National Commission for the
Certification of Crane Operators
Committed to Quality, Integrity, and Fairness in Testing since 1995

CERTIFICATIONS

Lift Director

Written Exam - Specialty Exams Outline

The lift scenario questions found on the Lift Director Specialty Exams are designed to evaluate a candidate’s ability to comprehend the presented information and apply knowledge of lift planning and directing in circumstances that may be found in real life situations. During the exam administration, candidates will be provided a supplementary booklet that includes simulated lift plans intended to replicate real work conditions. These documents will be used to answer a series of scenario-based questions relating to the information on the plans.

As in actual work conditions, lift plans are made and approved using the best information available to those drafting those plans. However, actual site conditions are constantly changing, or mistakes may have been made during the initial design process and upon arrival at a site, a lift director often must make adjustments based on actual site conditions. Many of the lift scenario questions contained within the exam are specifically designed to test a candidate’s ability to understand and adjust to these changing circumstances.

The Lift Director Specialty Exams contain questions related to standard load chart usage, as well as questions using single-crane and multiple-crane lift plans. Many of the questions require the use of one or more load charts, and it is recommended that candidates become familiar with the charts prior to taking the examinations.

The Lift Director—Mobile Cranes Specialty Exam uses the following load charts:

  • Rough Terrain Telescopic Boom Crane—Swing Cab (TLL)
  • Crawler Mount Lattice Boom Crawler (LBC)

The Lift Director—Tower Cranes Specialty Exam uses the following load charts:

  • Hammerhead Tower Crane
  • Luffing Boom Tower Crane

These load charts can be viewed and downloaded as PDFs from the Lift Director Load Charts page.

Each Specialty Exam includes 50 multiple-choice questions, of which five relate to a single- or multi-crane lift plan. The Specialty examinations of the CCO Lift Director Written Examination test the following knowledge areas relating to mobile and tower cranes:

Domain 1: Site
Approximately 40% of test

Domain 2: Lifting Operations
Approximately 14% of test

Domain 3: Lift Plans (Single- and Multi-crane lift requirements)
Approximately 46% of test

DOMAIN 1: SITE

  1. Identify and address hazards related to ground/surface conditions during lifting operations, such as:
    1. Subsurface (voids, tanks, utilities)
    2. Ground conditions (slopes, drainage, soil type)
  2. Identify and address hazards related to site access/transportation, such as:
    1. Clearance/obstructions
    2. Slopes
    3. Compaction
    4. Ground bearing
    5. Traffic control
  3. Determine appropriate matting/cribbing. Elements of concern include, but are not limited to:
    1. Types
    2. Materials
    3. Sizing (PSI vs. PSF, mat size adjustment for ground condition)
  4. Identify and address hazards associated with lifting operations, such as:
    1. Taglines
    2. Non-standard rigging (specialty lifting devices)
    3. Power lines
    4. Environment
      1. Weather (wind, lightning, snow/ice/frost, rain, fog, extreme temperatures)
      2. Lighting conditions (artificial or natural)

DOMAIN 2: LIFTING OPERATIONS

  1. Identify and address hazards associated with special lifting operations, such as:
    1. Multiple load line lifts (Mobile Specialty only)
    2. Pick and carry (Mobile and Tower Specialties)
    3. Assembly/disassembly (Mobile Specialty only)
    4. Erection/Dismantle (Tower Specialty only)
    5. Lifting on, from, or to water (e.g., barges, trestles, docks, launching (Mobile and Tower Specialties)
    6. Duty cycle operations (Mobile and Tower Specialties)
    7. Demolition (Mobile and Tower Specialties)Subsurface (voids, tanks, utilities)

DOMAIN 3: LIFT PLANS (SINGLE- AND MULTI-CRANE LIFT REQUIREMENTS)

  1. Read, interpret, and communicate lift plans
  2. Recognize and address deviations from the lift plan prior to or during a lift, including items such as:
    1. Site/environmental (tail swing, clearance to structures)
    2. Crane configuration/location/setup
    3. Personnel
    4. Load
    5. Rigging
  3. Describe how to plan for contingencies (i.e., emergency lay down, shutdown, securing, personnel rescue)
  4. Read and interpret load charts for mobile and tower cranes, including how to:
    1. Determine net capacity with a given configuration (including limiting factors)
    2. Determine maximum/minimum radius using a known load weight
    3. Determine crane configuration to optimize lifting capacity
    4. Calculate and apply percentage of rated capacity used
  5. Apply knowledge of site factors which may affect lift plans and operations, including:
    1. Ground conditions
    2. Site controls (e.g., pedestrians, vehicle traffic)
    3. Power lines