09.11.2007

New York to suspend crane licenses

The New York state labour commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, announced yesterday that she was suspending the certificates of 129 crane operators after learning that licenses were issued to operators who had failed the crane operators’ exam.

In a statement she claims that the state inspector general, Kristine Hamann, had notified the department that the operators’ certificates had been improperly issued from 1972 to 2000.

Smith is quoted as saying that it is a public safety issue, adding that the Labour Department was asking the crane operators concerned to retake the practical exam or have their licenses revoked.

The Labour Department is continuing to check 3,000 crane operators in the state in order to determine if their certifications were based on a passing score or not.