15.01.2007

Crane operators in Canada must be certified

5,000 crane operators, in British Columbia (BC), Canada must soon be certified according to new safety regulations recently introduced. The new system will test experienced operators and require formal training for new operators.

All crane operators will have to be assessed or registered for assessment for certification by July 1 and be fully certified by December 31st 2007.

The new WorkSafeBC regulation applies to operators of lorry loaders, mobile cranes, tower cranes and self-erecting tower cranes. They will have to prove competence to an independent third party and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and ability to safely operate a crane.

The regulation, developed after consultation with employers and labour and municipal authorities, applies to all crane operators and defines the competencies required.

"This is bringing everything to a level playing field so everybody knows what using a crane is all about," said Fraser Cocks, executive director of the BC Association for Crane Safety (BCACS).
Don Nelson, WorkSafeBC industry and labour services manager for construction, said that crane mishaps are ‘the largest single type of accident our officers investigate in B.C’.
He said that the leading cause of injury or death involving cranes is when there is contact with electrical wires.

WorkSafeBC said other common crane accidents involve cranes tipping over, booms bending from overloading, material falling because of improperly secured loads or rigging, structural failure of the crane itself, and poor communication between the operator and site personnel.

Up to 5,000 operators in B.C. will require certification at a cost of about $300 each. According to WorkSafeBC, there are about 5,000 loader and mobile cranes working in the province and about 250 tower cranes primarily used in the Lower Mainland for construction. Many operators are approaching retirement, with up to 300 new operators required each year."