Every rigger/signalperson has to be certified. That’s a federal regulation from OSHA and most insurance companies have been insisting on it too. It just makes sense that this vital job be one that is held by a person who has been trained and passed the certification meeting the National Comission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

This NCCCO certification goes past the federal standards and is recognized as the best in the crane and lifting industires. If you want to be the best rigger/signalperson on the job site, you need to have this certification.

How To Get Your NCCCO Certification

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School offers OSHA Rigger/Signalperson Training that results in getting your NCCCO Certification. This has a lot of advantages:

• OSHA Recognized
• Industry Recognized
• Portable – goes with person
• Opens additional job opportunities
• Short term – one week
• Additional credential

We Can Come To You

Employers can also take advantage of our Qualification program to train their employees at the ATS school in Wisconsin or bring ATS instructors on any site in the US. Rigger and signalperson information is taught and there are both written and practical exams. At the end of the time, credentials document the trainees’ completion of the program and are valid for three years.

Whether you come to ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School for the full NCCCO training or your employer has our instructors come to your job site and train you, that training will be the best we offer. Both the knowledge and the basic skills will be yours along with that precious certification that shows you are qualified to be the best rigger/signalperson on the job site.

One of the highest paid categories of heavy equipment operation is the crane operator, and a rigger is an essential partner in the operator’s mission. Because this is such an important job on a site, most states and insurance companies will require certifications for both positions. ATS is fully qualified to provide the training programs and certifications you need to hold both of these key spots on a work crew.

Our program can prepare and test you on both written and practical NCCCO exams; the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators and the recognized gold standard in the field. You can get experience operating swing and fixed cab, lattice and articulated boom mobile hydraulic cranes along with a good foundation in the safety regulations.

Choose The Programs You Need

There are five different types of NCCCO training offered at ATS:

• Mobile Crane Operations 1 — beginning level
• Mobile Crane Operations 2 — secondary level
• NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Prep/Test — only for experienced operators & offered through a business
• NCCCO Rigger/Signalperson Certification — a vital position for the safety of everyone
• Specialized Crane Operator Programs — we work with you to provide the specific training needed

Every one of these programs has had hundreds of graduates over the years, and those graduates have gone on to provide valuable service by expertly performing their job. Employers trust the training that you get at ATS and the proof of your competence in passing the NCCCO exams means you are a valued employee.

If you are interested in becoming a mobile crane operator or rigger/signalperson, the most important thing on your resume is an NCCCO certification because it verifies your professional status.

When you see a huge crane safely performing a tricky job, one of the people responsible for that job’s success is the rigger. Here’s a short list of what the rigger does:

• has been OSHA certified or qualified according to the job needed
• figures out the weight and center of gravity of the load
• chooses the proper sling and makes sure it is in good shape
• checks fittings, clips and other hardware for adequacy
• keeps track of the distance from any possible overhead hazards, like power lines
• understands the weather conditions and when to call the job off for unsafe conditions
• acts as outside eyes and ears for the crane operator

Riggers and signalpersons are essential people on the job site. Their training and qualifications need to be top-notch, and their responsibility to do their job needs to be taken very seriously. Each thing on this short list of what a rigger does is an important thing, one that can make the difference between a good day at work or a trip to the emergency room, or worse. Even if nobody gets hurt, a slipped load means complications for getting the job done by deadline.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School is one of the best places in the world to get OSHA-compliant rigger/signalperson training. We have over 45 years of experience in training heavy equipment and mobile crane operators and work hard to provide comprehensive safety training for this job, as well. You’ll get expert instruction from the best rigger and signal training instructors in the industry as you prepare for your written and practical certification tests.

A Qualified Rigger is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to be on the construction site during hoisting activities for assembly and disassembly work, when workers are in the fall zone and hooking, unhooking, or guiding loads. They are the ones doing the first connections of loads to components and structures.

Fact Number One: Riggers are essential members of the team and required to be part of the on-site crew.

In addition, qualified riggers are not automatically qualified to do every rigging job. They may have experience and training in certain types of rigging tasks, or hold certifications and degrees for specific types of rigging tasks, but they have to have shown they are capable of solving problems related to rigging loads.

