O’Rourke Wrecking earns crane safety designation

O’Rourke Wrecking, a Cincinnati-based demolition firm, is among about five dozen companies that have been recognized for safety efforts by the Fairfax, Virginia-based National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO).

The demo firm received a CCO 2023 Silver Employer Award. CCO says its Platinum, Gold and Silver  awards go to those companies “that have shown their commitment to improving safety through CCO certification.”

The award program was announced last year, and the awards issued this March are the inaugural batch. They are based on the volume of exams taken by employees based on data collected by CCO in 2022, says the organization.

In addition to O’Rourke Wrecking, other inaugural winners include Ford Motor Co., ExxonMobil, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Brookfield Renewable and LyondellBasell.

“We have been working very hard at Ford to provide the safest work environment, and CCO certification of our employees is instrumental in achieving those goals,” says for Ford Training and Development Leader Mary Waskul.

“CCO has been our go-to for crane and rigging certifications as it is in alignment with our company’s Goal Zero (zero accidents and incident goal) mentality,” says LyondellBasell Training Specialist Ricky Gracia.

CCO was formed in 1995 as an independent, non-profit organization by industrial companies to develop and administer a nationwide program for the certification of load handling equipment operators and related personnel.