LICENSING OF CRANE CERTIFIERS

AUTHORITY: California Labor Code Sec. 7375 through 7384 and Title 8 California Code of Regulations Sec. 344.60 through 344.67 and 5021.

POLICY: It is the policy of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to require that any person engaging in the testing, examination and/or certification of cranes, including but not limited to tower cranes and derricks used in lifting services exceeding three tons rated capacity, obtain a crane certifier's license from the Division or be approved by the Division to work as a surveyor under a license issued by the Division.

PROCEDURES:

A. LICENSURE

A license to certify cranes and derricks may be obtained from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health by satisfying the requirements found on the crane certifier's license application form and by passing a written examination.

B. APPLICATION

1. Content

   An applicant for a crane certifier's license shall submit a completed application to the Division's Crane Unit and shall provide the following information as a part of the application process:

   1. The location of the applicant's principal place of business and the areas of the state where the crane certifier will conduct certifications;

   2. A statement specifying the type(s) of certification(s) the applicant desires to perform.

   3. A resume of the applicant, and every other person who is to be approved as a Surveyor. Each resume shall contain at a minimum the following information:
      1. Applicant's full name, mailing address and telephone number.

      2. Any relevant professional licenses, registrations and certifications possessed by the applicant.

      3. Applicant's complete educational history, including trade schools attended, manufacturers seminars attended and any other types of training.

      4. Applicant's complete work history establishing at least five (5) years crane and/or derrick-related work experience. The work history shall include the job duties performed in each employment, the name of each employer, his or her mailing address and telephone number, and the name, address and telephone number of the applicant's immediate supervisor's at that employment if the applicant was not immediately supervised by the employer.

      5. Descriptive details concerning testing instruments to be used by the applicant. Upon request by the Crane Unit, the applicant shall provide test reports or other verification of the accuracy of the testing instruments.

      6. At least three (3) personal references and at least three (3) business references.

2. Fees

   All applications shall be accompanied by the appropriate application and examination fees (see Section G).

3. Processing
   1. The Crane Unit shall notify the applicant in writing within thirty (30) working days of receipt of an application if the application is complete.

   2. If the application is incomplete, the Crane Unit shall notify the applicant that the application is deficient and what specific information or documentation is required to complete the application.

      NOTE: Incomplete applications shall be considered "pending" by the Crane Unit for 180 days after first being filed. After 180 days, the applicant shall be required to file a new application.

4. Approval or Denial
   1. Approval
      1. The Division shall notify the applicant within thirty (30) working days after a completed application is filed if the applicant has satisfied the minimum requirements for licensure, and if the applicant meets the eligibility requirements to take the written examination(s).

         NOTE: The Crane Unit may conduct an investigation to verify the information contained in the application.

      2. When an application has been approved and examination eligibility determined, the Crane Unit shall notify the applicant of the date, time and place of the written examination make shall every effort to accommodate the applicant's schedule.

   2. Denial

      If an applicant cannot satisfy the license application requirements, including eligibility to take the written examination, the Crane Unit shall notify the applicant in writing that his or her license application has been denied and shall specify the reasons for the denial in the notification letter.

      NOTE: A copy of the notification letter to the applicant shall be sent to the Deputy Chief for Health and Technical Services and the Chief. See Section for denial procedures.

C. EXAMINATIONS

1. Examination Eligibility
   1. Existing Crane Certifiers and Surveyors

      Individuals and agencies, and employees of those agencies, who have been licensed or approved by the Division as crane certifiers and possess an inactive Division certification number (e.g., A- 133 or A-176), shall be deemed qualified to take the required written examinations.

   2. New Applicants

      Any applicant seeking licensure as a crane certifier pursuant to §344.60 shall file an application with the Division's Crane Unit.

2. Types of Written Examinations
   1. General Knowledge Test (Type G)
      1. The General Knowledge Test includes the following subjects: general principles of operation, maintenance, repair, capacities, limitations, general characteristics, inspections, certifications, recordkeeping, and the regulations and references of the Division relating to cranes and derricks.

