Fred Simmons

The NCCCO Foundation board of directors has named Fred Simmons chair of the crane type advisory group (CTAG) following the retirement of Dave Ritchie.

Simmons takes up his new position immediately, according to NCCCO Foundation President Garry Higdem, who made the announcement.

"Dave leaves behind an outstanding legacy for which we are all enormously grateful," said Higdem. "And we are equally confident that Fred will continue that legacy for the betterment of industry and all those whose work brings them into contact with cranes and rigging."

Simmons is inspection and training manager of Foley Material Handling Co., Ashland, Va. He has more than 40 years' experience as a crane inspector, service manager and instructor in a wide range of industries including power stations (nuclear, fossil and water), railroads, maritime (including cargo handling and shipbuilding) and manufacturing, as well as numerous government and military installations.

He is approved by, and has signatory authority from, the U.S. Department of Labor to inspect and certify shore-based material handling equipment, and performs inspections on all types of material handling devices. He manages inspection, service and training personnel on daily job tasks and assignments, and is responsible for developing and presenting all Foley student training materials.

Simmons is an active member of the Crane Certification Association of America (CCAA), serves on the Service and Safety Committee of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), and is an NCCCO Commissioner. He also is a member of two NCCCO Exam Management Committees: for Crane Inspectors and Overhead Crane Operators, which he also chairs.

Since it was established five years ago, CTAG has made more than 30 determinations as to the "most similar" certification applicable to operators of types of cranes for which no specific accredited operator certification is available.

"With the recent publication of OSHA's revised Compliance Directive that includes specific guidance to compliance officers as to how to implement federal crane operator qualifications, we anticipate increased requests from employers as to which certification is the most appropriate," added Higdem. "And we are confident, given the unrivaled breadth and depth of the experience of the subject matter experts who serve on the committee, that CTAG will be able to provide that guidance."

For more information, visit www.ncccofoundation.org.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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