Signalperson

Safety is crucial on any site, and this is especially true where there are cranes in operation. When we think of cranes, it is the crane operator that is the job that comes to mind, but there are several other positions that are crucial to safe crane operation, and one of those is the crane signalperson. The crane signalperson is not new, it has been part of construction since industrial cranes became common, and were sometimes called spotters, but what is it they do?

It is the crane signalperson’s job to ensure the safe operation of a crane, working in tandem with the crane operator, to move large loads safely around a site. There are two aspects of the job, the first is the physical inspection of the load and equipment, and the second is guiding the operator during a lift. Beginning with the load itself, the crane signal person should be able to spot issues with the load itself, such as incorrect weight distribution, the load hook is correctly positioned, the rigging chain is set correctly without twists, and so on, and that load weight, position relating to the boom and other factors are all correct.

They also play an important part in the lift itself, firstly, before the load is moved, assessing the hoisting path, including whether it means being too close to any hazards or traveling over the heads of site workers causing a safety issue that must be highlighted and measures are taken to avoid. Once the lift is in progress, the crane signal person directs the crane operator, using a series of special hand signals or a hands-free radio system. In this way, the operator is always kept aware of the precise position of the load, its movement including direction and speed, when to stop, if there are any dangers, and so on. It is a partnership that allows cranes to operate safely.

CCO Signalperson Certification

Accomplishing that needs a good understanding of the cranes themselves, and in many ways, a crane signalperson needs to have as good an understanding of crane operation as the operator themselves, and of course, that means training. Becoming an NCCCO certified crane signalperson is a requirement for employment, and the approved courses that get you certified provide the skills and understanding of both crane operation and the safety aspects of moving large loads on site that are needed to perform the tasks required properly. To be a qualified crane signalperson, there are a few requirements. Passing both the written and practical examinations are essential, without proof of those qualifications you cannot be employed as a crane signal person, you must also be over eighteen years of age and drug-free.

Those qualifications and the skills needed to get them can be learned through a variety of training approaches, however, the best training includes both classroom training and a chance to put those newly learned skills into practice on-site, not only giving the technical understanding needed but the confidence gained from real-world experience to get out there and launch a lucrative career as a crane signalperson.

Whatever career you are looking at within the heavy machinery or trucking industry, whether crane operator, haul truck driver, or something else, the journey begins with high-quality training and national credentials. Here is where you hone your skills, in the classroom and on-site, to be able to operate in a safe, effective manner, enabling any student to build a successful career with in-demand skills.

However, there are a lot of choices when it comes to training, and finding the right course can be a little overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be though if you know what to look for. Quality tuition is a must, delivered by industry experts through engaging classroom content and practical, onsite experience that prepares students for all aspects of the job. It is this in-depth understanding of the job and its requirements, along with the practical experience that only hands-on instruction can provide, which gives students the confidence to take on the responsibilities and succeed in their chosen careers.

But having all of that skill and understanding is only of use if employers understand that you have them. In this competitive industry, having the right skills is essential to land that job, especially when first starting out.  That is why our training courses deliver nationally recognized credentials, from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

Our crane operator examinations are all NCCCO certified, with both written and practical tests, and this combination of NCCER and NCCCO recognition provides a solid base of national recognition for our students. Not only does it guarantee the quality of instruction, but ensures that every student’s achievements and abilities are acknowledged countrywide, by employers, regulators, and others throughout their career. For any student looking to build a career as a crane operator, this should be an essential part of any course you look at.

Crane operators are some of the most skilled people operating on any site, being able to maneuver such large equipment and their loads with such precision can be awe-inspiring to watch. It’s why so many people love cranes, but there is also an inherent danger in crane work, and the potential for accidents is greater than with most other site equipment.

While modern technology, new construction techniques, and increasingly skilled operators mean that accidents today are much rarer than even 30 years ago, every accident is still one too many, and as such, we should never stop looking for ways to eliminate them. Accidents come in all shapes and sizes of course, tipping over in extreme weather is one type of accident that has been seen in recent years, a consequence of the increase in the size of cranes in general. However, many accidents can be attributed to human error, whether that is an operational or communication failure, maintenance deficiencies, or even a failure to follow safe practices by site workers.

The issue of extreme weather is one that can be dealt with through more closely monitoring weather reports, allowing preparation for the conditions, however for others where human error is responsible, then education is the solution. Specific, professional crane operation training is proven to give operators the confidence and knowledge to operate these ever more complex, large cranes more safely. However, it is not just the physical operation of a crane that training can improve, although, with such heavy loads today, that aspect is crucial for onsite safety. For operators, increased training can also help them spot potential safety issues on-site before they occur.

This could be potential communication issues that a specific site brings, it could be worker positioning during the movement of a load or when checking over equipment before the operation to recognize maintenance issues. It is the ability to see a problem before it becomes one, through understanding where the risk is and what it looks like, in every aspect of the crane operator’s job, that makes regular crane operation training so important.

