Employer Volume Recognition Awards: Advancing Workforce Safety Through CCO Certification
Employers throughout the lifting industry make daily decisions that directly affect their teams, overall jobsite safety, and operational consistency. One of the most visible efforts of this commitment is through certification. As part of an initiative to recognize employers in the industry who are promoting safety, CCO Certification identifies organizations are driving certification with its Employer Volume Recognition Awards program.
In its fourth year, the program recognizes employers based on certification activity as reported on candidate exam applications. This recognition reflects the number of employees within an organization that have pursued CCO Certification over the past year which provides a clear, data-driven view of employer participation across the industry.
The Role Employers Play in Workforce Readiness
OSHA regulations place significant emphasis on ensuring crane operators are qualified, and CCO Certification programs are widely recognized as being aligned with those requirements. For employers operating across multiple sites and jurisdictions, that alignment brings clarity. CCO Certification adds an additional safeguard that provides a structured, third-party assessment which supports consistency across crews and projects. This layered approach helps employers strengthen both compliance efforts and operational performance.
The lifting industry depends on individuals who can perform safely and effectively in complex environments and employers play a crucial role. From hiring decisions to workforce development strategies, employers determine how competence is established, verified, and maintained across jobsites.
By supporting employees in pursuing certification, employers are reinforcing the importance of third-party, accredited certifications like CCO. Certification provides a consistent framework for verifying that personnel meet nationally recognized standards, helping create alignment across teams and projects. While CCO serves as the certification body and does not provide training, employers are key component in encouraging and supporting certification as part of their broader approach to safety and workforce development.
Recognizing Industry Participation & Why This Matters
As jobsites grow more complex and the demand for qualified personnel continues to rise, the industry benefits when leading employers raise expectations and make competence visible. The takeaway is that when employers invest in certification, crews gain clearer standards, jobsites achieve more consistent performance, and the industry moves closer to safer outcomes.
Throughout 2026, CCO will recognize Employer Volume Recognition Award recipients during industry events, including presentations at CONEXPO. These moments provide an opportunity to acknowledge the organizations actively participating in certification and to highlight the role employers play in supporting a safer industry. Congratulations to the employers recognized by CCO in 2026! By investing in certification, these organizations help define the Gold Standard for competence, accountability, and safer jobsite outcomes across the industry. Thank you for being difference makers in the industry!