Fact Number Two: It is the Employer’s responsibility to make sure the “qualified riggers” on their crew are qualified to do the specific job they are expected to fulfill with the proper equipment on the site.

Employers are not required to use a “certified” rigger; they are required to have evaluated the nature of the load, lift, and equipment used to hoist that load with the purpose of selecting the rigger who is qualified to do that particular job by reason of knowledge, training, and experience.

Fact Number Three: A rigger who has been trained in one of the ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School’s rigging/signalperson training programs has a good chance of being the Qualified Rigger needed for the job.

Take a look at the programs offered and you will see what I am talking about. There’s even an option for bringing ATS on the job site for customized training, letting the employer be positive the riggers meet the OSHA standards for Qualified Rigger.

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, have a lot of rules and regulations in their arsenal. And you know what? Every single one of those rules and regulations is the result of trying to avoid an ugly thing: death and destruction to workers. Those regulations are like links in a chain – each one is ineffective on its own, but they combine to be strong.

Professional rigger / signalperson training is one of those essential links in your safety chain because your riggers and your signalers are performing basic safety procedures affecting every aspect of the job. If the load isn’t rigged right, accidents are inevitable. If the communication isn’t happening, accidents are inevitable. This job is one that truly merits comprehensive training so that everybody on site stays alive and whole.

Associated Training Services (ATS) provides that comprehensive training. We think it’s the best in the world! All the experience of 45 years combined with the best rigger and signal training instructors in the industry to get our students ready for both written and practical OSHA certification tests.

ATS offers two levels of training in this important field:

1. Rigging/Signalperson Qualification
2. Rigging/Signalperson Certification

Both programs emphasize OSHA safety compliance and ensure basic skills, knowledge of rigging and signal use, and teach the latest OSHA regulations. ATS will even come to a company’s work site and train personnel in the classroom with written materials, including testing and practical instruction in both levels of certification.

The difference between our two types of programs is simple. Those completing the Qualification Program have from 8 to 12 hours of rigging/signalperson instruction, written curricula & testing, practical training & exam, and are issued a qualification compliance card at the completion of the course showing they meet all OSHA qualification standards.

The students in the Rigging/Signalperson Certification Program have gone through 4 days of training (32-36 hours), all the classroom and practical training and examinations, and exceed OSHA qualification standards for rigging/signalperson training. Successful completion results in NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signalperson Certifications.

Both levels of training are going to meet the safety standards you want on site. Associated Training Services can provide what you need to keep your safety chain strong in our OSHA Qualified Rigging / Signalperson Training.

Why OSHA? Who is OSHA? OSHA is a U.S. federal government agency that is responsible for ensuring workplace safety across many industries. It’s an acronym that stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Riggers and signalpersons are certified by OSHA because they are important people on the heavy equipment work site. By ensuring that only well-qualified and well-trained personnel are operating in this critical work site position, OSHA can influence the risk factor on heavy equipment job sites. The result is fewer accidents, fewer critical injuries, and a lot fewer injuries overall.

If you take your rigger and/or signalperson training from Associated Training Services, you will be certified by OSHA to work on any heavy equipment job site in the country.

The rigger and signalperson qualification and certification programs meet all OSHA standards for training and will qualify you to work as a rigger or signalperson on the job site.

In the qualification training class you’ll receive practical training with 8-12 hours of rigging/signalperson instruction. At the end of the course, you’ll receive a qualification compliance card signifying that you’ve been trained and meet all OSHA requirements. Employers look on this card favorably because they know that you are qualified and certified by the federal government.

Over 4 days in the certification program, you’ll receive a total 32-36 hours of training. At the end of the course you’ll receive two OSHA-approved certifications:

• NCCCO Rigging Level One Certification
• NCCCO Signalperson Certification

You can’t beat a course that will give you two work place certifications. You’ll be qualified to work in two very critical positions within the heavy equipment industry. Get OSHA certified today.

Riggers are some of the most important people on the heavy equipment or construction site. Their job is to ensure safety and to maneuver equipment using ropes, chains, and hoists from one location or position to another. A rigger may be called to pull a bulldozer out of a ditch or a crane out of a body of water after falling off a dock.

Riggers must pass a training class and receive certification. They must pass a test to meet OSHA standards and demonstrate they understand common safety standards.

