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821 Cranes and Derricks Safety II
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Certification Validity

A valid certification can only be issued by an "accredited crane operator testing organization." To qualify for this title, the testing organization must be accredited by a "nationally recognized accrediting agency." During the rulemaking, OSHA identified two organizations qualified as "nationally recognized accrediting agencies:" the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These organizations have accredited several testing organizations, and their websites identify the organizations they have accredited. A testing organization's accreditation must be reviewed at least every three years.

Limitations

An operator is qualified to operate a particular piece of equipment if the operator is certified for that type and capacity of equipment or for higher-capacity equipment of that type.

For example, an operator certified for a 100-ton hydraulic crane may operate a 50-ton hydraulic crane but not a 200-ton hydraulic crane.

If no accredited testing agency offers certification examinations for a particular type and/or capacity of equipment, an operator is considered to be qualified to operate that equipment if the operator has been certified for the type/capacity that is most similar to that equipment and for which a certification examination is available.

The operator's certificate must state the type/capacity of equipment for which the operator is certified.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

4-2. An operator certified for a 100-ton hydraulic crane may operate a _____.