NCCCO to develop telehandler certification

In response to industry efforts to comply with OSHA’s operator certification requirements, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) has announced plans to develop a new certification program for operators of telehandlers.

OSHA requires a certified operator when these machines use a winch. NCCCO is developing this program so that users can meet federal certification requirements and garner the same increased safety benefits that users of other equipment have seen through certification. NCCCO’s expertise in the development of certification programs in the load handling industry and the widespread adoption of its programs make it the ideal organization to develop such a certification program.

Volunteers for the Task Force that will develop the new Telehandler Operator certification program are currently being sought, with a view to program development beginning this summer. 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 who would like to participate on the Task Force are encouraged to complete the application at nccco.org/TelehandlerTF.

Experts in their respective fields will staff the Task Force and will be guided by NCCCO’s psychometricians. Other experts will serve as item writers to develop the actual exam questions. As with the current NCCCO certification programs, a professional job task analysis will be conducted to serve as the foundation for exam development activities.

NCCCO Director of Certification & Credentialing Bob Mahlman stated that development of the new certification program would begin in the third quarter of 2020 and continue throughout 2021. “We are developing a schedule where the development of the program could be complete within 18 months of our first meeting,” he said.

Like all other certification programs that NCCCO has developed, this new Telehandler Operator program will rely on three major resources.

“The new program will draw on industry support, subject matter expertise, and psychometric guidance,” said Mahlman. “All elements of the new program will be developed according to the same strict psychometric standards that are a hallmark of all of NCCCO’s certification programs. The resulting certification process will be fair, valid, reliable, and legally defensible.”