Federal OSHA may have delayed its crane operator certification requirement for another year, but that's no reason not to pursue training and certification.

Federal OSHA may have delayed its crane operator certification requirement for another year, but that's no reason not to pursue training and certification. That's the stark message from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), the nation's leader in accredited certification for crane operators and other personnel who work with and around cranes, in two publications the organization has just released.

It's Not Worth the Wait is the title both of a five-point briefing document and a series of short videos featuring industry leaders who provide compelling testimony on why waiting to certify should not be an option for any responsible, safety-minded employer or operator. Among the reasons given are:

• 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,” he added. “The wait simply isn't worth it.”

See and hear industry leaders talk about the consequences of waiting to certify at: www.nccco.org/dontwait.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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