NCCER Crane Assessment & Evaluation Methods 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's 2018 operator rule, what must an employer do in addition to confirming an operator's certification?
- Have the manufacturer sign off on the operator
- Nothing further if the certificate is valid
- Re-test the operator with a new written exam every month
- Evaluate the operator's skills and knowledge on the equipment to be used (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Evaluate the operator's skills and knowledge on the equipment to be used
Section 1926.1427 requires employers to evaluate operators on their ability to safely run the equipment for the assigned tasks.
Question 2: Which item must appear in the documentation of an employer's operator evaluation?
- The make, model, and configuration of the equipment used (Correct answer)
- The weather forecast for the evaluation day
- The crane's purchase price
- The operator's high school transcript
Correct answer: The make, model, and configuration of the equipment used
Evaluation records must include the operator's name, the evaluator's name and signature, the date, and the equipment make, model, and configuration.
Question 3: Who may conduct the employer's operator evaluation under OSHA 1926.1427?
- Only an OSHA compliance officer
- A person with the knowledge, training, and experience to assess operators (Correct answer)
- Only the crane's original owner
- Any coworker who has watched cranes operate
Correct answer: A person with the knowledge, training, and experience to assess operators
OSHA requires the evaluator to have the knowledge, training, and experience needed to assess equipment operators.
Question 4: Under OSHA, what is required for an operator-in-training to run a crane?
- Operating only at night
- Approval from a union steward
- Continuous monitoring by a qualified trainer (Correct answer)
- A valid certification on every crane type
Correct answer: Continuous monitoring by a qualified trainer
Operators-in-training may run equipment only under the continuous monitoring of an operator's trainer and within set limits.
Question 5: How must a signal person show they are qualified under OSHA 1926.1428?
- Have five years of operator experience
- Be the site superintendent
- Hold a commercial driver's license
- Pass an oral or written test and a practical test (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Pass an oral or written test and a practical test
Signal person qualification requires showing knowledge through an oral or written test and skill through a practical demonstration.
Question 6: What does it mean that a certification exam is 'criterion-referenced'?
- Candidates are scored against a fixed performance standard (Correct answer)
- Only the top 10% of candidates pass
- Scores are curved to fit a bell curve
- Candidates are ranked against each other
Correct answer: Candidates are scored against a fixed performance standard
Criterion-referenced tests judge each candidate against set competency standards, not against other test-takers.
Question 7: Why do certification bodies base their exam content on a job task analysis?
- To lower the passing score
- To make sure test items reflect real tasks operators perform (Correct answer)
- To avoid writing practical tasks
- To shorten the exam
Correct answer: To make sure test items reflect real tasks operators perform
A job task analysis supports content validity by linking exam items to the actual duties of crane operators.
