NCCCO Says Don't Sit Out OSHA's One-Year Delay
"It's not the first time the industry has had to come to terms with an extension of this rule, but, in the minds of most safety-conscious professionals, this should not be a reason to further delay training and certification," said NCCCO CEO Graham Brent.
OSHA's one-year delay of its crane operator certification requirement to Nov. 10, 2018 -- just one of many rulemaking delays DOL and other agencies have announced during the Trump administration's first 15 months -- is no reason to pursue training or postpone certification, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators says in a briefing document and a video series. Calling itself the nation's leader in accredited certification for crane operators and other personnel who work with and around cranes, NCCCO announced the "It's Not Worth the Wait" campaign on March 1.
That is the title of a five-point briefing document and the video series, which feature industry leaders explaining why waiting to certify should not be an option for any responsible, safety-minded employer or operator. NCCCO lists five reasons why:
- If you wait till the last minute, you may not have time to be certified.
- Employers still have an obligation to train, so why not see if that training has been effective by certifying?
- You're probably paying higher insurance premiums if your operators aren't certified.
- You're likely missing out on work to employers who do have certified operators.
- Ultimately, it's the right—and safe—thing to do.
"It's not the first time the industry has had to come to terms with an extension of this rule, but, in the minds of most safety-conscious professionals, this should not be a reason to further delay training and certification," said NCCCO CEO Graham Brent. "Every day that goes by without certified operators in the cab means those working around cranes—and even the general public who daily navigate construction sites in city after city across the country—are being put at greater risk of a crane incident that need not have happened. The safety benefits that accrue from professionally developed, accredited certification that has been available now for more than two decades are so compelling, it just doesn't make any sense to delay embracing it a day longer. The wait simply isn't worth it."
NCCCO, created in January 1995 as an independent, non-profit organization by industry to develop and administer a nationwide program for the certification of crane operators and related personnel, has administered more than 1,200,000 nationally accredited written and practical examinations and issued more than 425,000 nationally accredited and OSHA-compliant certifications in all 50 states, according to the organization.