NCCCO Certification Assures Compliance With National Safety Standards For Crane Operators

By Kerri Stout


The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, or NCCCO, was established to develop and administer a program for certifying crane operators at a national level. It is a not-for-profit, independent organization. NCCCO Certification meets both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and the American National Standard ANSI/ASME B30 safety standard.

NCCCO is endorsed officially by OSHA, and accredited by both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Its recognition also extends to various industries and is supported by them; these include the construction, energy, steel erection, automotive, petrochemical, paper, and crane hire industries. The programs are appropriate for crane activities of all kinds, and involve testing applicants via written and practical exams.

All competency standards for safe crane operation, as set out by OSHA, are met by the NCCCO national accreditation program. Employers who require crane operators to be certified by this program can expect many benefits, as it is an assurance that a crane operator is knowledgeable and competent on the job.

The certification program helps reduce the risk of loss, resulting in less accidents, consistent and better training, and more jobs for crane operators of all types. There are three primary areas the National Commission is concerned with; the validation of a crane operator's skills and knowledge, the development and administration of examinations to test their competency, and the issuance of certification cards to applicants who have passed all eligibility requirements and testing.

Comprehensive reviews are conducted of how crane operators, riggers and signal persons perform their work, which are then analyzed and validated by hundreds of professional operators from all over the country. This knowledge and experience is also what test questions are based on. ANSI and NCCA have developed professional standards in testing that ensure fairness and consistency, and they have also endorsed the written and practical CCO exams.

To be CCO certified, applicants need to demonstrate satisfactory skills and knowledge in safety operations, as deemed by experts. This is achieved through passing both a written and a practical test, as well as agreeing to abide by the NCCCO Code of Ethics, the Substance Abuse Policy, and physical requirements as outlined by the ASME B30 safety standard. These physical requirements need to be met throughout the program and candidates will be required to attest to this in their application. One way that compliance is determined is by a physical examination.

A certified crane operator does not necessarily mean that he is CCO certified; while other companies may also certify crane operators, the National Commission is the only organization that can issue the widely recognized CCO accreditation. CCO certification needs to be re-certified every five years.

CCO accreditation is backed by quality and a reputation developed over almost twenty years. A CCO accredited crane operator is highly regarded, and employs the highest safety standards in work performed. The CCO card is proof to an employer that a crane operator's knowledge and skills of the job have been recognized by a professional and independent organization that utilizes only the best practices in testing and accreditation procedures.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment