Labor, industry and inspectors urge stricter crane licensing and stop‑work powers
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Summary
Operators, unions and state crane inspectors told the committee that HB 5405 will close enforcement gaps, let inspectors stop unsafe work immediately and deter unlicensed out‑of‑state operators after several incidents and a recent fatality.
Trade groups, labor representatives and state crane officials asked members of the Public Safety and Security Committee on March 5 to approve House Bill 5405 to strengthen crane licensing, inspections and enforcement.
Greg Streed, training director for Operating Engineers Local 478, described training pipelines and the union apprenticeship that yields licensed crane operators, and urged the committee to support HB 5405 to ensure operator endorsements match the equipment in use. Industry witnesses and union representatives stressed that enforcement tools should let state inspectors issue stop‑work orders and civil penalties for unlicensed operators and unregistered cranes.
Multiple witnesses recounted incidents that prompted the request for tighter oversight, including load drops, a crane‑overturning into a house and a fatality in Meriden. Several witnesses said the board lacks timely enforcement authority: current processes can take time to reach penalties and do not always stop unsafe operations immediately.
Keith Murphy, chairman of the crane operators examining board, urged adding two board members to ensure quorum at monthly meetings and updating fines and penalties to modern standards. State inspectors and industry trade groups argued the bill’s amendments would give DAS crane inspectors pragmatic tools for field enforcement and help level the competitive playing field by penalizing bad actors, often from out of state.
Representatives of the building trades, the Home Builders and Remodelers Association, and safety consultants all voiced support; DAS said it has beefed up inspection capacity with two experienced crane inspectors but welcomed clarified authority to act when they encounter immediate hazards.
No vote was taken at the hearing; committee members indicated bipartisan support and requested technical drafting follow‑up work to ensure alignment between DAS, the examining board and stakeholders.
