November 2018—All the latest news and views on crane operator certification, program integrity, and a host of related matters were the focus of NCCCO’s Third Annual Forum on Personnel Qualifications that took place October 3 in Baltimore, MD.
More than 70 representatives of crane rental firms, contractors, equipment distributors, training firms, labor unions, industry associations and others were on hand to learn from—and participate in—fast-paced sessions covering issues such as OSHA interpretations, ethics matters, discipline of operators and examiners, exam audits, the aging workforce, and the importance of accreditation.
Delegates professed themselves well-pleased with the event. “On a scale of ‘very disappointing’ to ‘exceeded my expectations,’ the Forum garnered a 97 percent approval rating,” said NCCCO CEO Graham Brent. “We could not be more happy with the turnout and the feedback, all of which will be of immense value in scheduling future Forums.”
The fourth NCCCO Annual Industry Forum on Personnel Qualifications is tentatively scheduled for October 2019 near Houston, TX.
The Forum was emceed by NCCCO Director of Operations, Joel Oliva (above) and included an update on the (at the time of writing) still-to-be-published OSHA crane operator certification rule by NCCCO CEO, Graham Brent (below).
The Forum concluded with a lively panel discussion moderated by Lift & Move USA’s Executive Director Tracy Bennett. Bennett also presented a special report on recent successes with the Lift & Move initiative (above) which has been developed to open the eyes to high school youth as to the immense potential of the crane and rigging industry as a viable career path.
ANSI’s Senior Director of Accreditation Dr. Vijay Krishna (above), was on hand to field any questions about ISO accreditation.