If you want to be a rigger, you’ll have to learn two things: The language and the tools. Heavy Equipment School will teach you all about hooks, shackles, hitches and more.

What Kind of Hooks Do You Need To Learn?

First, you need to know that not all hooks are created equal. There’s a different kind of hook for different tasks, and HES will show you which ones you need to know about and how to deploy them. Here’s a sample list of hooks we’ll teach you how to use:

• Two-Legged connection hook
• Eye hook
• Swivel hook
• Hook block
• Overhaul ball

We’ll also teach you something about buckles and bridles. Next up, shackles (and we don’t mean the medieval kind).

What Kind of Shackles Should You Know About?

Just as their are different kinds of hooks, there are different configurations of shackles.

• Two-legged connection shackle
• Screw pin shackle
• Safety shackle

And if that isn’t enough, we’ll teach you all about hoists and slings.

A Bevy of Hitches We’ll Teach You How To Use

Hitches serve a useful purpose, as well. Here are a handful of hitches you’ll learn how to use in Heavy Equipment School’s Rigger Certification Course.

• Two-legged choker
• Choker hitch
• Basket hitch

Some of these hitches can be deployed numerous ways. And, of course, we’ll teach you how make a hoist too.

If you’re bent on being a rigger, let us teach you all about the tools and techniques to be a successful one.

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.

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.

In heavy equipment, there is a huge need for people to hoist, lift, push, and pull heavy objects. There is special equipment for these large tasks and riggers are the people who operate that equipment. In order to secure advanced employment in the heavy equipment field as a rigger, you’ll need to be trained on this equipment.

ATS has a special training course just for riggers.

When you enroll in the ATS rigger course you’ll be trained according to the standards established by OSHA. There are two programs that will qualify you for work as a rigger on a heavy equipment operations team.

• Rigger Qualification Program – This training program includes written and practical training and testing. It includes 8 to 12 hours of training, and once you complete training ATS will issue you a rigger qualification compliance card.
• Rigger Certification Program – The ATS Rigger Certification Program consists of 32 to 36 hours of training and it also includes a written and practical training and testing portion during the course. ATS is not authorized to certify riggers so you’ll get your final certification certificate from the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

Both of these courses will train you and qualify you to work as a rigger and as a signalperson on a heavy equipment operations team. Once you receive your qualifications you can start work immediately upon finding an employer. You are just a few short hours of being a qualified or certified heavy equipment rigger.