In January of 1995, following the 1989 San Francisco tower crane collapse, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators.. NCCCO (www.nccco.org)  was founded as an independent, not for profit, organization to promote the training and certification of crane operators. The organization was established to promote safe crane operating practices and has developed over the years to cover the following specialties:

· Mobile cranes

· Tower cranes

· Overhead cranes

· Signal persons

· Riggers

The NCCCO is made up of crane manufacturers, crane operators and rental companies, construction management companies and Labor Unions. The NCCCO is federally recognized by OSHA and the DOE and is approved by the Dept of Education, Dept of Defense and the Dept of Veterans Affairs. In addition it’s courses are accredited by ANSI, NCCA and the National Skills Standards Board.

In February of 2009 the NCCCO and the ACCNA (Articulating Crane Council of North America) which is a division of the NTEA (Natioanal Truck Equipment Association) announced plans to cooperatively develop a certification program for truck mounted articulating boom cranes. When completed the NCCCO will administer the final certification program. It is the intention to start certifying articulating crane operators in 2009. Written exams for crane operator training inspectors are currently in development.
The following States have adopted the NCCCO program in advance, being: WV,HI,NJ,CA,MT,MN,NV,UT,WA and the following State have proposed adopting the standards, being: FL,PA,MD,IA.
Articulating crane operator certification will be classed as a stand alone certification designed to cover the unique operating characteristics of articulating cranes. Certification will include successful completion of a written exam, a practical test and agreement to abide by a Code of Ethics.