CIC earns ANSI accreditation for mobile crane operator certifications

Crane Institute Certification (CIC) has achieved accreditation for four of its crane operator certification programs from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under its personnel certification accreditation program.

The accredited schemes include Crane Operator: Large Telescoping Boom Crane, Over 75 Tons, Crane Operator: Lattice Boom Crawler/Truck Crane, 1-300 Tons, Crane Operator: Medium Telescoping Boom Crane, 21-75 Tons, and Crane Operator: Small Telescoping Boom Crane, Under 21 Tons. CIC is now accredited by both the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and ANSI.

“To earn ANSI accreditation, CIC participated in a rigorous review process that included submission of more than 11,000 pages of documentation for multiple levels of certifications that escalate by operator skill and knowledge. During the process, which included on-site audits by ANSI assessors, ANSI commended CIC for its policies and procedures for written and practical exams. They also spoke highly of CIC’s subject matter knowledge and client-sensitive approach,” said Debbie Dickinson, CIC executive director.

The commendation states: “CIC is to be commended for its rigorous application of policies and procedures in the administration of written and practical examinations onsite. All staff involved and observed were extremely knowledgeable and client-sensitive, while maintaining standards of fairness and security throughout the process.”

ANSI accredits personnel certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17024, which is an international standard that has also been nationally adopted as an American National Standard. Accreditation to an international standard is important for certification bodies that have global aspirations. CIC is already recognized by WorkSafe BC and BC Association for Crane Safety for reciprocal certification with British Columbia, and has been asked by companies in other nations to certify operators.

In addition to the ANSI accreditation, CIC recently fulfilled all requirements related to maintaining its five year re-accreditation by the NCCA.

“Earning accreditation by both ANSI and NCCA is a validation of CIC’s certification exam development and administration processes. Employers, contractors, and government entities can be confident that CIC certification represents a high standard for assessing and qualifying an operator’s knowledge, skills, and abilities,” said Mike Parnell, CIC secretary and treasurer, and president of Industrial Training International.

As a result of the ANSI accreditation process, CIC implemented new continuous improvements to better serve the crane and rigging industry. CIC completely updated its internal audit systems to further elevate its outstanding customer service and flexibility to meet the needs of the industry. In 2013 CIC added the capability to provide same-day scoring on practical exams, using electronic transmissions. Paperwork was streamlined while security protocols were improved. Working through the ANSI accreditation process helped CIC identify other areas of improvement and ways to reduce certification costs for new programs that are anticipated for release by year end.