the new 
standard prior to December 1, 1999 will not be cited under the prior 
standards. Most employers will probably wish to commence the phase-in 
of the training and evaluation required by the new standard prior to 
December 1, 1999 for organizational efficiency reasons. Because the new 
standard was published on December 1, 1998, employers will have had 1 
year for the phase-in.
    The pre-existing powered industrial truck operator training 
standard applicable to general industry and shipyards (by cross 
reference from 29 CFR (1910.5(c)(2)) is 29 CFR 1910.178(1) in the 1998 
CFR volume, 29 CFR Part 1900 to Sec. 1910.999 (Revised as of July 1, 
1998). The pre-existing standard applicable to construction is 29 CFR 
1926.602(c)(1)(vi), cross-referencing ANSI B.56.1-1969 in the CFR 
volume 29 CFR Part 1926 (Revised as of July 1, 1998), which is 
identical to the pre-existing general industry standard. The pre-
existing training standard applicable to longshoring is 29 CFR 1918.98 
and for marine terminals is 29 CFR 1917.27 in the CFR volume 29 CFR 
Parts 1911 and 1925 (Revised as of July 1, 1998). See the December 1, 
1998 Federal Register preamble at 63 FR 66239 and the Longshoring and 
Marine Terminals Final Rule preamble at 62 FR 40142 (July 25, 1997) for 
a detailed discussion of pre-existing coverage. (The Longshoring Final 
Rule redesignated Sec. 1918.97 as Sec. 1918.98 and applies it to all 
longshoring activities.)

Correction of Publication

    Accordingly in Federal Register Doc. 98-31283 published December 1, 
1998 at 63 FR 66238, the ``Compliance Dates'' under the DATES section 
in the preamble

[[Page 22553]]

are corrected to read as set forth in the DATES section of this 
document.

    Signed at Washington, D.C. this 21 day of April, 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 99-10560 Filed 4-26-99; 8:45 am]
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