Note – OSHA has made an announcement regarding Crane Institute Certification (CIC – not to be confused with CICB): “OSHA will not accept CIC certification (including recertification) issued on or after December 2, 2019, as evidence of compliance with OSHA’s operator certification requirements in 29 CFR 1926.1427” – see full release here
OSHA 29 CFR 1426 Subpart CC requires that mobile crane operators working within construction be “certified or licensed”.
Certification must be done through “an accredited crane operator testing organization”. OSHA 1926.1427 lists several criteria for this accrediting body, including:
- “Be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency”
- “Administer written and practical tests” that, at a minimum, assess the knowledge and skills in OSHA 1926.1427 paragraphs (j)(1) and (2).
- “Have its accreditation reviewed by the nationally recognized accrediting agency at least every 3 years.”
Unsurprisingly, over the years several organizations have set up shop to provide these certifications. Some have added it to their existing repertoire of non-industry specific credentials. Some have even offered training for their own certifications.
However, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) was founded in 1995 as an independent, nonprofit organization specifically “to develop effective performance standards for safe crane operation.”
NCCCO is accredited (#0756) by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to the international standard ISO 17024, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Systems of Persons. As such, it is is officially recognized by federal OSHA as meeting the requirements for crane operator qualifications.
The NCCCO stands apart as the gold standard for crane certifications, having provided nationally recognized certification to more than 425,000 operators, riggers, signalpersons, inspectors, and lift directors.
As a certifying agency exclusively, NCCCO administers examinations but offers no training as preparation for those exams. This means there is no conflict of interest and the exams provide a true reflection of a candidate’s ability.
Consequently, NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator certification is the certification most often requested by employers. In a snapshot of employer requirements for mobile crane operators, NCCCO certification was mentioned 17x as frequently as the next, equivalent certification.*
CICB has partnered exclusively with the NCCCO since 2003 to provide comprehensive preparatory training for NCCCO examinations.
Our team of instructors are all NCCCO certified as practitioners and practical examiners in the subject areas they teach.
CICB instructors include an NCCCO Commissioner, a member of the NCCCO Mobile Crane Written Exam Management Committee, and a member of a newly formed NCCCO Task Force for new certification to be introduced in the coming years.
As such, CICB is well situated to prepare students for the rigorous NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator examinations. John O’Connor, Director of CICB’s Houston Career School, notes that “this gives CICB a deep understanding of the concepts behind the questions on the tests”.
To that end, CICB guarantees that all personnel attending this program will successfully pass the written examinations; in the event a student fails any of the written exams, they may attend another CICB NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Preparatory class without additional charges from CICB.
*based on analysis of 115 job postings listed on Indeed.com after a search for “crane operator” on 3/1/21
