Crane Rental hosts second NCCCO examiner workshop

Crane Rental Corporation, Orlando, FL, hosted its second NCCCO Practical Examiners Workshop, February 10-12. Eighteen participants from as far away as Alaska attended the event.

“It's all part of our safety team's overall strategy,” said Crane Rental owner Alan Ashlock. “Our company has strongly supported NCCCO for many years and sponsored our first workshop in 2000.”

Gary Campbell, the company's general manager, indicated that 80% of the firm's crane operators were already CCO-certified.

“ With seven practical examiners on staff,” Campbell said, “our goal is to reach 100% certified.”

Crane Rental, which has been in business for over 45 years, operates 65 cranes, up to a 550 ton model. “Often we are involved in high exposure critical lifts,” Campbell said. “Qualified and certified crane operators are paramount for our operations.”

The firm recently rolled a 300 ton Manitowoc 2250 into place as part of NASA's “Return to Flight” program. Maintenance and refurbishment was provided to the Space Shuttle Launch Tower at Kennedy Space Center. Also provided at the center was a new 415 Peiner tower crane erected at 600 feet, one of the tallest ever utilized in the United States. The tower helped in the re-roofing of one of America's largest buildings, the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.

Crane Rental also recently provided the lift at Sea World for the transfer of a 5,000 pound whale on its way to I Spain, along with other ongoing projects at the park. Other past and present lifts include work at other Florida theme parks, as well as industrial projects all lover the Southeast.

Company safety director Mike Smith explained that CCO-certified crane operators were “all part of our company's safety culture.”

“High exposure, critical lifts, and NCCCO all go together as part of Crane Rental Corporation's commitment to job site safety and health,” he said.