December 15, 2021—The Sixth Annual Industry Forum on Personnel Qualifications, held in conjunction with NCCCO’s fall meetings last month and presented by the NCCCO Foundation, was a major success as judged by those who attended. In a post-event poll, fully 95 percent stated that the Forum “met or exceeded” their expectations. And 90 percent would “definitely” attend another.
The four-hour hybrid conference, held both in person in Arlington, Virginia, and via Zoom, attracted record registrations of almost 500 safety professionals from 45 states, setting yet another record for the event. There was no charge to attend the Forum thanks to the generosity of event sponsor Industrial Training International (ITI).
This year’s Forum built on the success of previous events with sessions focused on the latest developments in regulations and best industry practices as they pertain to the qualifications of personnel working in, with, and around cranes and other types of lifting equipment. Back as keynote speaker for the third consecutive year was Scott Ketcham, Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, whose presentation provided some revealing statistics on what compliance officers have been looking for recently when they inspect crane operations (below).
In all, 11 presentations were made by various industry experts on topics ranging from the impact of training on certification success to challenges posed by workforce development initiatives. They also addressed such issues as why accreditation is so important for certification bodies, what new certification initiatives are being readied for release, and what safety professionals should expect from new or revised B30 standards in the next year or two. How the NCCCO Foundation’s online accreditation and crane type directories can assist employers in compliance and best practices with regard to crane operator qualification requirements, was also the subject of Forum sessions.
“It’s inspiring to see the eagerness for crane safety information right across the country and in a wide range of industries,” said NCCCO Foundation CEO, Graham Brent. “And by using the latest conferencing technology, the NCCCO Foundation has been able to reach into every corner of this country as well as many parts of the world with the latest news and information on best practices as they relate to the use of lifting equipment.”
Video transcripts of each session presented at the Forum as well as the PowerPoint slides (in pdf format) that presenters used are available for free download from the NCCCO Foundation website here using password FORUM2021.
Crane Operator Certification Tops OSHA’s Citation List
Non-compliance with OSHA’s requirements for crane operators to be certified topped the citations issued by the Agency during the last fiscal year. And three other standards relating to personnel qualifications made the Top 10.
The news was revealed by OSHA Construction Directorate Director, Scott Ketcham, at this year’s
Annual Industry Forum on Personnel Qualifications presented in November by the NCCCO Foundation and sponsored by Industrial Training International (ITI). In his keynote presentation, the third he has made in as many years at the
Forum, Ketcham indicated that this was an indicator of things to come once the Compliance Directive on crane operator certification was issued, an event he described as “imminent.”
Comparing the list with last year’s, Ketcham also noted the differences. Operator certification violations had moved up from seventh place on 2020’s list to the very top, and rigger qualifications and competent person visual inspections were new arrivals. The fourth qualifications-related standard to be cited that made the Top 10 related to signal persons.
Director Ketcham’s presentation can be viewed on the NCCCO Foundation’s website along with his PowerPoint slides (password FORUM2021).