New England Crane School’s 2014 Class Schedule
March 24 – 27, 2014
Last operator certification class this season!
Operator certification class, sponsored by Woods CRW Corp and AGCVT, Burlington, VT
March 28, 2014
Signal/rigging, sponsored by Woods CRW and AGCVT, Burlington, VT
April 7 – 18, 2014
Entry-level crane operator class, Bellingham, MA
April 20 & 21, 2014 – New class!
Two-day certified operator refresher and recertification class, sponsored by ABC NH-VT in Concord, NH
April 23, 2014
Signal/rigging, sponsored by AGCVT in Rutland, VT
Our public class schedule will resume in October. We also offer onsite classes at your location! For more information, to register for a public class, or to get a quote for an onsite class, call 603-614-4331, visit our website at www.newengandcraneschool.com, or email anna@newenglandcraneschool.com.
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Rose Steel Inc.
(603)436-7950
Seeking a Mobile Crane Operator. Conventional & Hydrolic Hoisting Licences Required. Experience in Structural Steel Erection. Salary Commensurate with Experience. Benefit Package Included.
Valley Crane Service
(802) 258-9055
Seeking an experienced mobile crane operator
Are you a crane operator seeking employment or an employer seeking an operator? Let us know and we’ll drop a note in our newsletter.
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News from OSHA
Finally, more than eight months after OSHA announced their proposal to extend the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years, the proposal was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 7, 2014. The industry has until March 12, 2014 to comment on the rulemaking. Until a decision is reached, the current compliance date remains in effect for Nov. 10, 2014.
Crane Institute Certification (CIC) is encouraging industry stakeholders to review the proposed rule and to submit comments. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking can be found here.
CIC opposes the extension for safety reasons and offers the following arguments:
- Two of the four accredited certification providers currently meet the regulation as it is written (CIC and the NCCER). Why is OSHA working so hard to help the organizations that are not compliant at the expense of employers who are compliant?
- The industry has had nearly four years to prepare for the implementation of this portion of the rule. That’s more than enough time for the non-compliant certification organizations to have re-vamped and re-accredited their programs. CIC recently achieved re-accreditation in less than six months.
- OSHA estimated that crane operator certification would prevent 22 fatalities per year. Further extending the compliance date by three years will only further retard the urgency with which employers seek certification. And, an indefinite postponement of certification is in direct opposition to OSHA’s purpose: to save lives, prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, and protect the health of all America’s workers.
If you care about this issue, be sure to submit your comments to OSHA by March 12th! |
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Customer Profile: Miller Construction
Miller Construction, Inc. was one of a handful of proactive New England employers who got an early start on certifying their operators. In 2009, before OSHA’s new 2010 crane standard was released, the only options available to Vermont employers were to set up your own NCCCO test site at some expense, or send operators out of state, perhaps even out of New England. Always committed to safety, Miller did both.
Founded in 1946 by local legend O. W. “Chick” Miller, the company offers heavy construction services in steel and concrete, and crane and rigging services to contractors throughout the Connecticut River Valley. Miller’s current fleet includes eight mobile cranes ranging from 26 to 120 tons and including both hydraulic and conventional. In 1986, Franklin, NH-based Beck & Bellucci acquired a majority interest in the company but maintained Miller’s current headquarters in Windsor, Vermont.
With a local option now available and the 2009-certified operators coming up for recertification this year, Miller opted for the convenience of having New England Crane School deliver an onsite two-day refresher class with CIC recert exams at their office in Windsor. John Merriam, a 18-year operator with Miller and now in his early 70s, was daunted by the prospect of taking online exams at first. “I don’t think this is going to work,” he said doubtfully as an examiner showed him how to use the mouse on his computer. But five hours later, Merriam had passed his exams and was officially recertified.
John Lavoie, current operations manager for Miller and a long-time bridge superintendent for Beck & Bellucci, commented, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with the best operators in the area here at Miller. Our seven operators range in experience from five years to 22 and are nothing less than professional. Having them all certified makes it much easier to bid and win work because increasingly, customers are requiring it. With 65 years of service, Miller Construction/Crane Service has a long history in the area. We’re still going strong and we seek opportunities to mentor young operators into experienced ones so Miller can continue to provide safe, professional crane service for years to come.”
NECS is now offering a public option for a two-day refresher and recertification course, with the first class to be held on April 21-22 at Associated Builders and Contractors of NH-VT in Concord. The class consists of one day of classroom instruction to review changes in the OSHA regulations and practice load chart problems, and a second day for the written recertification exams. For those who do not meet the 1000-hour “seat time” requirement, a practical exam may also be added at additional cost.
It does not matter if your original certification is from another accredited entity such as the NCCCO. We can submit your original certification to the CIC for an equivalency determination and then recertify you through the CIC.
For more information or to register, visit our website or call 603-614-4331.
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