New Credentials “Close the Loop” on Construction Safety —
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) announced today that it has been awarded accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for two of its newest certification programs. The CCO Rigger Level I and Signalperson certifications are now accredited by ANSI to the ISO/IEC 17024 International Standard for organizations that certify personnel.
The decision of ANSI’s Professional Certification Accreditation Committee to expand NCCCO’s accreditation came after rigorous audits of its management systems and psychometric procedures, and detailed scrutiny of its test development and administrative processes.
“ANSI represents the ‘gold standard’ of accreditation,” said NCCCO Commission Chairman, Kerry Hulse. “Candidates and employers alike can now be assured that, with ANSI’s independent verification of NCCCO’s programs, CCO Rigger Level I and Signalperson certifications meet the highest professional standards of examination development and administration.”
“While riggers and signalpersons often share some of the same duties, the NCCCO certifications clearly delineate the responsibilities of each activity and detail what is required from each to ensure safe lifting operations. These two certifications help to ‘close the loop’ regarding crane safety on the jobsite,” Hulse added.
“Achieving ANSI accreditation is a major undertaking,” said ANSI Program Director, Roy A. Swift, PhD, “and NCCCO can be very proud of this accomplishment. No other accreditation process demands the degree of psychometric or management disclosure that ANSI requires for accreditation under ISO 17024.”
Moreover, riggers and signalpersons holding either of these CCO certifications can be assured they are qualified under OSHA’s new rules for Cranes and Derricks in Construction, noted NCCCO Executive Director, Graham Brent.
Accreditation of certifying bodies is a provision of OSHA’s new rule and is increasingly being required by state regulators in their attempts to ensure quality of the certifications issued, Brent noted. Fully three-fourths of the states that have requirements for crane operators and related trades now require or recognize NCCCO certification.
“A central part of NCCCO’s goal since its inception 15 years ago has been to establish national testing programs that are fair to all candidates, while at the same time are both valid and reliable assessments of essential knowledge and skills,” Brent said. “ANSI’s accreditation of these two new certification programs—in addition to accrediting our crane operator programs—is clear testimony that that goal has been achieved.”