ESTA’s new European Crane Operators Licence looks set to sign a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the British Columbia Association for Crane Safety (BCACS) from Canada following a meeting of the ECOL Expert Committee earlier this month.
The expert meeting – held electronically due to COVID-19 – agreed to an alignment of standards between ECOL and the BCAS and the two sides are now drawing up a formal MRA. The agreement means that an ECOL licence and a BCACS licence will be interchangeable and operators holding them will be able to work in both territories.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “This shows the growing international interest in ECOL. Agreements like this will enhance crane operator training on a worldwide level. ECOL can improve both safety and employment flexibility, allowing good operators to work wherever they are needed – something that will be a significant plus for the big international operators.”
ECOL supporters hope that the BCAS agreement will eventually lead to similar deals being struck with the rest of Canada. ECOL’s first MRA was signed with the Netherlands late last year, and the organization hopes to have a further MRAs in place in the near future.