Tower Crane Count: Washington State Tops the List with Certification Deadlines Looming
Seattle will very, very likely NOT be topping the charts as the United States' most populated city any time soon, (it currently checks in at 20 per WorldAtlas). However, Seattle DOES take the number one spot in another all important category. The massive increase in demand for condos and apartments in the city is the main force in leading Seattle to its new title: Tower Crane Capital of America. With 62 cranes towering over the city (as of year end 2016), Seattle tops the list ahead of Chicago, with 56 (Rosenberg, 2017).
The Crane Index Report, conducted by construction consultants Rider, Levett, and Bucknall, showed a 43% increase in crane count in Seattle between February 2015 and February 2016 with the main growth factor being more than 9,000 residential units added over three years and no peak expected in the near future (RLB, 2016). Similarly, the January 2017 report showed optimism expressing that as soon as cranes are disassembled, they are again erected at another site with a waiting list on construction projects. The latest report shows that increased pressure for housing and the influx of high-tech industry businesses has kept the tower cranes busier than ever (RLB, 2017).
Washington State doesn't just house the Tower Crane Capital of the United States; it also ranks highly in the industry for other reasons. In the crane and rigging industry, Washington makes several more of the "top" lists released in 2016, by The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). Washington is the 5th highest paying state in the country for mobile and tower crane operators. Working with these crane operators are some talented and skilled riggers who act as the eyes and ears of many a tower crane operator. It makes sense then that the BLS ranks Washington as the 5th highest paying state for Riggers as well. The State also makes the top 5 lists for states with the highest concentration of jobs and local quotient for Riggers (BLS, 2017).
With an optimistic construction forecast for both Seattle and Portland and a shortage of operators, Industrial Training International (iti.com) is poised to assist riggers, lift planners, and operators to improve their skills and gain the required* certification needed as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) deadline for construction crane and derrick operator certification nears. Third-party certification is a “portable” option in which the “employer who employs an operator may rely on that operator’s certification as evidence of compliance with the crane standards operator certification requirement. This certification option also is the only one that is available to all employers” (OSHA, 2014).
*More information on the November 2017 OSHA ruling is available here.
Courses both at ITI Training Centers and at Customer Locations provide maximum flexibility when it comes to training options, that will comply with OSHA’s Final Rule on Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Certification.
NCCCO Moble Crane Operator Certification Prep Courses from ITI are available via the following methods:
- Instructor Led Course at Customer Location
- Instructor Led Course at ITI Training Centers
- On-Demand E-Learning
- Virtual Reality (VR) Simulations
For additional information or questions, please contact info@iti.com or call 800.727.6355.
Sources:
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). (2014, September 26). Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Certification. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FEDERAL_REGISTER&p_id=24749
Rider, Levett, Bucknall. (2016 February, 22). Residential Sector Continues to Dominate North American Construction Market, Reports RLB’s Latest Crane Index. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://rlb.com/en/news/2016-02-22-residential-sector-continues-to-dominate-north-american-construction-market-reports-rlb%E2%80%99s-latest-crane-index%C2%AE/
Rider, Levett, Bucknall. (2017 January). RLB Crane Index North America January 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://assets.rlb.com/production/2017/02/01000131/2017-01-Crane-Index.pdf
Rosenberg, M. (2017 January 23). Seattle is again crane capital of America, but lead is shrinking. The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-is-again-crane-capital-of-america-but-lead-is-shrinking/
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2017, March 31). Occupational Employment Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016 49-9096 Riggers. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes499096.htm
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2017, March 31). Occupational Employment Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016 53-7021 Crane and
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