SC&RA Supports Calculator Use during CCO Written Exams

Acting upon a recommendation of SC&RA's Crane & Rigging Governing Committee, the Association's Board of Directors has taken the position that calculators should be permitted during written examinations administered by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO). According to the latest issue of the organization's newsletter, the committee reached its decision after considerable discussion at the November Crane & Rigging Workshop and the January Board & Committee Meetings concerning the advantages and disadvantages of calculator use during testing.

On February 22, SC&RA President Jerry Thomsen sent a letter to CCO Director Graham Brent to formally request his organization change its procedures to allow the use of calculators to satisfy the requirement to exhibit arithmetic skills during the exams. Thomsen also wrote to ASME B30 Secretary Joseph Wendler at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, asking for a revision of the standard that prohibits the use of calculators to satisfy the arithmetic-skills requirement. The association will report further developments on this issue as they materialize.