Washington § 49.17.400 - Construction crane safety — Definitions.

Full text of Washington Revised Code of Washington § 49.17.400 — Construction crane safety — Definitions., with citation guidance and answers to common questions.

§ 49.17.400. Construction crane safety — Definitions.

The definitions in this section apply throughout this section and RCW 49.17.420 through 49.17.445 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Apprentice operator or trainee" means a crane operator who has not met requirements established by the department under RCW 49.17.430.
(2) "Assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration" means the assembly, disassembly, or reconfiguration of cranes covered under this section and RCW 49.17.420 through 49.17.445.
(3) "Assembly/disassembly work zone" is applicable to tower cranes and means the total area that the crane and/or components or attachments could reach if the crane were to collapse. Height of the crane, length of boom, attachments, and loads, shall all be considered to calculate the area, which can shrink or grow as the work progresses.
(4) "Attachments" includes, but is not limited to, crane-attached or suspended hooks, magnets, grapples, clamshell buckets, orange peel buckets, concrete buckets, drag lines, personnel platforms, augers, or drills and pile-driving equipment.
(5) "Certified crane inspector" means a crane inspector who has been certified by the department.
(6) "Construction" means all or any part of excavation, construction, erection, alteration, repair, demolition, and dismantling of buildings and other structures and all related operations; the excavation, construction, alteration, and repair of sewers, trenches, caissons, conduits, pipelines, roads, and all related operations; the moving of buildings and other structures, and the construction, alteration, repair, or removal of wharfs, docks, bridges, culverts, trestles, piers, abutments, or any other related construction, alteration, repair, or removal work. "Construction" does not include manufacturing facilities or powerhouses.
(7) "Crane" means power-operated equipment used in construction that can hoist, lower, and horizontally move a suspended load. "Crane" includes, but is not limited to: Articulating cranes, such as knuckle-boom cranes; crawler cranes; floating cranes; cranes on barges; locomotive cranes; mobile cranes, such as wheel-mounted, rough-terrain, all-terrain, commercial truck mounted, and boom truck cranes; multipurpose machines when used to lift and lower a suspended load, or horizontally move a suspended load; industrial cranes, such as carry-deck cranes; dedicated pile drivers; service/mechanic trucks with a hoisting device; a crane on a monorail; tower cranes, such as fixed jib, hammerhead boom, luffing boom, and self-erecting; pedestal cranes; portal cranes; overhead and gantry cranes; straddle cranes; side-boom tractors; derricks; and variations of such equipment.
(8) "Crane operator" means an individual engaged in the operation of a crane.
(9) "Crane owner" means the company or entity that has custodial control of a crane by virtue of lease or ownership.
(10) "Prime contractor" means the person or entity that has overall responsibility for the construction of the project, its planning, quality, and completion and serves as the site supervisor.
(11) "Professional engineer" means a professional engineer as defined in RCW 18.43.020.
(12) "Qualified crane operator" means a crane operator who meets the requirements established by the department under RCW 49.17.430.
(13) "Reconfiguration" means adding or subtracting components that alter the height, length, or capacity of a crane. The set-up of a crane is not considered reconfiguration.
(14) "Safety or health standard" means a standard adopted under this chapter.
[ 2024 c 311 s 3; 2007 c 27 s 2.]

Notes

Reviser's note: The definitions in this section have been alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k).
Application—2024 c 311: "Sections 3 through 10 of this act apply to construction crane safety." [ 2024 c 311 s 2.]
Effective date—2024 c 311: "This act takes effect January 1, 2025." [ 2024 c 311 s 11.]
Finding—Application—2024 c 311: See notes following RCW 49.17.435.
Intent—2007 c 27: "The legislature intends to promote the safe condition and operation of cranes used in construction work by establishing certification requirements for construction cranes and qualifications for construction crane operators. The legislature intends that standards for safety of construction cranes and for certification of personnel operating cranes in construction work be established." [ 2007 c 27 s 1.]
Effective date—2007 c 27: "This act takes effect January 1, 2010." [ 2007 c 27 s 7.]

Source: official Washington text · Last verified 2026-08-27

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Section 49.17.400 ("Construction crane safety — Definitions.") is part of the Revised Code of Washington, the codified statutory law of Washington. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.

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