19.10.2007

Tower crane certification delayed

A plan requiring all tower crane operators in British Columbia, Canada to pass a safety exam and gain certification before being allowed to operate a crane, is being delayed because there are too many operators who need to take the course.

The provincial government was demanding that all crane operators take a written and practical exam and that only those who passed and gained certification, would be allowed to operate cranes after July 2008. That deadline will now be put back by at least a year.

Fraser Cocks, executive director of the British Columbia Association for Crane Safety, the organisation responsible for the qualification system, said the number of operators who registered for certification was more than double initial estimates.

"We had well over 10,000 registrations come in. It's beyond our expectation at this point in time. This is all new territory for us it's not been done like this anywhere in the world that I'm aware of. So, it's anybody's best guess how long it will take."

Currently, tower crane operators in B.C. are not required to have any formal training or experience. WorkSafe data indicates that there were 43 tower crane accidents in the province between 2004 and 2006.