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Crane swing-radius memorandum and standard text

Summary A contractor asked how an OSHA field memorandum affected the crane swing-radius standard. OSHA said a field memorandum could address part of a standard but did not alter it, and inspectors still had to consider the hazards described by the standard in each case. OSHA archives the letter.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1974-12-13
Date issued
December 13, 1974
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 10, 2026

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OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
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NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

December 13, 1974

Mr. W. L. Christensen
Safety Director
Rust Engineering Company
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Christensen:

This is in response to your letter of November 7, 1974, which was forwarded to this office by Al Branson of the Associated General Contractors.

It is my understanding that a member of my staff contacted you on November 18, 1974, and resolved the question you raised. For the record, a Field Information Memorandum (FIM) does not alter a standard. The memorandum may or may not address the entire standard as in the case of FIM #74-80.

The issuance of FIM #74-80 was precipitated by two different opinions on the subject of "caught between", therefore, that was the subject addressed. In order to maintain continuity with the standard, the last paragraph refers back to 29 CFR 1926.550(a)(9), to indicate that the hazards as described must be considered in each case.

Your interest in safety and health are greatly appreciated. If I may be of any further assistance to you, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,
John K. Barto, Chief
Division of Occupational
Safety Programming

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