Occupational Health & Safety Page

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Filling a Tall Order on Crane Operator Certification

January, 2007. By Don Nelson, WorkSafeBC Manager of Industry and Labour Services-Construction

Last summer in this space, I updated you on industry efforts to come up with standards for the certification of crane operators-not only for the log and timber building sector, but in dozens of other B.C. industries that use cranes.

One set of standards for so many workplaces is a tall order. In practical terms, it means assuring worker safety in a lot of different situations without getting in the way of the specialized work that each needs to see done.

Now the BC Association for Crane Safety (BCACS) has filled the bill.

In December, the association finalized a competency-based program to assess and certify crane operators. (Peter Sperlich of Enderby represents log and timber building on the BCACS 10-member board of directors.)

The association's provincial program was developed over 18 months by employers and labour in the different sectors that use cranes.

It dovetails with a new two-step WorkSafeBC requirement announced at New Year's for anyone running a mobile crane, tower crane or boom truck. The only exceptions are cranes with lifting capacities of less than five tons and those with booms shorter than 25 feet.

Step One: July 1, 2007

This is the deadline for crane operators across the province to comply with the WorkSafeBC requirement in one of two ways. An operator can either become certified by BCACS or register to start the process leading to association certification.

Step Two: December 31, 2007

This is the deadline for individual crane operators to have BCACS certifications. Right now, this winter, anyone who works as a crane operator should register with BCACS. This starts the certification process to be completed by the end of the year.

Registering sooner than later is a good idea. It will be a big job to assess and certify all the current operators in the province, and it can't hurt to be as close to the head of the line as possible. Remember, being registered without certification will stop being an acceptable option in 2007.

The certification process basically parallels the province's driver's license system that evaluates what you know and how you handle a vehicle. Evaluators authorized by BCACS will assess crane operators on their knowledge, and then ask them to demonstrate on-the-job skills using equipment they ordinarily run. Successfully completing both steps earns you a certificate in the form of a driver's-license-size picture ID.

The object isn't to make people jump through hoops, but to show they can work safely and competently. The system allows different levels of certification for specific tasks, so no one should have to prove knowledge or ability beyond the basics and what's needed to do his or her job. As well, BCACS will make every effort to evaluate operators in ways that work for them-for instance, offering the choice of written or verbal knowledge assessments.

What does all this mean for you? Quite simply, you must make sure that any crane operators working for your company are registered or certified with the association no later than June 30 - and that they can show documentation to that effect when WorkSafeBC field officers visit your workplace.

This may sound complicated, but it's not. Certification works well in other occupations, and introducing it to existing work forces is definitely doable. Over the last two years, British Columbia's forest industry has implemented Canada's first faller certification system and certified 3,300 fallers.

The log and timber building sector and other industries can expect clear and measurable pay-offs from this year's implementation of crane operator certification.

First, a recognized, industry-led system will begin to address the serious shortage of operators. It will help attract experienced workers from other parts of North America, as well as young British Columbians a new and more assessable way of becoming crane operators.

Second, because it's competency-driven, crane operator certification will lead to higher levels of safety for all workers on construction sites and for the general public. For employers, this adds up to savings in both compensation expenditures and in related indirect costs like lost productivity, damaged equipment and recruiting replacement staff.

All in all, it seems like a win-win situation to me. I hope you agree.

Find Out More
Get details on crane operator certification from these WorkSafeBC contacts. Phone 604-276-3100 in the Lower Mainland or elsewhere to 1-800-621-7233. Fax 604-279-7494. Email cranopce(at)worksafebc.com.




Occupational Health and Safety Program
Go to the bottom of the page to download the Template order form.

Introduction

With industry growth and an increased work force the Workers Compensation Board (“WCB”) reclassified “log building” into its own category. After reviewing past claims the WCB became concerned at the high rate of injury in this profession. Some WCB Regulations (“Regulations”) have changed and for our industry the changes in fall-protection are significant.

A proactive approach was chosen to support the industry in their effort to meet the Regulations. An agreement of cooperation between WCB and the LTBI was achieved and the LTBI was granted funding from Human Resources Development Canada, the Province of British Columbia and WCB through the Industrial Adjustment Service to develop an Occupational Health and Safety Program specific to our industry.


The LTBI Goal

The LTBI goal is to assist the BC industry to remain competitive with companies in other regions, to support a reduction of injuries at the work place, meet WCB requirements and remain profitable.


Occupational Health & Safety Program (“OHSP”)

The result is an Occupational Health and Safety Program Manual (“the Manual”) which is designed for log construction companies of any size. The Manual was produced as a template so it can be modified or used in its published form.


Included in the Manual

There are three elements to the Manual:

  1. The Employee Handbook.
    This will be given to existing and new employees in all companies.
  2. Management and Supervisors Handbook.
    For the companies of under 10 employees the Employee and Management Handbooks have been combined.
  3. Written Safe Work Procedures

In addition, it contains a collection of manuals, forms, form letters and checklists that will assist users in maintaining records and complying with WCB Regulations.


Modify This Manual Template to Your Unique Company Needs

We recognized that each company is unique in size, methods of construction, tools and equipment used and complexity of buildings. Further, many companies provide complete construction services including general contracting. The Manual is designed to address the log construction aspect of the project. This is only a template and we encourage modification of the Manual by companies who may wish to change wording, eliminate aspects which are not part of their company's methods, expand to incorporate separate aspects of their operation and/or make adjustments to reflect their management style.

Due to the variations in company operations, responsibility for the development of a company's own OHSP is entirely invested in the hands of company owners and managers. The LTBI and writers of this Manual Template cannot accept liability for errors, omissions or any consequences arising from the individual use of the Manual Template.


Acknowledgements



Order the Occupational Health and Safety Manual:
Download the Order Form (Adobe PDF)



NOTE: If you have difficulty viewing the PDF format, you may contact the LTBI office to have one faxed or mailed to you.

PLEASE NOTE: The BC Log & Timber Building Industry Association retains copyright of the Occupational Health and Safety Template Material. Upon receiving the material, either in printed form or on CD, permission is granted to make printed copies of the material but not in excess of the maximum number of employees in the company that is making this purchase. This material is subject to international copyright law, and may not be sold, lent, borrowed, exchanged, or traded in any manner, and may not be printed in any manner except that stated above. Furthermore, it may not be copied electronically, published on the world wide web or reproduced in any other manner or format, either in whole or in part, without express, written permission from the Executive Board of Directors of the The BC Log & Timber Building Industry Association.
© BC-LTBI 2004