Crane Operator Training

As every year cranes are becoming larger and more complex, so the need for training on these new machines becomes more important, the need to understand all aspects of operation, including safety being critical. With larger loads, larger cranes, tighter deadlines, and tighter budgets ensuring that crane operation remains as safe as possible increases the responsibility placed on operators and site management. While errors can never be completely eliminated, having the required training provides operators with the skills and knowledge to operate a crane safely, and just as importantly, recognize where issues for the safety of the crane and those around it could be compromised before an accident occurs. Crane operator training today is not just important, it is essential.

Last Saturday, Heavy Equipment School posted our equipment job listings for the week. Included were several mobile crane operator positions, rigger jobs, and positions requiring a Class-A CDL (commercial driver’s license). These are typical heavy equipment jobs. The difference between positions you’ll see on our job board from week to week usually has something to do with location. You may find jobs on the East Coast, West Coast, or in the heartland of the country. No matter where the positions are located, however, employers usually want someone who is either trained, experienced, or both.

You can’t buy experience. Either you have it or you don’t. A 5-year on-the-job record of operating a forklift will go a long way in the heavy equipment professions, but if you don’t have that experience, then job training is the next best thing.

Heavy Equipment School offers formal training on all of the basic equipment you’ll run into on the job site. If you’ve already been trained on that equipment (cranes, forklifts, backhoes, scrapers, etc.) and you want to take your career to the next level, we offer rigger and signalperson training as well as Class-A CDL training. The crane certification training we offer will graduate you with a certificate from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). It means you’ll be employable anywhere in the United States.

Accreditation is very important. Whether you seek a crane operator certification, a rigger/signalperson certification, or a CDL, you’ll be proud to have completed the achievements that earn you that certification. And it will mean that you are ready to start your career.

Are you ready? Today could be the start of a long and profitable career in heavy equipment. Let’s get started.

This week, there are more job listings for mobile crane operators than anything else. Mobile crane operators are in high demand because they move the heavy, awkward stuff from one part of the job site to another by lifting it and swinging it to where it needs to go, sometimes high above the site to a roof. If you have ever tried carrying heavy buckets and lifting them above your head without spilling one, you’ll see why it takes skill.

It also usually will take having a certification that is nationally recognized because insurance companies want to know you are qualified to do this dangerous job. People get hurt and property is damaged when a mobile crane operator is incompetent. That’s why so many companies will let the Employment Assistance department at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School know they have an opening.

ATS graduates also have free access to the job site, where they can post their qualifications and search the potential on their own.

Here are this week’s job listings:

SENATOBIA, MS — hiring mobile crane operators

HOLLAND, MI, — hiring heavy equipment operators

WAUSAU, WI — hiring heavy equipment operators

JANESVILLE, WI — hiring local Class-A CDL truck drivers

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — hiring mobile crane operators

LA CROSSE, WI — hiring mobile crane operators

Trenching, or digging a ditch, may look like it is a simple process that anyone with a shovel or a rented backhoe can do. But that mistake causes many accidents and even deaths every year. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), “the fatality rate for excavation work is 112% higher than the rate for general construction.”

Trenching Safety

Here are the four top causes of injury, according to OSHA’s Trenching & Excavation eTool:

1. no protective system
2. failure to inspect trench and protective systems
3. unsafe spoil-pile placement
4. unsafe access/egress

The eTool has simple guides for avoiding each of these, but reading some information is not the same thing as being trained by qualified instructors. These teachers have the credentials that result in certifications future employers and insurance companies respect.

Why Training Is Better Than Teaching Yourself

Excavators do a dangerous job. When the consequences of making a mistake are things like injury or death, it’s better to begin the learning process in a classroom with expert teachers who can give you the benefit of their experience. You can learn about the types of mistakes that can be made and what will happen. Then, after the “head” knowledge is there, the “seat-of-the-pants” knowledge can be added in an environment designed to keep mistakes from being deadly.

Everyone makes mistakes when learning how to do something even trenching. That’s why some teachers say that F-A-I-L stands for “First Attempt In Learning”. Teaching yourself certain skills is a very good idea, and reading up on OSHA guides to a career you are interested in is a good idea, too. But if you are interested in operating heavy equipment, particularly those that are used in excavating, the best thing you can do is invest in credentialed training like that offered at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School.

Did you know that current Federal OSHA regulations say that ALL riggers and signalpersons must be qualified? That means if you want a job in this valuable field, you have to have the right credentials. Associated Training Services offers rigging/signalperson program that exceeds the OSHA requirement and is recognized as one of the best in the crane and lifting industries.

You Can Take It With You

The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) is the gold standard of the industry and ATS offers this certification as part of the available training options. It’s portable, so as long as you renew it every five years it’s good. If you let it expire, you have to take the NCCCO re-certification exam in combination with another ATS program.

