AB 660

With certain exceptions, under current law, the Department of Commerce

(department) establishes and enforces occupational safety standards that apply to

places of public employment in this state and the federal occupational safety and

health administration (OSHA) establishes and enforces occupational safety

standards that apply to places of nonpublic employment in this state. Currently,

certain standards promulgated by the department and by OSHA apply to

construction sites and other locations where ironwork is performed but the

standards do not specifically require ironworkers to be certified or licensed.

This bill establishes programs, administered by the department, for the

regulation and certification of ironworkers. These programs are subject to the

department receiving all necessary approvals from the federal secretary of labor.

With certain exceptions, the bill requires any individual who performs work in

this state as an ironworker to hold a master ironworker or journeyman ironworker

certificate obtained from the department. Under the bill, an ironworker generally

means any individual who positions and secures reinforcing rods or cables during

on-site construction of buildings or bridges; raises, places, or unites girders,

columns, and other structural steel members; installs prefabricated, ornamental

metalwork; erects precast girders during on-site construction of bridges; or rigs or

raises wind turbines. The bill requires a master ironworker or journeyman

ironworker to perform work consistent with department rules. In addition, the bill

prohibits an employer, contractor, or subcontractor from allowing certain individuals

to perform ironwork without a required ironworker certificate or in violation of

department rules.

Under the bill, the department must administer a program for certification of

master ironworkers and journeyman ironworkers. The bill establishes minimum

criteria that an individual must satisfy in order to be certified as a master ironworker

or journeyman ironworker. The bill also includes a grandfather provision that

establishes separate criteria for an individual who applies for certification within

one year after the bill takes effect.

Unless the grandfather provision applies, in order to be certified as a master

ironworker, an individual must: 1) satisfactorily complete a written examination,

unless the individual applies for recertification and satisfies specific work experience

and training requirements; and 2) hold a valid journeyman ironworker certificate for

at least one year before the date of application, unless the individual has successfully

completed an approved ironworker apprenticeship program.

Similar requirements apply to an individual who applies for a journeyman

ironworker certificate, except that the individual is not required to hold a valid

journeyman ironworker certificate before the date of application. Rather, the

individual must successfully complete an approved ironworker apprenticeship

program or safely complete 8,000 hours of work in the ironworking trade. In