Another responsibility of riggers on the heavy equipment job site is to perform maintenance on equipment. If a grader or loader stalls while performing tasks on the spot and the crew cannot fix the problem at their skill level, a rigger may be called to repair the equipment on the spot rather than tow the heavy equipment back to the maintenance shop. If the rigger cannot fix the problem on the spot, then towing may be used as a last resort.

The rigging professional on the job site must understand how weight shifts on specific types of terrains and under certain weather conditions. He must be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of heavy equipment.

Riggers must also be experts in the use of ropes, chains, hoists, slings, hooks, swivels, shackles, block and tackle, and other lifting and heavy equipment moving machines. She must understand which types of leverage provides the best support for any type of situation. A rigger is a valuable member of any heavy equipment team.

Learn how you can become a rigger today.

How do you know if a rigger is qualified to perform a certain task? Just because a rigger has been to training school, does that make him qualified? What if a rigger has 20 years experience on the work site – can he then perform any type of rigging job?

According to OSHA, a rigger is qualified to perform a job if he

• possess(es) a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or (has) extensive knowledge, training, and experience, and
• successfully demonstrate(s) the ability to solve problems related to rigging loads.

A rigger must be able to properly rig the load for a particular job. He or she need not be qualified to do every type of rigging job. Each load that requires rigging has unique properties that can range from the simple to the complex. However, previous experiences does not automatically qualify the rigger to rig unstable, unusually heavy, or eccentric loads that may require a tandem lift, multiple lifts, or use of custom rigging equipment. In essence, employers must make sure that the person can do the rigging work needed for the exact types of loads and lifts for a particular job with the equipment and rigging that will be used for that job.

In other words, it is up to the employer to ensure that riggers on the work site are qualified to handle a particular task. Many times, rigger training can qualify a person for specific rigger jobs, but in many cases, skills can only be learned by apprenticeship.

The ATS rigger training will give your riggers basic knowledge from which to build their careers. You can take it from there.

On construction sites and other industrial work locations where large heavy machines are used, someone has to set that equipment up so that operators can use it. The operators generally don’t set up their own equipment. There are specialists who do that for them prior to the work assignment. These specialists are called riggers.

Riggers also come along behind the operators and dismantle the equipment when the work is done.

This is a very demanding job and is fraught with many safety hazards. We are talking about a lot of moving parts, and many of those parts are themselves quite heavy. Riggers could find themselves using heavy equipment, such as cranes and loaders, to move heavy machinery components into place so that the rigging team can assemble them properly. On large industrial sites, the set up and assembly portion of the project could take days to complete.

Riggers, like any heavy equipment operator, must be trained to proficiently carry out the tasks of their jobs. This training is subject to OSHA standards.

If you are interested in becoming a heavy equipment rigger, consider taking the ATS Rigging and Signalperson training course.

ATS will qualify you to become a heavy equipment rigger and certify you by OSHA standards to carry out the heavy tasks associated with setting up and tearing down a work site. Not only do riggers assemble and disassemble heavy equipment on site, but they are also often called upon to move equipment from one location to another. It’s an important job with highly specialized skills.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has its regulation for the delivery of rigging and signalperson training, as well as the certification of riggers and signalpersons. Associated Training Services does not set those OSHA-Compliant standards, but we must comply with them.

As a matter of course, ATS training programs exceed OSHA requirements. That includes the rigging certification course we offer.

There are actually two rigging and signalperson training programs at ATS. There is a qualification course, which trains people interested in the profession to become qualified riggers and/or signalpersons. When you graduate from this course you’ll be qualified to hold a job as a rigger.

The other course is a certification course. After graduating this course, you’ll be certified as a rigger/signalperson and can actually hold a position as either one in your state.

The ATS rigging and signalperson certification training program follow these standards:

• Written exams match the in-class curriculum. In other words, what you train on is what you’ll be tested on.
• Exceeds all OSHA requirements for training.
• You’ll receive practical training assignments followed by practical exams.
• You’ll receive 32-36 hours of rigging/signalperson training over the course of four days.
• After you successfully complete the training you’ll be awarded certifications for NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signalperson.

If you’re ready to enter the proud ranks of qualified and certified riggers, then ATS’s rigging/signalperson training program is for you.