1926.1404(h): Hazards During Crane Assembly and Disassembly
The assembly/disassembly director must address hazards of crane assembly and disassembly, including adequate site and ground conditions, enough and properly placed blocking, verifying assist crane loads, suitable boom and jib pick points, identifying center of gravity when needed or using measures to prevent dangerous movement, and stability when pins are removed.
Key takeaways
- 1926.1404(h) is part of OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart CC).
- OSHA cited it 8 times in the last 3 years, in 8 inspections, with $26,673 in current penalties.
- 1 death is linked to inspections that cited this rule.
- Related part: 1926.1404(h)(7) Stability upon pin removal (2 citations).
- Free 5-minute toolbox talk for your crew below.
In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1926.1404(h) ("Addressing specific hazards") is one requirement inside 1926.1404 Assembly/Disassembly—general requirements (applies to all assembly and disassembly operations), an OSHA construction standard (Part 1926, Subpart CC). It includes 16 sub-paragraphs. The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
(h) Addressing specific hazards. The A/D director supervising the assembly/disassembly operation must address the hazards associated with the operation, which include: 8 citations
(1) Site and ground bearing conditions. Site and ground conditions must be adequate for safe assembly/disassembly operations and to support the equipment during assembly/disassembly (see § 1926.1402 for ground condition requirements).
(2) Blocking material. The size, amount, condition and method of stacking the blocking must be sufficient to sustain the loads and maintain stability. 4 citations
(3) Proper location of blocking. When used to support lattice booms or components, blocking must be appropriately placed to:
(i) Protect the structural integrity of the equipment, and
(ii) Prevent dangerous movement and collapse.
(4) Verifying assist crane loads. When using an assist crane, the loads that will be imposed on the assist crane at each phase of assembly/disassembly must be verified in accordance with § 1926.1417(o)(3) before assembly/disassembly begins.
(5) Boom and jib pick points. The point(s) of attachment of rigging to a boom (or boom sections or jib or jib sections) must be suitable for preventing structural damage and facilitating safe handling of these components.
(6) Center of gravity.
(i) The center of gravity of the load must be identified if that is necessary for the method used for maintaining stability.
(ii) Where there is insufficient information to accurately identify the center of gravity, measures designed to prevent unintended dangerous movement resulting from an inaccurate identification of the center of gravity must be used. (See Non-mandatory appendix B of this subpart for an example.)
(7) Stability upon pin removal. The boom sections, boom suspension systems (such as gantry A-frames and jib struts), and components must be rigged or supported to maintain stability upon the removal of the pins. Open (h)(7) 2 citations
(8) Snagging. Suspension ropes and pendants must not be allowed to catch on the boom or jib connection pins or cotter pins (including keepers and locking pins).
(9) Struck by counterweights. The potential for unintended movement from inadequately supported counterweights and from hoisting counterweights.
(10) Boom hoist brake failure. Each time reliance is to be placed on the boom hoist brake to prevent boom movement during assembly/disassembly, the brake must be tested prior to such reliance to determine if it is sufficient to prevent boom movement. If it is not sufficient, a boom hoist pawl, other locking device/back-up braking device, or another method of preventing dangerous movement of the boom (such as blocking or using an assist crane) from a boom hoist brake failure must be used.
(11) Loss of backward stability. Backward stability before swinging the upperworks, travel, and when attaching or removing equipment components.
(12) Wind speed and weather. The effect of wind speed and weather on the equipment.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1926.1404.
Injuries linked to this rule
1 death is linked to inspections where OSHA cited 1926.1404(h).
At 9:00 a.m. on October 23, 2023, employees were attempting to disassemble the crawler crane. The employees removed the pins in an incorrect order and without proper blocking. The boom section collapsed onto an employee. The employee was fatally injured. The employee was struck by…
Where and how often it was cited
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A 5-minute crew talk on 1926.1404(h), plus alerts when this rule changes. Free.
OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1926.1404(h).
Related parts of this rule
- 1926.1404(h)(7) Stability upon pin removal 2 citations
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Frequently asked questions
Who must address assembly and disassembly hazards?
The A/D director supervising the operation.
What about blocking?
Blocking must be sufficient in size, amount, condition and stacking, and placed to protect the equipment and prevent collapse.
What if the center of gravity is unknown?
Measures to prevent unintended dangerous movement must be used.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1926.1404 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-10-19
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.