On November 16, 2023, the NCCCO Foundation and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO) entered into a formal agreement with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through the OSHA Alliance Program. The aim of this alliance is to keep the industry informed of OSHA’s applicable safety-related initiatives. The individuals signing the agreement in Washington, DC, were T.J. Cantwell – Executive Director, NCCCO Foundation, Thom Sicklesteel – Chief Executive Officer, CCO, and Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA.
Additional participants in the signing included Scott Ketcham, Director, OSHA Directorate of Construction, Douglas J. Kalinowski, Director, Office of Cooperative and State Programs, and many staff members of the OSHA Directorate of Construction and members of the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances U.S. DOL, OSHA.
After the signing ceremony, Director Ketcham expressed his thanks to all the organizations involved for their work to reach this significant milestone and build upon the great relationship that was built over the last two decades. Attendees also briefly reviewed some of the many projects outlined in the workplan the organizations plan to work on together to improve safety in the crane industry.
“The NCCCO Foundation is excited to work with OSHA and CCO to enhance worker safety under the OSHA Alliance Program,” said Mr. Cantwell. “I have no doubt the information and resources that will be developed under the OSHA Alliance will be of great interest and value to everyone in the crane industry.”
“It is an honor to further develop our relationship with OSHA in this manner and we look forward to making our industry safer”, CCO’s Sicklesteel said noting the importance of the new alliance.
The Alliance will allow the three organizations to collaborate in providing workers and employers with information, guidance, and resources to promote workplace safety and health and awareness of workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The principal goal of Alliance products is to provide employers and workers tools and guidance to help eliminate and/or prevent workplace health and safety hazards.
Under the OSHA Alliance agreement, the NCCCO Foundation, CCO, and OSHA will work together on several initiatives aimed at improving safety in the crane industry, including:
- Sharing industry alerts
- Encouraging industry participation in and support of OSHA events and programs
- Convening roundtable discussions and stakeholder meetings on crane industry safety
- Providing opportunities for OSHA to speak and participate in industry meetings and events
- Raising awareness of resources and tools that will assist operators in compiling with OSHA regulations
- Sharing information on updates to OSHA load handling regulations and enforcement such as certification and evaluation requirements
- Developing surveys for candidate base segments and sharing survey results
- Encouraging key CCO test sites to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to promote safety and awareness
Additionally, the alliance will coordinate opportunities for training of OSHA compliance staff focused on operator qualification, certification standards, and jobsite responsibilities as well as equipment demonstrations or innovations. The member organization will also encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by engaging with industry experts, including but not limited to representatives from CCO, and the NCCCO Foundation, to ensure that resources and training materials/programs developed and offered through this alliance are designed and made available to meet the needs of stakeholders.
