DEFINITION
An OSHA qualified person is one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, work, or project.
ALSO KNOWN AS · OSHA qualified person · qualified inspector
OSHA defines 'qualified person' in 29 CFR 1926.32(m). The bar is professional capability demonstrated through credentials or deep experience: a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or extensive knowledge, training, and experience that has been used to successfully solve problems in the relevant subject. Where a competent person recognizes hazards and can correct them, a qualified person is the technical authority who can engineer, evaluate, and certify.
The qualified-person role attaches to the more technical inspection and engineering tasks. The annual comprehensive crane inspection under 1926.1412(f) must be performed by a qualified person; critical-lift and personnel-platform plans are designed or reviewed by a qualified engineer; structural and load-bearing assessments, and certifications of load-test results, require qualified persons. The FMCSA's parallel concept for the DOT annual inspection is the 'qualified inspector' under 49 CFR 396.19.
The distinction from a competent person is the depth and nature of the expertise. A competent person makes day-to-day go/no-go safety calls and has authority to correct hazards; a qualified person brings engineering-grade technical judgment to design, analyze, and certify. Many tasks require both — a competent person runs the each-shift crane check, while a qualified person performs the annual teardown inspection and signs off on the lift plan.
Like competence, qualification is task-specific and employer-designated, but it is more often backed by formal credentials — a professional engineer's license, a recognized inspector certification, or manufacturer training — because the work being certified carries engineering and life-safety weight.
AUTHORITATIVE · SOURCE
29 CFR 1926.32 — Definitions (qualified person) (OSHA.gov)FREQUENTLY · ASKED
A competent person can recognize hazards and has authority to correct them — the day-to-day safety decision-maker. A qualified person has degree-, certificate-, or experience-backed technical expertise to engineer, evaluate, and certify, such as performing the annual crane inspection or signing a lift plan.
A qualified person, per OSHA 1926.1412(f). The each-shift and monthly inspections may be done by a competent person, but the comprehensive 12-month inspection requires the higher qualified-person standard.
RELATED · TERMS
An OSHA competent person is someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to workers, AND who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
OSHA 1926.1412 is the construction-crane inspection standard within Subpart CC. It mandates three inspection tiers: each-shift inspections by a competent person, monthly documented inspections, and a comprehensive annual or 12-month inspection by a qualified person.
ASME B30 is the consensus safety standard series for cranes, derricks, hoists, hooks, slings, and rigging. Each volume addresses a class of equipment — B30.2 overhead and gantry cranes, B30.3 tower cranes, B30.5 mobile and locomotive cranes — and OSHA incorporates several volumes by reference.
A proof load test applies a known overload — typically 100% to 125% of rated capacity — to a crane, hoist, or rigging device to verify it can safely handle its rated load. It is required after major repairs, alterations, or initial commissioning, and is documented and retained.
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