Knuckle Boom Cranes or Picker Trucks, Articulated Loader Cranes, whatever the term you have heard or know, the irony in Alberta, and many other provinces, is that unless the crane picks up more than 16,000 pounds, you are not required to have a “ticketed” operator (someone who is in the provincial apprenticeship program), however in Alberta, we have a very large concentration of small pickers and sadly, with that we also have the the highest “incident” rate simply due to the large population. I’ve come across many companies that feel they don’t need the operators to be trained in any manner, it’s much like saying that we believe in safety…kind of. That mindset is one that will get that business
Proper Crane Operators – Knuckle Booms Only
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s in the companies best interest to provide the proper crane operator familirization program for anyone who is operating the knuckle boom crane. Sadly I’ve seen it first hand an accident where it was totally preventable but instead, the operator took a short-cut and while he didn’t loose his life, he came very close but I am hopeful that the “take-away” was a life long lesson on setting up the crane truck responsibly. I’ve only come across 2-other companies that offer knuckle boom crane operator training and one is Fulford group in B.C. I highly recommend them for anyone in B.C who is looking for training, they meet the BCACS standard