NEWS CENTER

April 14, 2023—By all standards, CONEXPO—the largest construction show in North America that takes place every three years for five days in Las Vegas—was a huge success. This year saw new records set for attendee registrations, exhibitor numbers, and space!

With more than 3 million net square feet of exhibit and more than 139,000 registered attendees from 133 countries, this was by far the biggest CONEXPO ever.

CCO’s booth in the Grand Lobby was the hub of all its CONEXPO activities.

CCO was excited to share in that success by participating in the show, visiting with stakeholders, making new connections, and even recognizing multiple companies and organizations that employ and train individuals for CCO certification.

View a photo gallery of CCO’s activities at CONEXPO.

Thank you to our many sponsors for the event. Without your support, we couldn’t have done it.

Visit CONEXPO – Leave Certified

CCO was delighted to receive an overwhelmingly positive response following the launch of our Event Online Testing (EOT) at the show. This was the first such administration and attendees were pleased to learn of the updated policy permitting use of hand-held dry erase boards in place of scratch paper.

Candidates for CCO certification continue to take advantage of the Visit CONEXPO – Leave Certified program. Nearly 70 written and practical exams were administered to candidates at CONEXPO to almost 40 candidates. By far, the new Telehandler Operator certification program—a means to meet both General Industry and Construction regulations—was the biggest hit at the show, accounting for 74% of the exams taken.

Practical Proctor Credentialling

Another highlight of the show was the opportunity to participate in Practical Exam Proctor workshops before and after the event. This year, attendees had the option of becoming credentialed in Mobile Crane, Telehandler, Signalperson, and Rigger. A new opportunity this year was for participants to also complete their audits on-site immediately following the workshops, making the event a huge draw with more than 50 participants signing up.

CCO also took the opportunity to hold a Practical Exam Proctor Forum, inviting all Practical Exam Proctors to participate in an informative session and provide feedback on changes and updates as well as get a live demo of the new Telehandler practical exam. One lucky participant, Elias, won a model crane generously donated by Liebherr.

Continuous Improvement in Testing

CCO was delighted to announce at CONEXPO that candidates would be permitted to use of handheld whiteboards during Online Proctored Test (OPT) and Event online Testing (EOT).

After receiving candidate feedback relating to the desire to utilize drawing features, CCO was pleased to announce that as of this month, candidates would be permitted to utilize a physical whiteboard for making drawings and note taking during the exam! This update was significant as scratch paper cannot be used in a secure testing environment.

Recognition Awards

CCO launched two new recognition programs at CONEXPO.

More than 60 employers were recognized for their commitment to safety through CCO certification. Companies recognized represent a broad spectrum of load handling equipment users including manufacturers, building supply, utilities, and site owners as well as crane rental and construction companies.

Multiple training providers that have shown their dedication to improving safety in the industry by promoting and providing training for CCO certification as the gold standard in the industry were also recognized. The following organizations and companies received the inaugural Training Provider Recognition awards:

• International Union of Operating Engineers
• Crane U
• Associated Training Services (ATS)
• Stephenson Equipment, Inc.
• Crawford Custom Consulting
• Heavy Equipment Colleges of America
• Crane Edge
• OVERTON Safety Training, Inc.
• Train for the Crane
• Nationwide Crane
• Crane Tech
• Herzog Construction, LLC

Seeking Volunteers

During CONEXPO, CCO announced plans to develop two new certifications programs during the event—a program for operators of side boom tractors and another for assembly/disassembly directors (A/D Directors).

Side Boom Operators

CCO has announced plans to develop a new certification program for operators of side boom tractors. This development is a result of multiple industry requests, a desire to bring safety to operators of this equipment who encounter unique challenges, and to ensure compliance with ASME B30.14 and OSHA.

Volunteers for the task force that will develop the new Side Boom Tractor Operator certification program are currently being sought, with a goal to begin program development in the fall. Subject matter experts from all aspects of the industry, including users, manufacturers, consultants, labor, government/regulatory, insurance, owners, and associations, are invited to apply for a seat on the task force. Those interested in applying will find more information and the application at www.nccco.org/SBTTF0323.

Assembly/Disassembly Director

In response to numerous industry requests, and to assist in meeting OSHA requirements, CCO plans to develop a certification for those serving as Assembly/Disassembly Directors (A/D Directors).

Volunteers for the task force that will develop the new CCO A/D Director certification program are currently being sought, with a view to program development beginning this fall. Subject matter experts from all aspects of the industry are invited to apply for a seat on the task force. For more information and to apply go to www.nccco.org/ADDTF0323.

Evaluators of Crane Operators Task Force Established

CCO is honored to announce that 19 industry experts have been selected to develop a new certification program for evaluators of crane operators. CCO is developing the new certification in response to the OSHA requirements and at the request of the industry. With the creation of the program, CCO hopes to bring some clarity and uniformity to evaluations, to make evaluations more reliable and defensible, and to establish a “gold standard” for the qualification of crane operator evaluators.

OSHA has made it clear that the evaluators of operators need to be qualified and that being certified as a crane operator does not necessarily meet this requirement. This has resulted in employers largely self-qualifying evaluators of crane operators under varying approaches. See the Task Force members at www.nccco.org/EvalTFset.