Crane And Riggers Certification & Safety Training

OSHA requires rigger/crane operator training for riggers/crane operators—on that, there is no question. Where confusion exists is how often employees need crane/rigger refresher training or recertification. Outside of the initial safety training class, it is common to see companies set recertification every three years. We are one of them. And here’s why:

As far as this 3-year crane operator/rigger training certification goes, OSHA regulations are very specific when it comes to forklifts and a couple of other pieces of equipment. However, on everything else they are not so clear. They just state the employer must regularly provide safety training for their crane operators and riggers. Following industry best practices, we’ve adopted this 3-year term in order to help employers comply with the general standard of regularly providing crane operator and rigger training.

Ultimately, it is up to the employer to determine how frequently their riggers or crane operators need to be trained. Many of our customers require it more often, annually even. Others may stretch it out a bit. The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) certification is only good for five years. In working with OSHA, though, it is our experience that they like to see employers adopt the strictest standard when the regulations are not clear. For instance, we know of companies that didn’t train every three years and were reprimanded by OSHA for not offering additional training more often.

It is not uncommon for OSHA to refer to the forklift standard as the pattern by which training should be carried out for other pieces of equipment. On a side note, OSHA is slowly but surely making training requirements specific for other pieces of equipment so there are no gray areas. Mobile cranes and aerial lifts, for instance, are all undergoing potential changes to the regulations that will reference training specifically.

So, with that in mind, we say crane operators and riggers must be re-evaluated every three years to determine if they are still competent enough to operate. We also state that this every-three-year evaluation is the maximum time that should be allowed to pass before an operator receives crane/rigger recertification. According to OSHA, there are several instances that will require additional crane operator or rigger training and observation before the three-year period is up:

Yes, you need to take a crane/rigger operator safety training course. No matter how long you’ve been on the job, OSHA requires crane/rigger safety training, a written exam, and a practical evaluation. There is no way around it. The extent of the classroom training can be adapted by the instructor according to student needs. The written exam proves mental competency and understanding of the safety principles taught. And the practical evaluation proves the rigger/crane operator not only understands but is capable of operating safely. Many of our customers believe the practical evaluation has the greatest overall value.

This is a common question, especially among laborers-for-hire who may sub out from job to job. Technically, it is your current employer who is responsible for saying whether or not you have been trained specifically for the type of crane and job. If you bring a crane/rigger certificate or crane/rigger license (wallet card) to your new employer, they do not have to accept it. It is their right to require you to take their own training class. This is because if there is an accident, they will likely be responsible and need to prove to OSHA that they trained you on crane/rigger operations.

This is a common question, especially among laborers-for-hire who may sub out from job to job. Technically, it is your current employer who is responsible for saying whether or not you have been trained specifically for the type of crane and job. It is their right to require you to take their own training class. This is because if there is an accident, they will likely be responsible and need to prove to OSHA that they trained you.

This, above all, causes a lot of confusion. Bottom line, OSHA states that employers are responsible to train their employees. Generally speaking, there are three ways they can do this:

In terms of using a 3^rd party’s safety training materials (like our crane/rigger training kits on CD or our crane/rigger online training classes) OSHA does not recognize one company over another. They simply state that ‘training needs to occur’ and ‘here are the things a crane/rigger operator should be trained on.’

When we do live training or offer crane/rigger safety training online, people often assume we are the ones certifying the trainees. This is not true for any training company. We are simply assisting the employer by providing live crane/rigger safety training or the training materials needed to help them certify their employees.

The online crane/rigger course covers OSHA’s requirements for the classroom portion. Many employers prefer online training because they know exactly what crane/rigger safety training the operator will receive. In live classes, the training sometimes varies. A written exam is included at the end of our online training courses. After the crane/rigger class and exam are finished, you and your safety managers will have immediate access to a practical evaluation checklist. This can be printed off and used by your supervisor to help him or her evaluate you on the crane. When the practical evaluation is done, they can sign it and file it with your exam. This will satisfy OSHA’s requirements for crane/rigger certification.

No. OSHA states that the crane/rigging manufacturer must approve the use of a specific crane attachment. Too often we see riggers/crane operators using personnel work platforms (man baskets) or other attachments that are made by different manufacturers. They assume that because their crane is equipped to use such an attachment, it is okay to use any brand. Not true. If you are operating a Liebherr crane/rigger then you must contact Liebherr and get their written approval to use any attachment, especially if they are of another brand. New capacity plates must be issued with any addition. Your operator’s manual will tell you if your crane can handle certain kinds of attachments or not.

Contrary to popular belief, OSHA does not dictate what a passing score entails. That is ultimately up to the employer, who is also responsible for certifying (or authorizing) their employee to be a rigger or to operate a crane. If an employer chooses to pass their employee at 80% on the rigger/crane safety exam, that’s fine. But what if a question or two among the 20% missed could lead to an accident or death? Is it worth it? Our recommendation is that you always go over any missed questions with your trainees—even if they just missed one. Once they understand the principle missed, have them write their initials by the correct answer. That way, you are protecting them and those around them from potential accidents in the future.