WorldWide Drilling Resource

14 FEBRUARY 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Focus on CONEXPO- CON/AGG 2014 Once every three years, the con- struction world unites at the international CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition. Over 2400 exhibitors from every major con- struction industry including asphalt, aggregates, concrete, earthmoving, lift- ing, mining, utilities, and more will be in attendance. Make plans to attend this year’s event at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 4-8. Your WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Team will be in the Grand Lobby at booth 20104 , so make sure you stop by and say hello! CONEXPO-CON/AGG also offers a comprehensive education program with over 100 sessions covering industry issues and trends, management, and technology. The sessions are grouped into ten tracks: aggregates, asphalt, business manage- ment best practices, concrete, crane & rigging, earthmoving & site development, equipment management & maintenance, recycling & preservation, safety & regula- tions, as well as workforce development. Maximize your schedule by utilizing the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 mobile app to navigate the exhibits and look up education sessions. Also new for 2014, to help you see more and walk less, this year’s event will feature shuttle service, knowledge- able onsite guides to help answer any questions, and new internal routes get you from one product area to another much faster. For more information on the show, visit www.conexpoconagg.com IF IT’S NEW, IT’S HERE! CIC to Certify Operators of Service/Mechanics Trucks Adapted from Information Provided by CIC Service/Mechanics trucks can be found in mines, oil and gas fields, and practically anywhere heavy equipment or machinery is working. These rolling toolboxes are often equipped with a winch and crane package; therefore, users of service/mechanics trucks need to be qualified to use this equipment. In an attempt to help employers document the qualifications of mechan- ics using service/mechanics trucks, Crane Institute Certification (CIC), based in Villa Rica, Georgia, is releasing a new certification program for this type of equipment. “An employer ’s responsibility to train and qualify workers using cranes is as important as ever. Accredited cer- tification programs relevant to various equipment types provide employers with a reliable means of validating workers’ ski l ls, knowledge, and abi l ity,” said Debbie Dickinson, executive director of CIC. If the crane on a truck has capacity greater than one ton, and is used for anything other than assisting in the repair of heavy equipment, the opera- tor must be certified. However, if the operator is exempt from certification in all cases, he or she still needs to be qualified to use a crane. Testing from CIC covers both scenarios, explained Bill Schofield, chairman of the multi- purpose equipment committee and technical consultant to Crane Institute of America. The following hazards specific to operators of service/mechanics trucks were identified by CIC subject matter experts: @ Operating on soft ground @ Working near power lines @ Lifting a variety of load weights and shapes @ The presence of vehicle and pedestrian traffic Operators are tested on their abili- ty to manage these and other hazards through written and practical tests, including proper truck set-up when used as a crane and how to determine crane capability. Operators who have completed mobile crane operator certification can add designations for service/mechan- ics trucks by successfully completing a written exam for these specific cate- gories. WWDR enjoyed seeing see the ChemGrout Team at the 2011 CONEXPO-CON/AGG event. Failing to plan is planning to fail.