NCCCONEWS
OSHA delays
operator
certification:
What now?
21
NOVEMBER 2014
ACT
CCO certification,
which was formally
recognized by federal
OSHA as long ago as
1999, is as valid today
as it has ever been.
NCCCO:WHAT EXACTLYHASOSHADONE –
ANDWHY?
Sicklesteel:
OSHAhasofficiallydelayed,
by threeyears, the implementationdate
of the requirement for craneoperators to
be certified.OSHAhasdone this togive it
time to correct two issues the industryhas
brought to lightwith the rule.
NCCCO:WHAT ISSUESARE THOSE?
Sicklesteel:
The issues that have caused
suchanoutcry from the industryare: (1)
the requirement to certify “by capacity”,
and (2) that certifiedoperators are
automaticallydeemed “qualified”. It is
expected thatOSHAwillwork towards
issuingaproposed rule thatwould change
bothof these requirements.
NCCCO: DOES THISMEAN THAT CCO
CERTIFICATIONSARE STILL VALID?
Sicklesteel:
Absolutely.CCO certification,
whichwas formally recognizedby federal
OSHAas longagoas 1999, is as valid
todayas it has everbeen. In fact,CCO
certification is still requiredand/or
recognizedbymost states (having their
own requirements that areunaffectedby
the federal rule) aswell asby thousands
of employersnationwide.NCCCO is
confident that thenecessary changes to the
rulewill bemade, and that theywill reflect
the industry’s consensusonwhat operator
certification is and, just as importantly,
what it isnot.
NCCCO:WHAT IF CAPACITY ISN’T LISTEDON
CERTIFICANTS’ CCOCERTIFICATIONCARDS?
Sicklesteel:
It doesn’t have tobe, since that
requirement never took effect. And since
certification “by capacity”will goaway in
the rule re-write, itwon’t benecessary for
certification.
NCCCO: EVEN THOUGH THE FEDERAL
REQUIREMENTWON’TGO INTO EFFECTUNTIL
2017,WHYSHOULDOPERATORSCERTIFYNOW?
Sicklesteel:
Certification,whendone
correctly, hasbeen shown to reduce
OSHA recently announced
it was postponing its
requirement for crane
operators to be certified
until 2017.We asked
NCCCOPresident
Thom
Sicklesteel
what this
means for employers, as
well as for those already
holding certifications.
accidents, save lives, and reduce injuries.
InCalifornia, for example, crane-related
fatalitiesdroppedbya remarkable
80%aftermandatory certificationwas
introduced. Since1996,NCCCOhas
administeredover 850,000nationally
accreditedwrittenandpractical
examinations, and issuedmore than
240,000 certifications toover 100,000
people.All of thiswasdonewithout a
federal requirement and in the certain
knowledgeof the clear safetyand
productivitybenefitsof certification. And,
it’s just as important to remember that
employers are still responsible for ensuring
theiroperators are trainedand competent
tooperate cranes.
NCCCO: SHOULDCCO-CERTIFIEDOPERATORS
RECERTIFY IN THE USUALMANNER?
Sicklesteel:
Absolutely.OSHA’sdecision
to reopen the ruledoesn’t affect existing
certifications.Certificants shouldmake
sure their certificationdoesnot lapse
because theywouldhave to start over and
takebothwrittenandpractical exams to
certifyagain.
■
Formore information, includingNCCCO’s
Top 10 Frequently AskedQuestions on
OSHA’sDelay of Its CraneOperator
Certification Requirements, go to
nccco.org/osha-delay-faq.
CCO certification
is still required and/or
recognized by most states
that license as well as by
thousands of employers
nationwide.
