Signal-Rite, LLC, Seeks National Certification

Verbal crane signal company Signal-Rite, LLC, Hayward, Calif., is now offering an eight-hour signal training course, for which it is seeking national certification.

The verbal signal training program includes a written exam and a practical exam. While taking the practical exam, the student must show they have complete control over the hoist by landing the load in two target areas within one-and-a-half minutes and verbally signaling an operator in the blind back and forth through a zigzag course within three minutes.

If the test is taken at Signal-Rite's yard in Hayward, a mobile crane with cardboard completely covering the windows is used for the practical exam. “The operator is doing this entirely in the blind and doing as he is told by the signaler,” said Jeff York, president of Signal-Rite. “If he is using the wrong signals or knocks down pylons, he loses points. Going out of course and circumventing any dangerous or unsafe act is an automatic fail.”

Students must score a 70% to pass the course, but York said, “No one has gotten 100% yet.” Upon finishing the class, the student will receive a numbered certificate of completion.

York also noted that he is going through the process of registering the Signal-Rite training program with a certification organization, such as IAI or NCCA, and the company has applied to become a permanent test site for NCCCO. Additionally, Signal-Rite will offer OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour training courses. York said his next step is purchasing a simulator to include in his crane operator training.

To help with the training, York recently brought on Steve Turner, a former crane operator turned safety and risk management professional. Turner owns his own risk consulting company, Turner Risk Consulting, which works closely with insurance carriers and their policyholders to develop and implement risk control/safety programs. Additionally, Turner is a Fed-OSHA construction safety trainer, NCCCO practical examiner, and associate in risk management.

In other news, York's equipment company, Barbary Coast Crane & Hoist, Hayward, Calif., which he owns with his wife, Dale York, has been named a distributor for Kroll Cranes, manufacturer of the largest tower crane in the world. York said he is available to work with new clients across the United States. One of his goals is to capture the Hawaiian Islands market. Other products distributed by Barbary Coast include the Magic Arm, the Magic Bucket, Insulatus, and the Sunshine Super-Bar.

For more information on Signal-Rite, LLC, or Barbary Coast Crane & Hoist, visit www.barbarycoastcrane.com.