With new certification programmes starting in tower and overhead cranes, and recognition from contractors’ groups across the USA, it might be easy to see the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators as a permanent fixture of the US industry. But the organisation grew from talks among a few people about crane safety about 20 years ago, according to executive director Graham Brent. The Specialised Carriers & Riggers Association hosted many of these meetings in the mid- and late-1980s.

‘This was really driven from the earliest by a desire for safety,’ Brent says – not for professional development of crane operators as some other certification programmes.

‘The sense was: ‘We’ve got to do something about this, and if we don’t, Federal OSHA will do something, probably something that we don’t want”,’ Brent says.

Fairly early on, the SC&RA board of directors established a policy that crane operators should be qualified, and supported a process for crane operator evaluation.

Also in the mid-1980s, the US national crane standard, ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standard B30.5 was being revised. Many of the people who worked on B30.5 were also working on the CCO programme. ‘There was a cross-fertilisation of personnel,’ Brent says, so that the two systems grew up together.

Then, in 1989, a tower crane collapsed in San Francisco during rush hour. ‘That was a huge impetus for the programme folks to get things moving.’

It was obvious that if a 200-ton crane fell over on a building site, it would cause more serious problems than if there were accidents with other types of construction equipment. ‘Initially, the discussion didn’t revolve around certification. There was some resistance to that,’ Brent says.

Still, ‘many accidents involved crane operators,’ Brent says. ‘They felt that if they made the effort to increase the knowledge and skill of crane operators then there would be fewer accidents.’ The next logical step was to move to training. ‘What they found out when they compared notes was that the industry was all over the place.’ There were all sorts of different types of training. ‘It all got complicated there for a while,’ Brent says.

Then the idea gravitated toward a national evaluation, so that even if training was all over the map, they could all agree on an evaluation. ‘That’s when the focus shifted to achieving consensus on what the evaluation process would look like. That’s when the idea of written and practical exam came in.’The first written test was given in 1996.

A voluntary systemThe CCO programme was always designed to be voluntary. ‘Adoption by the industry was slow, because, like any programme, if you are not already training – which you should be – the tendency is to see the cost of training as that, a cost, whereas in reality it is an investment.’

Its spread was helped by the workers’ compensation system. In the US, employers are required to pay employees injured in accidents. The higher the accident rate, the greater the workers’ compensation payments. ‘If you have a poor accident record, you pay for it,’ Brent says.

In the early days, SC&RA funds provided a meeting room and logistical support. ‘When it kicked off in mid-1996, the decision was made to establish separate offices and separate staff. One of the requirements of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies was that the programme administration and finances be independent of any other body.

‘In late 1996 funding was critical. Two companies stepped up to put money in: Manitowoc and Grove both gave $25,000, and Link Belt followed behind.’

The SC&RA also made two loans to the CCO, both of which it eventually forgave. It was not until 2002 that the programme could run on candidate fees. ‘It took us six years of operating through funding from the industry to get there.’

Selected timeline

·1995 National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators established as a non-profit organisation

·1996 First written exams administered

·1998 Programme accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

·1999 First practical exams administered

·2000 First major interstate roadbuilding project – I-99 extension, organised by the US state of Pennsylvania’s Department of Transport – mandates CCO certification

·2003 OSHA reaffirms official recognition of the CCO programme

·2004 NCCA accredits the NCCCO programme until 2009.