19
NCCCONEWS
T
appan Z
eeConstructors is
requiringCCO certification
for operators and riggers
T
he$3.9billion replacement of
the agingTappanZeeBridge,
oneof the largest infrastructure
projects inNorthAmerica, isbenefiting
from the riskmitigationand enhanced
safetyprovidedbyCCO certification.
TappanZeeConstructors, LLC, (TZC), a
consortiumof four contracting companies,
is requiringall riggers andoperators
working theproject’smore than30 cranes
tobe certified through theNational
Commission for theCertificationofCrane
Operators (NCCCO).
Followingdredgingandpreliminary
work, permanent constructionoperations
on the three-mile twinbridge that spans
NewYork’sHudsonRiverbegan in
October 2013. The job site is abuzzing
hiveof activity,withup to500workerson
site at anyone time.
Safetyand expertise areparamount
priorities for the enormous and complex
project.With some6,000piecesof rigging
equipment and55 rigging crewsworking
withanarmadaof cranes that lift from sun
up to sundown, there isno room for error.
JohnGlinski, safetymanagerof cranes
and rigging forTZC, said that in the
initial planning stagesof theproject, he
recognized that all craneoperators and
riggersneeded tobeNCCCO certified.
Hehad several reasons, chief among them
safety, expertise and training.
“NewYork requires a state certification
for craneoperationand rigging, but forus
it isn’t enough,”he explained. “We require
CCO certificationbecausewewant tobe
surewehave the safest,most experienced
operatorsonour job site. This certification
proves tous that theoperators and riggers
have ahigh level of expertise.”
Glinski,who is also safetymanager
at Fluor, oneof the four companies
comprising the consortium, proposed
to theproject’sboardof trustees that the
venture requireNCCCO certification.
The responsewas a firm “yes” for several
reasons:
■
CCO certification ensures a safer job
site
■
CCO certificationmitigates risk, in
turn, lowering insurance costs
■
CCO-certifiedpersonnel have shown
tobemore efficient than theirnon-
certified counterparts
■
CCO-certifiedpersonnel havegreater
commandof their equipment,which
lessensmaintenanceand repair costs
“I absolutely feelwe’regettingabetter
qualitypersonwhen they’reCCO-
certified,”Glinski explained. “There
areplentyof operators and riggerswith
licenses, but they just don’t all rise to the
same level.WithCCO-certifiedguys, they
knowmore about thework they’redoing,
they’re faster, they’re less likely tomake
amistake and they’remuch easieron the
equipment.”
Among thehost of equipment on the
jobare cranes fromLiebherr, Link-Belt,
Manitowoc, TadanoandTerex. They
represent amixof crawler, tower and
mobile cranes; some cranes aremounted
onbargeswhileothers arepedestal-
mounted.Glinski saidCCO certification
ensures that all of theoperators and
riggers share a commonbaseknowledge
and skill level across cranemodels,
bringinguniformity to the site and its
operations.
TheCCO certification requirement
has also lowered insurance costs for the
consortium. Insurance feesonaproject of
thismagnitude canmakeupa significant
portionof theproject’s cost, both to the
company, and in this case, taxpayers.
Though itmaybehard toquantify the
dollar figurebecause insurancepremiums
come aspart of a larger audit, TZC
said theCCO certification requirement
“absolutely”has lowered costs.
TZC ispaying forboth rigger training
and the fees associatedwith theCCO
written certification exams forNCCCO
RiggerLevel I. The riggerspayonly for
thepractical exam. The responsehasbeen
“overwhelming,” according toGlinski, as
dozensof employeeshavebeen certified
through theprocess.
Aftermore thanayearof construction,
the job sitehas remainedaccident free and
has runwith remarkableefficiency.Glinski
ispositive that theCCO-certification
requirement hashelped ensure a safe and
efficientworking zone, not tomention
the time andmoney savedwithhis crew
of expert lifters. In fact, according to
theU.S. Bureauof Labor andStatistics,
certification and trainingbringback$4 for
everydollar spent.A400percentROI is
goodbusiness inanybody’sbook.
■
W
e require CCO
certification because
we want to be sure we
hav
e the safest, most
experienced operators on
our j
ob site. I
absolutely
feel we’re getting a better
quality person when they’re
CCO certified.
JOHN GLINSKI,
TZC SafetyManager of Cranes & Rigging.
Bridging the
certification gap
JANUARY 2015
ACT
