19
NCCCO NEWS
AUGUST 2013
ACT
Online “Verify CCO” System
a Major Success
Less than six months after becoming available, more than 1,200 registrations from
over 800 organizations have been received to use NCCCO’s “Verify CCO Online” or
“VCO” system. The VCO system allows the credentials of CCO-certified individuals to be
instantly verified via the Internet and can be accessed at no cost from the NCCCO home
page or using a special address,
The VCO system has already proven to be invaluable, not only to major industrial
and construction crane users, but also to federal, state and local government
representatives, including OSHA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Users from 48
states and the District of Columbia have registered to use the VCO system.
VCO can be accessed at any time from nearly any device with an Internet connection,
including computers, smartphones, and tablets. NCCCO issues different cards
for operators, riggers and/or signalpersons, and crane inspectors (with separate
certification numbers and expiration dates), but entering any valid certification number
brings up all associated certifications and their expiration dates.
While not a replacement for CCO cards, the system is particularly valuable for checking
their validity and accuracy when the actual
card is not available. This feature helps
employers maintain up-to-date records
of their employees and ensure their
compliance with all current and future
governmental requirements.
Gearing up
for ConExpo
N
CCCO is once again
planning a major
presence at
ConExpo, the 2014 edition
of which will be held in
Las Vegas, March 4-8,
2014. A highlight
of the exhibit will
be the reprise
of the Lift Safety
Zone (LSZ), which
was such a hit at the
2011 event and which,
once again, will be co-hosted
by the International Powered
Access Federation (IPAF) through
its U.S. subsidiary, American Work
Platform Training (AWPT).
For 2014, the LSZ moves to a prominent
new location in Silver Lot 2, close by the
monorail station that provides access
to the ConExpo outdoor exhibits and a
short walk from the North Hall Lobby.
Here a further display will provide details
about all CCO certification programs,
including the new service truck crane
and soon-to-be-launched boom truck
certifications.
The “new, improved” Lift Safety
Zone will again feature practical
demonstrations of CCO operator,
rigger and signalperson
certification programs,
highlighting the
safety benefits of
certification.
Visitors will
interact with
crane safety
experts and
NCCCO staff to learn
how CCO certifications
are carefully developed
using the most robust test
development methods, while
learning best practices for the
crane and rigging industry. Nationally
accredited and OSHA-recognized
written and practical CCO exams, as
well as Practical Examiner Accreditation
Workshops, will be held before, during
and after the show. A refocused ConExpo
education program will feature sessions
devoted to safe lifting practices. For
more information on NCCCO’s “Visit
ConExpo, Leave Certified” program
and other exhibits, go to nccco.org/
conexpo2014.html.
■
Commissioner
Spotlight:
Billy Smith
William “Billy” Smith, Jr.
brings to the NCCCO
Commission more than
30 years of experience
in the crane, rigging, and
construction industry
from labor, management,
government, and insurance
perspectives.
“NCCCO has the largest group of subject
matter experts of any certifying body,
and with its buy-in from all stakeholders
affected by crane safety – including
labor, management, and government – it
has maintained the gold standard of
crane operator certification since it was
established in the mid-1990s,” he says.
Mr. Smith is currently Executive Vice
President, Claims & Risk Management,
Nations Builders Insurance Services (NBIS),
where he helps prevent losses through
education, training, risk management
transfer, and accident investigation for
more than 5,000 builders and 500 crane,
rigging, and heavy haul customers. At
NBIS he and his team developed a “Risk
Management Support System” for all
NBIS-insured customers that educates
and provides loss-control measures
ranging from contract management (risk
transfer), to safety, regulatory, and industry
standards compliance, to case studies and
claim management (accident investigation).
In his view, the CCO program reached a
significant milestone once the largest users
of cranes began requiring CCO certification
for all their operators. He believes that even
more significant benefits will come – and
historical data will be easier to measure –
when all operators involved in construction
are required by law to be certified.
Billy started his career working as a
journeyman crane operator for 10 years,
and he is still a CCO-certified crane
operator. He then worked as a lobbyist
and business agent representing the
construction industry, a director of safety
and training at the International Union of
Operating Engineers’ national headquarters
in Washington, DC, corporate safety
manager at Maxim Crane Works, and as
an OSHA compliance specialist. He’s also
participated in numerous safety groups
including ASME B30, ASSE A 10, OSHA’s
C-DAC and ACCSH, and the SC&RA Crane
and Rigging Safety Committee.