So these are your benefits from this option:

Or It Can Be Part On-The-Job Training

Sometimes the skilled trades, like heavy equipment operation, seem like an invisible career. The only guy who seems to be famous and blue-collar is Mike Rowe, the guy who has become famous for trying out dirty and unusual jobs on TV. But as Mike would say, “somebody’s gotta do it”, and think about what happens if nobody does that job?

Skilled Trades Have Permanent Physical Impact

In any skilled trade, the result of a job well done is a change in the surroundings somehow. With heavy equipment, that change is pretty obvious, but somehow society forgets that something like plumbing depends on somebody being able to dig a ditch. All the changes to the landscape that make life easier happen because somebody knows how to operate heavy equipment.

The big jobs that are done with big machinery are jobs that change the world. If you can do a job that changes your world, straighten up and stand tall because you make a big difference in a lot of lives.

Skilled Trade Professionals Have Credentials

The two national organizations that ATS works with to provide credentialing for the heavy equipment workforce are:

• NCCER — the National Center for Construction Education & Research
• NCCCO — the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators

Being able to show a potential employer that you have these certifications shows that high standards have already been met in your training and that you have passed the tests required to show mastery of the skills required. As a result, these credentials are valued throughout the industries that rely on heavy equipment to get a job done.

If you are a skilled heavy equipment operator with the credentials to prove it, you can stand up taller in confidence that you are a valuable professional.

If you are doing research about getting trained as a professional heavy equipment operator, it’s a good thing. Choosing a career in the skilled trades means that your training is going to be scrutinized carefully. After all, you’ll be operating expensive equipment in dangerous situations, so the company wants to make sure they hire the best. Choose ATS for your training needs.

Since the insurance companies are also very interested in who is on the site and how the operators have been trained, that also comes into the consideration companies give to who gets hired. Credentials and affiliations are proof that a school has retained specific standards and training practices.

ATS Credentials & Affiliations

1. National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) has the highest standards in the business. All ATS instructors are NCCER credentialed, and we are an Accredited Sponsor. We also helped write the heavy equipment training textbooks, that’s not something that every school can say.
2. National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) is a non-profit organization to develop safety and performance standards for crane operations throughout general industry and construction. ATS is an approved test site and registered training provider and if you are going to operate a crane, this is where to start looking at what you need.
3. Department of Workforce Development/Workforce Investment Act provides funding for financial assistance. ATS is an eligible training provider qualified to receive that funding, which means you could get money for our programs.
4. US Department of Veterans Affairs has approved ATS as an eligible training school, which means that military benefits are available if you qualify for them.
5. State Boards of Education in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana have approved ATS and licensed our school.
6. Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates ATS with an A+.
7. ISNetworld supports over 360 Hiring Clients to manage more than 54,000 companies in 75 countries. ATS is a registered contractor with ISNetworld, which gives us global connections.
8. Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association founded on the merit shop philosophy. ATS is a member of this organization committed to work safely, ethically, and profitably to improve the communities we work within.
9. National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) is the leading trade association working exclusively in this incredibly important industry. It takes heavy equipment to do a big job, and ATS is a member of NUCA.

Choose ATS For Your Training Needs

We are pleased to be affiliated and accredited by these organizations because the benefits of our connections help our students to be equipped to become respected in their industry.

This week’s job listings go all over the country and across all the specialties ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School covers, from crane operators to heavy equipment operators to Class-A CDL truck drivers. Once you have your certifications, you can do a lot with the training and skills you get at ATS.

Where do you want to be working next season?

Fort Worth, TX — hiring crane operators

Black River Falls, WI — hiring crane operators

Salt Lake City, UT — hiring crane operators

Burlington, VT — hiring Class- A CDL truck drivers

Stitzer, WI — hiring heavy equipment operators

California — hiring crane operators with NCCCO certifications

Lawrence, MI — hiring heavy equipment operators

Madison, WI — hiring heavy equipment operators

Ignacio, CO — hiring heavy equipment operators

Williston, ND — hiring Class- A CDL truck drivers

Eagle River, WI — hiring heavy equipment operators

Kingsley, PA — hiring heavy equipment operators

Grand Junction, CO — hiring heavy equipment operators and Class- A CDL truck drivers

Green Bay, WI — hiring heavy equipment operators

Colorado Springs, CO — hiring heavy equipment operators

Milwaukee, WI — hiring Class- A CDL truck drivers

Huntington, VA — hiring heavy equipment operators

Brownsville, WI — hiring dump truck drivers

Elwood, IL — hiring heavy equipment operators

Schofield, WI — hiring Class- A CDL truck drivers

Beckley, WV — hiring heavy equipment operators

The job site always has the most recent listings and lots of opportunities to network in your field. Take a look at what’s available and explore the possibilities you have with ATS!