      2. The General Knowledge Test has a minimum of seventy (70) and a maximum of one hundred (100) questions.

   2. Bridge & Gantry Test (Type B&G)
      1. The Bridge & Gantry Test includes the following subjects: travelling or bridge cranes, storage cranes, gantry cranes, portal cranes, jib cranes, pillar cranes, pintle cranes, wall cranes, polar cranes, container cranes of rated capacity exceeding one ton, and any modifications of these types which retain their characteristic features except when an order is specific as to type of crane.

      2. The Bridge and Gantry Test has a minimum of fifty (50) questions and a maximum of (100) questions.

   3. Mobile Crane Test (Type M)
      1. The Mobile Crane Test includes the following subject: locomotive cranes, crawler cranes, motor truck cranes, both hydraulic and friction, boom-type excavators, derricks and any modification of these types which retain their characteristic mobility, except such units of one ton or less capacity and railway or automotive wrecking cranes and aerial devices designed and used for positioning personnel.

      2. The Mobile Crane Test has a minimum of fifty (50) questions and a maximum of (100) questions
      .
   4. The Tower Crane Test (Type T)
      1. The Tower Crane Test includes the following subjects: all cranes of the general type such as those having a revolving horizontal jib, fixed or luffing, and counterjib on a single vertical mast, as shown in 8 CCR §4885, Figures 16 and 17.

      2. The Tower Crane Test has a minimum of fifty (50) questions and a maximum of (100) questions.

3. Required Examinations
   1. All applicants are required to pass the General Knowledge Test prior to taking any of the specialty tests.

   2. All applicants are required to pass one or more of the specialty tests prior to certifying the type of crane or derrick covered by the that examination.

      NOTE: An applicant may take as many of the specialty tests as they wish so long as the applicant satisfies the examination eligibility criteria.

   3. An applicant shall take and pass the appropriate specialty examinations for the types of certifications which his or her Surveyor-employees are going to perform regardless of whether the applicant is actively certifying crane or derricks himself or herself.

4. Source of Examination Questions
   1. Examination questions are based on the following sources of information:
      1. Title 8 California Code of Regulations (8 CCR);

      2. American National Standards Institute Standards (ANSI);

      3. American Welding Society Standards (AWS);

      4. National Electrical Codes (NEC);

      5. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE);

      6. Crane Manufacturer's Association of America (CMAA);

      7. Power Crane & Shovel Association (PCSA);

   2. Examination questions may also be based on questions submitted by crane certifiers, surveyors, crane manufacturers and other relevant entities.

5. Examination Format
   1. Most of the examination questions will be of the multiple choice type. Five potential answers will usually be listed, and only one will be correct.

   2. Some questions will call for a true or false answer and some questions will call for a yes or no answer.

   3. Certain questions will utilize graphs, diagrams and charts. Graphical and chart materials shall be supplied by the examiner at time of examination and shall be collected at the end of the examination.

   4. Answer sheets separate from the examination shall be provided by the examination administrator to facilitate scoring.

6. Examination Location

   Examinations shall be held at locations throughout the state.

7. Examination Administration
   1. Types of Examinations

      Applicants are permitted to take more than one type of examination in during one testing session if time permits. A testing session may be more than one day in length.

   2. Administrator

      All crane certifier examinations shall be administered by Crane Unit Staff and other Division personnel, as appropriate.

   3. Rules
      1. No material may be brought into the examination room by applicants during the examination other than an electronic pocket calculator (which is subject to approval by examination administrator).

      2. All required graphs, charts, descriptive literature or other reference material needed to correctly answer questions will be supplied by the examination administrator.

      3. The examinee shall not remove any examination materials provided by the examination administrator or scratch paper or notes made by the examinee during the examination.

