December 2012 - The 33rd Biannual Meeting of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) brought together more than 50 crane experts from all sectors of industry at the Hilton Houston Hobby Airport hotel on October 23-26, 2012. The full Commission meeting on the last day was preceded by three days of committee meetings, where much of the CCO exam management activity takes place. The week of meetings was sponsored by The Crosby Group (Tulsa, OK), Morrow Equipment (Salem, OR), and TNT Crane & Rigging (Houston, TX).
During the full Commission meeting NCCCO Executive Director, Graham Brent, updated the Commission on the latest program developments and statistics, noting CCO’s growth from four certification designations in 1997 to its current 19 certifications in nine categories. In addition, two new certifications are under development—for Lift Directors and Mechanic/Service Truck Crane Operators—and several more have been approved by the Board of Directors in principle and are in their initial stages.
The Commission was also updated on other ongoing initiatives, including past and upcoming events that NCCCO is participating in, plans for CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014, new operator and employer recognition programs, outreach programs, audit programs, California activities, internal projects, and recent news. NCCCO staff also provided updates on recent regulatory activity, practical exam audit results, and ethics and discipline activities. The President of International Assessment Institute, Tony Mitchell, provided a detailed report on certifications awarded, exam performance statistics, and the growth of computer-based testing.
Finally, NCCCO’s public position on OSHA’s interpretation of the pending 1926 Subpart CC crane rule was discussed at length.