Whether you want training and certification in as little as two hours with our online training or a more robust, customizable option like you get with our DIY training kits or on-site training, we can help you get the training certificate you need in the way you want it and at a price you can afford.
Over the years various types of overhead cranes and chain hoists have been manufactured for specific purposes. Each is better suited to handle certain jobs when compared to others. For this reason, it is vital you understand what type of overhead crane is best for the job you will be performing.
Generally speaking, when people are looking for overhead crane training and certification for their crane operators, there are five main types of overhead cranes they are referring to: overhead cranes, chain hoists, bridge cranes, mobile gantry cranes and jib cranes.
Our overhead crane training kit and our online overhead crane training courses cover all of these to one degree or another.
Canada requires overhead crane safety training (bridge crane training) for overhead crane and hoist operators — on that, there is no question. Where confusion exists is how often operators need overhead crane refresher training or re-certification. Outside of the initial safety training class, it is common to see companies set re-certification every three years. We are one of them. And here’s why:
As far as this 3-year overhead crane safety training certification goes, Canada regulations are very specific when it comes to forklifts and a couple of other pieces of equipment. However, on everything else they are not so clear. They just state the employer must regularly provide safety training for their overhead crane operators. Following industry best practices, we’ve adopted this 3-year term in order to help employers comply with the general standard of regularly providing and proving overhead crane training. Ultimately, it is up to the employer to determine how frequently their overhead crane operators need to be trained. Many of our customers require it more often, annually even. Others may stretch it out a bit. In working with Canada, though, it is our experience that they like to see employers adopt the strictest standard when the regulations are not clear. For instance, we know of companies that didn’t train every three years and were reprimanded by Canada for not offering additional training more often. It is not uncommon for Canada to refer to the forklift standard as the pattern by which training should be carried out for other pieces of equipment. On a side note, Canada is slowly but surely making training requirements specific for other pieces of equipment so there are no gray areas. Mobile cranes and aerial lifts, for instance, are all undergoing potential changes to the regulations that will reference training specifically.
So, with that in mind, we say overhead crane operators must be re-evaluated every three years to determine if they are still competent enough to operate. We also state that this every-three-year overhead crane operator evaluation is the maximum time that should be allowed to pass before an operator receives overhead crane certification. According to Canada, there are several instances that will require additional bridge crane training and observation before the three year period is up:
No matter how long you’ve been on the job, Canada requires overhead crane safety training, a written exam, and a practical overhead crane evaluation. There is no way around it. This goes for other types of overhead cranes too. The extent of the classroom training can be adapted by the instructor according to student needs. The written exam proves mental competency and understanding of the safety principles taught. And the practical evaluation proves the scissor lift operator not only understands but is capable of operating the machine safely. In the opinion of many, the practical evaluation is of the greatest overall value, but all components are necessary. Our overhead crane online courses and our overhead crane safety training kits both meet these requirements and include exams.
This, above all, causes a lot of confusion. Bottom line, Canada states that employers are responsible to train their employees. Generally speaking, there are three ways they can do this:
In terms of using a 3rd part of an employee safety training companies materials (like our overhead crane training PowerPoint kits or our training classes online) Canada does not recognize one company over another. They simply state that ‘training needs to occur’ and ‘here are the things an aerial lift operator should be trained on.’
When we do live training or offer aerial lift training online, people often assume we are the ones certifying the trainees. This is not true for any training company. We are simply assisting the employer by providing live aerial lift training or the training materials needed to help them aerial lift certify their employees.
The online overhead crane class covers Canada requirements for the classroom portion. Many employers prefer online training because they know exactly what overhead crane safety training the operator will receive. In live classes, the training sometimes varies. A written exam is included at the end of our online training courses. After the overhead crane class and exam are finished, you and your safety managers will have immediate access to a practical evaluation checklist. This can be printed off and used by your supervisor to help him or her evaluate you on the overhead crane. When done, they can sign it and file it with your exam. This will satisfy Canada requirements for overhead crane certification.