Unions say they saw the rules coming and retooled their programs in time for enforcement last year. “We were at a point where we were ready to go,” says Liz Nadeau, associate general counsel for the operating engineers' union.

Even so, because of the subtle differences in training requirements, testing and semantics, “we believe that some of our big clients are going to be baffled by what a qualified rigger or signalperson is,” says George S. Young, president and fourth-generation owner of 142-year-old mechanical contractor George Young Co., Swedesboro, N.J.

Young didn't want to leave room for error, so last year he opted to go above and beyond OSHA requirements by having his company's riggers and signalers—around 130 people in all—certified by a third party even though they are already qualified through their local unions. Each certification took six to eight hours of training and another eight hours of testing. The cost was huge.

“Even though it's a significant outlay initially, over a five-year period of time it's less than 50¢ an hour,” says Young. “It's a small price to pay to avoid one single accident.”

Larger employers may not find it practical to certify every worker. San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp. has sent senior employees to train-the-trainer classes and contracted with outside companies to provide on-site training so it could get a larger workforce up to speed quickly.

“We've got lots of projects going on across the country,” says Ernest Mitchell, Bechtel's manager of construction engineering and technology in Frederick, Md. “When we call a union hall, as an example, we are looking for qualified people coming through the gate. We wouldn't assume that those programs would be qualified, so we recognized that we had to set up training in the interim.” Mitchell continues, “Ultimately, it is up to the employer to ensure that the people are qualified to do what we are assigning them to do.”

Construction activities change from project to project; employers should perform a job-task analysis to make sure workers are properly trained to rig loads and signal cranes, experts say. “In a lot of cases, it's almost a documentation issue rather than a training issue,” says Larry Kime, a senior trainer for the Crane Inspection and Certification Bureau, Orlando, Fla.

Is it better to certify or qualify? Either idea may fly. Says the OSHA official, “I'm not sure we really have a preference one way or another, as long as people get the training that they need to do the job.”