CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Crane Operator Licensing Bill Gains

The state Senate approved legislation Friday that would require crane operators to be licensed by a new three-member board, a move inspired by the deaths of six people in the collapse of an industrial crane in San Francisco. The bill by Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles) would set up a new board within the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to license crane operators. The board would have the authority to set testing procedures for several classes of cranes, including the giant machines used in high-rise construction. Last November, a crane on a San Francisco building collapsed, killing crane workers and bystanders.