A unique crane operator certification program that was started in British Columbia in 2008 has had a significant positive impact on safety, says Clinton Connell, executive director of the BC Association for Crane Safety, an advisory body that addresses standards and regulations in the industry.
According to WorkSafeBC data, the number of injury claims involving crane operators dropped by more than 40 per cent after the certification program was implemented despite an increase in hours worked by crane operators.
Various sectors in which cranes are used also saw reductions in overall injury claims, but the reductions among crane operators surpassed the decreases in those areas.
The same finding did not appear when the organization looked at time-loss claims for those that do not require certification, such as gantry and overhead cranes.
“The main thing is that employers and the public can have assurance that those who are certified under BC Crane Safety’s competency-based model have, at a minimum, the essential competencies needed to safely operate the equipment for which they are certified,” explained Connell.
The foundation for the present program started in 2004 when WorkSafeBC invited industry and labour representatives to discuss the need for a crane operator certification program.
The government had eliminated all compulsory trades, however occupational health and safety regulations still required crane operators to be properly qualified and there was no organization to oversee that.
Furthermore, said Connell, training was inconsistent at the time, which led to widely varying levels of skill among crane operators, and some had little or no experience with rigging or equipment setup.
“As seasoned operators were nearing retirement age, increasingly serious incidents involving cranes began to pose a growing risk to both injury and property.”
Crane owners, operators, employers and Local 115 of the International Union of Operating Engineers all worked together. More than 40 owners and senior managers of companies that provide crane operations held a series of workshops over the course of a year and reached consensus that a qualification system was necessary.
The workshops were organized into three groups: boom truck, mobile crane and tower crane.
All three reached the same fundamental conclusions about the nature of the crane operator qualification system.
“It became clear that stakeholders overwhelmingly sought a credentialing model that would follow the actual ways in which crane operators gain their competencies,” Connell noted. “What ultimately emerged from the consultations was the goal of developing a certification program whereby operators earn the right to practice only after clearly demonstrating their competence by way of a practical assessment similar in principle to a motor vehicle road test.”
Prior to the current program being developed, there were no mandatory certification requirements for crane operators in B.C. Although the law requires drivers of motor vehicles to pass a road test, anyone was allowed to operate a crane without first earning a recognized credential.
To achieve a certificate of competency today, operators must complete a real-life test at their worksite administered by an independent, third-party professional assessor.
Operators are assessed on hand signals, understanding of load charts and rigging, pre-operational inspection, crane setup and hazard assessment and crane operation. Candidates take between one-and-a-half to two hours to complete the assessment. Each element is scored independently, and candidates must pass every one to be certified.
The government does not subsidize the assessment process and it is fully paid for by the industry via a fee for service
“Operators are typically tested at their jobsite and on the equipment they use daily,” said Connell. “The tiered structure of the program makes it possible for candidates who plan only to operate a boom truck with limited lifting capacity to certify on the applicable class of crane.”
Operators are not required to demonstrate competencies they don’t need during the assessments.
“They can therefore complete their training and look forward to becoming certified in a reasonable amount of time,” Connell said. “If they later choose to certify on a more sophisticated, higher-tier class of crane they can acquire the skills they need and take the practical test on that class of crane.”
The amount of time spent in a class varies by training provider and the amount of time gaining experience in the seat is not fixed but varies depending on the abilities of operators in training and the sophistication of the crane they are going to operate.
There are minimum seat-time hours required when applying for different classifications.
Traditionally, assessments of qualifications for a certification focus on education, knowledge and skills gained through training and work experience as a measure of a crane operator’s ability.
But when time is the sole measure of an operator’s ability, the level of competence achieved by trainees will vary and there is no guarantee that they have mastered the necessary skills, said Connell. In the new program, competence is measured through a practical assessment and the amount of time required to become competent may vary according to the talents and aptitudes of candidates.
In 2020, 1,068 operators became certified. More than 26,000 operators have been certified since the program began.
Great to see this program in place with the Operating Engineers local 115 they have been around for many years and know what they are doing on those Construction sites.