      4. If a examinee wishes to leave the examination room during the examination, all examination materials shall remain under the control of the examination administrator while the examinee is out of the examination room.

      5. Examinees shall not use telephones during the examination period.

      6. In the event that the applicant cannot complete the examination in the time allotted, the examination administrator shall determine whether the examination shall be continued or rescheduled.

         NOTE: Although no actual time limits have been placed on examination session, a determination by the examination administrator shall be final as to examination rescheduling

         .
      7. There will be no communication permitted between examinees during the examination. Any question(s) requiring clarification will be handled by the examination administrator.

      8. Any misunderstanding of the language or phrasing of any examination question shall be discussed with the examinee during the examination. If the examination administrator and the examinee cannot agree on the meaning of a particular question, the question shall be flagged and the matter shall be referred to the Deputy Chief for Health and Technical Services for resolution after the examination is completed.

      9. Violation of the above ground rules shall be deemed appropriate cause to terminate the examination, at the discretion of the examination administrator, and shall be cause for forfeiture of testing fees.

      10. A copy of these rules will be sent to the applicant with the notice of time and place of the examination. A written affirmation of these rules will be executed at time of examination.

8. Grading, Scoring and Notification of Results
   1. Review
      1. A review of the examination will be held with each examinee at the conclusion of the examination, whenever possible, to discuss missed questions.

      2. When review of the examination is not possible, notification of the examination results shall be made at the earliest possible date.

   2. Scoring
      1. All examinations are given on a "PASS-FAIL" basis.

      2. To pass a particular examination, the applicant must correctly answer 70% of the total number of answers attempted.

      3. All applicant scores shall be held in strictest confidence by the Crane Unit.

   3. Notification of Results
      1. Successful Applicants
         1. Each successful applicant shall be notified in writing by the Crane Unit that they have passed the examination(s) and shall be sent applicable licensing credentials within sixty (60) days of completion of the written examination.

         2. A license verification letter and a laminated Identification Card shall be issued to each successful applicant.

         3. The designations "B&G," "M" and "T" shall appear on the ID cards to reflect the certifier's or surveyor's scope of practice.

      2. Unsuccessful Applicants

         Each unsuccessful applicant shall be notified in writing by the Crane Unit that they did not pass the examination(s) and sent an application for retesting.

9. Retesting
   1. Any applicant who fails to pass any of the required examinations shall be given an opportunity to retake the examinations(s) at no additional fee.

      NOTE: Reexaminations after the first retest shall be subject to applicable examination fees.

   2. All retesting shall be conducted within thirty (30) days from the date the unsuccessful examination was administered.
      1. For applicants identified as "Existing Certifiers", the applicant may continue to certify during the period between examinations.

      2. For new applicants, no credentials shall be issued until the application and examination have been successfully completed.

10. Examination Security
    1. All examination materials shall be kept secure.

    2. Proposed questions for the various tests will be maintained in a locked filing system.

    3. Any examination-related data, such as lists of examinees, examinations, mailing lists and other related materials shall be maintained on computer diskettes under a security system controlled by the Crane Unit. Copies of all examinations given shall be maintained in secure files for the duration of the crane certifier's license period plus five years.

1. Period of Licensure

   A crane certifier's license shall be valid for three (3) years.

2. Renewals
   1. Application for renewal shall be submitted to the Crane Unit not less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of license expiration.

   2. Since the interval for written testing is six (6) years, each second such renewal requires a license applicant and surveyor to successfully pass the General Knowledge and applicable specialty examinations in order to continue to function as crane certifiers and surveyors.

E. CRANE CERTIFIER RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Certification
   1. Supervision
      1. All testing, examinations, inspections, heat treatments, repairs and recordkeeping procedures, with the exception of purely clerical duties, shall be carried out only by the licensed certifier or persons designated in the licensing process.

      2. Certifiers who do not possess a Professional Engineer's license in the State of California may contract with an engineer who meets Title 8 Safety Order requirements to supervise their certification activities. Such contractual arrangement shall be a condition of the maintenance of accreditation.

