Crane Operator Certificate Required When Working in BC Mines
The Ministry of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources is aware of changes in the BC Crane Operator Certification Scheme made since 2017. They will be working to update their policies regarding Limited Scope and Full Scope crane operator designations as Level D certification is no longer applicable.
For further information, please contact the Ministry directly.
The Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia is available online and provides regulatory guidance for mine sites in BC. The section on Miscellaneous Hoisting Equipment starts on page 172 of the Code. Below is an excerpt from the section on Miscellaneous Hoisting Equipment – Operation on page 175 of the Code.
Crane Operators
4.19.01
(1) On or before June 1, 2018 operators of mobile cranes, boom trucks, folding boom and tower cranes performing critical lifts as defined in section 14.1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 296/97, shall have a valid crane operator certification issued by a certifying agency acceptable to the chief inspector.
(2) On or before June 1, 2018, the manager shall ensure that workers performing occasional hoisting operations using mobile cranes, boom trucks, folding boom and tower cranes with a rated capacity equal to or grater than five tons or with a boom length of 25 feet or greater at a mine site are certified to Level D or equivalent of the British Columbia Crane Safety Association.
(3) The certification documents referred to in subsections (1) and (2) must be readily available for review by an inspector.
Current Federal Occupational Health and Safety Regulations require an operator to comply with provincial laws – excerpt below. See Division II Maintenance, Use and Operation for full details.
Qualifications
14.24 No employer shall require an employee to operate motorized or manual materials handling equipment unless the employee
(a) is an operator; and
(b) where the laws of the province in which the equipment is operated require an operator’s licence, possesses an operator’s licence issued by any province.
SOR/88-632, s. 62(F); SOR/96-400, s. 1.
