A new web-based tool promises to help employers navigate new federal rules on crane operator qualifications.
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) Foundation launched the tool — titled the Who’s Accredited? Directory — in November, said a news release from the foundation, which is a charitable organization formed by NCCCO.
The directory “is designed to take the guesswork out of determining whether or not a certification organization’s programs are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body,” the release said. Such a recognition is a requirement of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s rules pertaining to cranes and derricks called 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC.
Those rules also apply to service truck cranes of over 2,000 pounds capacity but only when used in construction and not when used to maintain or repair equipment.
By following a link on the foundation’s website, “employers can check the accreditation status of any certification organization at any time,” the news release said.
The directory also lists in detail the programs offered by those accredited organizations and well as link to lists of the accrediting bodies — the American National Standards Institute, and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies — that are recognized by OSHA.
Graham Brent, NCCCO Foundation’s CEO
“It’s become clear from the questions we have been receiving from employers and others in recent months that there is confusion in the industry over which certification bodies have earned accreditation and which have not,” the news release quoted Graham Brent, the NCCCO Foundation’s CEO, who also a former CEO of the NCCCO itself.
He added that federal and state authorities won’t recognize unaccredited certification bodies or certificates they issue.
For more information, visit www.ncccofoundation.org.