   2. Testing
      1. Test Equipment Accuracy

         The certifier shall ensure that dynamometers or other test equipment used for certification be tested for accuracy by adhering to the period specified for servicing by the manufacturer.

         NOTE: All equipment testing shall be conducted in accordance with the National Bureau of Standards or other applicable authority.

      2. Testing Reports

         Where test equipment is not the property of the certifier or the surveyor, test reports shall be made a part of the certifier's or surveyor's records and shall be made available upon request for inspection by the Crane Unit.

      3. Proof Load Test

         A copy of each certificate relating to annual examination and/or unit proof load test is required to be available with each crane or derrick, or at the work site.

   3. Signature

      All certifications for cranes and derricks, proof load test documents and Notice of Crane Safety Deficiencies, shall be signed by the licensee or surveyor who actually performed the work. If the certificating agency does not wish to issue a certification unless it has been signed by an officer of the agency, then that officer may co- sign the certification with the Surveyor.

2. Reporting Crane Safety Deficiencies

   A certifier shall complete and forward a Notice of Crane Safety Deficiencies (IS-162) to the Crane Unit to the Crane Unit whenever a crane certifier discovers during a certification inspection of a crane or derrick that the crane or derrick has deficiencies affecting its safe operation. See P&P C-27B.

3. Recordkeeping

   A certifier shall maintain records of all work performed for each certification, including reports of tests performed by others, e.g., non-destructive testing, heat treating and other tests, at the certifier's principal place of business. Upon request, the certifier shall make available to the Crane Unit all records for examination.

   NOTE: The certifier shall not co-mingle test applications and other materials related to the Crane Certifier Testing Program in the general business files maintained for and by each Certifier and Surveyor.

   NOTE: Any certifier's failure to comply with duties under 8 CCR §§4884 through 5035 shall be grounds for suspension or revocation of a certifier's or surveyor's credentials to certify cranes. See P&P C-27A.

1. A Surveyor may transfer his or her accreditation from one Certifier to another providing the following conditions are met:

   NOTE: A surveyor is an individual who is licensed as a crane certifier but can only inspect, examine and certify cranes under the supervision of a licensed crane certifier.

   1. An application is made to the Crane Unit stating the reason for requesting the transfer of credentials and the date of the transfer, and shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee.

   2. The surveyor is not under investigation or suspension by the Division.

2. If the date of the requested transfer is more than six (6) months from the date on which the surveyor will be required to requalify by retesting, no further retesting will be required.

   NOTE: The test date to be used to determine the retesting date shall be the oldest credential the surveyor possesses, since not all surveyors take all tests at the same time. Some certification credentials may have been added after original testing date.

G. FEES

1. Application Fee  $250.00

2. Test Fees
   1. General Knowledge   $190.00

   2. Bridge & Gantry Crane   $190.00

   3. Mobile Crane Test   $190.00

   4. Tower Crane Test   $190.00

3. Renewal of License   $ 75.00

4. Transfer of Credentials   $ 50.00

5. Replacement/Lost Credentials   $ 20.00

NOTE: Applicants may take as many specialty examinations as time permits during an examination session if the applicant has been accepted to the examination session and has paid the $250.00 application fee and $190.00 for the General Test and one Specialty Test. Any additional tests taken will be at the rate of $190.00 each. However, when three (3) or four (4) tests are taken at one examination session, the maximum testing fee will be $380.00.

H. ROSTER OF CRANE CERTIFIERS

1. A roster of Licensed Crane Certifiers is available to the public from the Crane Unit for a standard reproduction charge.

2. The Roster of Licensed Crane Certifiers shall be sent by the Crane Unit to each Regional and District Office in January and July of every year.

I. MONITORING OF CRANE CERTIFIERS AND COMPLAINTS AGAINST CRANE CERTIFIERS

See P&P C-27A.