The US construction industry will have certifications for riggers and signallers as soon as next year, according to Graham Brent, executive director of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. The new categories follow the commission’s launch of mobile, tower and overhead crane operator certification programmes over the last decade.
Riggers and signallers will probably need to demonstrate their ability with a practical exam, as mobile crane operators do at present
“It may seem like a deviation, but in actuality it is one of the points made by the industry:what about the points north and south of the operator, his supervision, and the people he depends on?” Brent says.
“We’ve actually been trying to fulfill the concept of the NCCCO founding fathers since the late 1980s. The overwhelming reaction to the announcement has been, ‘finally’. We are completing the safety loop, not just certifying operators, but the whole lifting operation.”
Brent says that the NCCCO is able to take action now because it has the resources. But he adds that the crane industry, and changes in standards, are demanding the new certifications.
“The biggest complaint that crane operators have is that there are all kinds of strange signals that even the signallers don’t understand,” Brent says. “If signallers are not trained too, then their communication is ineffective. Like any conversation, both parties need to be talking the same language.”
A CCO training course for assessors. The riggers and signallers certifications are expected to have a theoretical and practical exam, which will require assessors.
Two revised standards also show an increase in the industry’s expectations of signallers, Brent says. The 2004 edition of the ANSI/ASME B30.5 mobile crane standard contains additional signalling requirements. And the draft replacement to the US federal crane standard, Subpart N 1926.550, requires signallers to be qualified (see also “C-DAC rises to the surface”, pp. 57-63). “It expands their knowledge beyond hand signals to load sway and boom deflection, so that they know not only how to signal, but also the right signal,” Brent says.
In the UK, rigging and signalling tasks are carried by a single qualification. Brent defends the decision to have two separate categories. “It’s certainly true that riggers are often signallers, rather than signallers being riggers. That’s a distinction we want to keep. We don’t want to make it unduly hard on folks to be qualified.”
Brent says that the ANSI/ASME B30.5 mobile crane standard also implies a need for greater rigging knowledge. “B30.5-2004 requires that crane operators be held responsible for those operations under their direct control. That’s fine, but in truth they are limited by where they are sitting, particularly if they are tower crane operators,” he says. “To complete the safety loop, it is important that a rigger knows to safely rig a load, so that when the operator lifts it off the ground, the load will behave in a way that the rigger and operator expect.”
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“Graham Brent” |
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“To complete the safety loop, it is important that a rigger knows to safely rig a load” |
Next steps
NCCCO will model the development of the new programmes on its existing mobile crane, tower crane and overhead crane operator certification programs, Brent adds, with the usual written examinations, practical examinations, and a recertification requirement. Brent argues that NCCCO brings an extra level of independent rigour to the training process.
“Without detracting from other programmes, what we bring is understanding of how to create an independent assessment and certification as a third party that is an independent examination and development in a manner that is valid, reliable and legally defensible. We are putting in an extra level of assessment.”
Brent says he expects the signaller programme should take about a year. The NCCCO has appointed Kenneth Shinn, president of KJ Shinn, as chairperson of the signaller task force.
The timeline for the rigging programme is more uncertain. “We’ll have it finished next year. The task force’s challenge is to sift and process what materials already exist. There is so much that just the process of evaluating and identifying materials is a significant task on its own,” Brent says. The organisation has appointed Don Jordan, technical lifting authority, BP America, as chairperson of the rigger certification task force. The NCCCO is currently recruiting expert volunteers to meet regularly in the rigging and signaller task forces, to a maximum of about 30 people per task force. It is also recruiting experts to write questions, who do not need to travel.
The first meetings of the task forces, scheduled for this month, will determine what is likely to be included, and excluded, from the certifications.
It will also have a better sense of any consensus about the minimum standards for rigging and signalling in the industry. As with the current programmes, a job task analysis will be conducted to serve as the foundation for exam development activities. Although they will seek unanimity, the task forces will reach their decisions via simple majority vote, Brent says.
Riggers and signallers will probably need to demonstrate their ability with a practical exam, as mobile crane operators do at present A CCO practical exam set-up A CCO training course for assessors. The riggers and signallers certifications are expected to have a theoretical and practical exam, which will require assessors. A CCO classroom course “To complete the safety loop, it is important that a rigger knows to safely rig a load” The safety loop
Graham Brent
