The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed an agreement with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators and the NCCCO Foundation designed to boost protection for crane operators.

“Workers who operate or work near cranes can face serious and potentially life-threatening hazards if they are not properly trained or protected,” says Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “Our alliance with these industry leaders focuses on training workers and working with employers to make safety and health a core value by implementing best industry practices to ensure workers’ safety.”

In a release, OSHA says the two-year agreement will provide certified crane operators with training and resources to reduce and prevent exposure to the four construction workplace issues that contribute to the majority of hazards in the industry:

• Falls
• Caught-in or between objects or machinery
• Struck-by objects or equipment
• Electrocution

Alliance participants will use data and review trends and incident information to develop safety alerts for employers, crane operators and others working around cranes. They will also address safety issues near a crane’s load, and provide updates on OSHA’s load-handling regulation and enforcement, including certification and evaluation requirements.

Participants will also assist employers and operators in complying with OSHA regulations and develop relationships between the CCO’s test sites and OSHA’s field offices to provide training opportunities for crane certificants and OSHA personnel.

The CCO was established in 1995 to develop effective performance standards for safe load-handling equipment operation to assist all segments of general industry and construction. The NCCCO Foundation is a charitable organization formed by the commission in 2018 to conduct research, advocate for personnel safety and certification, and help youth, military personnel and underserved communities access scholarships and grants for education, training and certification.

Through its Alliance Program, OSHA works with organizations such as trade and professional associations, labor unions, educational institutions, community and faith-based groups, and government agencies to share information about OSHA’s initiatives and compliance assistance resources with workers and employers, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities.

For more information, visit OSHA’s website.