On November 16, 2023, the NCCCO Foundation and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO) entered into a formal agreement with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through the OSHA Alliance Program. The aim of this alliance is to keep the industry informed of OSHA’s applicable safety-related initiatives.

The individuals signing the agreement in Washington, DC, were T.J. Cantwell – Executive Director, NCCCO Foundation, Thom Sicklesteel – Chief Executive Officer, CCO, and Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA

Under the OSHA Alliance agreement, the NCCCO Foundation, CCO, and OSHA will work together on several initiatives aimed at improving safety in the crane industry, including:

• Sharing industry alerts
• Encouraging industry participation in and support of OSHA events and programs
• Convening roundtable discussions and stakeholder meetings on crane industry safety
• Providing opportunities for OSHA to speak and participate in industry meetings and events
• Raising awareness of resources and tools that will assist operators in compiling with OSHA regulations
• Sharing information on updates to OSHA load handling regulations and enforcement such as certification and evaluation requirements
• Developing surveys for candidate base segments and sharing survey results
• Encouraging key CCO test sites to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to promote safety and awareness 

Additionally, the alliance will coordinate opportunities for training of OSHA compliance staff focused on operator qualification, certification standards, and jobsite responsibilities as well as equipment demonstrations or innovations. The member organization will also encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by engaging with industry experts, including but not limited to representatives from CCO, and the NCCCO Foundation, to ensure that resources and training materials/programs developed and offered through this alliance are designed and made available to meet the needs of stakeholders.