INTERNATIONAL ANDSPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
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MARCH 2015
23
OPERATOR TRAININGAND CERTIFICATION
canhave requirements that are evenmore
stringent than state and federalOSHA.
Varying standards are also seen in
Europe,where at present there isno
standardisedqualification for training
andqualification, and companies tailor
training to suit individual country
requirements.Mini crane specialist
GGRGroup, for example,workedwith
theConstructionPlantCompetence
Scheme (CPCS) and theConstruction
Plant-hireAssociation (CPA) todevelop
theA66 training category. The company
alsooffers various training courses
dependingon country requirements.
“OurGermanUnicdealer,Mini&
MobileCranesKorner, for example,
currentlyoffers two types of training to
itsGerman customers: aonedaymini
craneoperating course and a threeday
MiniCraneDrivingLicence that includes
onedayof classroombased theory and two
days of practical training,” a spokesperson
fromGGRGroup says. “Our ItalianUnic
dealer, Levo, is in theprocess of developing
and launching training courses for
craneoperators.”
The general issue is that there isnot one
certification to cover every cranemodel,
tonnage, attachments, LMIs andoperating
systems, and as a spokesperson fromTerex
points out, this is an essential topic that
needs tobe addressed.
Brent adds, “Without anational
standard for craneoperator skills
an employer cannot be sureof the
qualifications of craneoperators.”
Harmonising standards around the
world is a complex and time consuming
task; however, associations havebegun
taking the first vital steps intomaking
anational standard a reality. InEurope,
for example, therehavebeendiscussions
regarding the introductionof theEuropean
CraneOperators Licence. Further
developments are alsohappening in
Italy,where fromMarch2015, itwill be
compulsory for operators tohold a valid
crane licence. In addition, anew crane
operator certification is beingdeveloped
inFranceby theFrenchhealth and
safety institute INRS,which is due tobe
implemented in2017.
In theUSA, theAccreditedCrane
OperatorCertification ruling,which came
Cab solutionof thenew
Liebherr simulator for
constructionmachinery
into force inAugust 2010, has also
been relooked at, andunder thenew
OSHA regulation, all craneoperators
involved in constructionmust be certified
by an accreditedorganisationby10
November 2017.
“ThenewOSHA regulation requires
operators tobe certifiedby type and
capacity, rather than just type,”Headley
adds. “This is a vital ruling as it prevents an
operator frombeingplacedon a craneof
a capacityhigher than they are trained
tooperate.”
The rulinghas beenwelcomedby
many institutes and trainingproviders, as
Houghpoints out, “There is adifference
inoperating a50 tonne crane and a500
tonne crane. Potential operators should
have toobtain certification in all of the
lower capacity cranes inorder toqualify to
operate the larger capacity cranes.”
Trainingprogrammes
With anumber of training requirements
nowneeded tobemet, trainingproviders
offer a varietyof programmes. Crawford
CustomConsulting, for example, offers
Tohelp trainpersonnel in lift planning,
Crane Instituteof Americaoffers a lift
director and lift planner course
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