October 27, 2022—In response to numerous industry requests for a standardized mechanism to comply with OSHA requirements for crane operators to be evaluated, CCO has announced plans to develop the first national credential for evaluators of crane operators.
OSHA has made it clear that the evaluators of operators need to be qualified and that crane operator qualifications do not necessarily apply. This has resulted in employers largely self-qualifying evaluators of crane operators under varying approaches. CCO is the gold standard for creating nationally standardized exams for the load handling industry, as it has administered more than 1.75 million exams and is the industry’s recognized certification body.
To create the strongest program possible, CCO seeks the expertise of those who are currently serving as evaluators of crane operators to serve on the task force that will develop this credential.
Those who would like to participate on the Evaluators of Crane Operators Task Force are encouraged to complete and submit an application form.
Experts in their respective fields will staff the task force and will be guided by CCO’s psychometricians. As with current CCO programs, a professional job task analysis will be conducted to serve as the foundation for exam development activities.
CCO Director of Certification & Credentialing, Bob Mahlman stated that development of the new credential would begin in early 2023 and the new credential will be available in early 2024. “We are developing a schedule where the development of the program could be complete within 12–15 months of our first meeting,” he said.
Like CCO’s other programs, this new Crane Operator Evaluator credential will rely on three major resources. “The new program will draw on industry support, subject matter expertise, and psychometric guidance,” said Mahlman. “All elements of the new program will be developed according to the same strict psychometric standards that are a hallmark of all CCO’s programs. The resulting credential will be fair, valid, reliable, and legally defensible.”