Ensuring your crew is properly trained and qualified is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain safety, reduce risk, and stay compliant on the job site. When it comes to load handling, hoisting, and signaling operations, rigging certification isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s often essential.
If you’re exploring how to get rigging certification for your team, this guide breaks down the most common credentials, who needs them, and how to train your crew efficiently and effectively.
Why Rigging Certification Matters
Rigging involves high-stakes lifts, heavy equipment, and real-time decision-making. Certification ensures your team is equipped to handle these responsibilities safely and in line with OSHA 1926.1404, ASME, and site-specific standards and requirements.
Why employers invest in rigging certification:
- Regulatory compliance: OSHA requires that riggers be qualified for the tasks they perform. Certification is one reliable way to verify that qualification.
- Worksite safety: Certified riggers are trained to spot hazards, follow best practices, and avoid common mistakes, preventing injury, death and costly downtime.
- Operational readiness: Credentials offer documented proof that your team is equipped to perform critical work with confidence and skill, preventing project delays and shortening upskilling time.
Having certified riggers on site helps reduce errors, minimize downtime, avoid failed inspections, and lower liability risk. Most nationally recognized credentials, such as those offered by National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), are valid for five years, though refresher training is often recommended when roles, equipment, or job conditions change.
Types of Rigging Credentials for Teams
The right credential depends on your team’s responsibilities, your industry, and what clients or contracts require. Below are the most common paths, along with how ITI supports each one.
NCCCO Rigging Certification
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) offers the most widely recognized credentials in the U.S. for rigging and signal operations:
These certifications include both written and practical exams and are valid for five years. NCCCO credentials are often required for:
- High-risk or critical lifts
- Government or industrial job sites
- Customers with strict compliance requirements
ITI is a licensed NCCCO provider and offers:
- Online and instructor-led exam prep
- Practical exam proctoring (onsite or regional)
- Exam coordination and certification issuance
- A complete, end-to-end certification pathway
With ITI, employers can train, test, and certify their teams through a single trusted source.
ITI Qualification (Non-Certification Path)
For teams that need documented proof of rigging competency, but don’t require a nationally accredited certification, ITI offers its own Rigging and Signalperson Qualification program.
This qualification:
- Aligns with OSHA, ASME, and ANSI standards
- Includes instructor-led training and hands-on evaluations
- Provides written documentation of competency for internal use or jobsite requirements
These qualifications are commonly used for upskilling internal teams or meeting client expectations when certification isn’t contractually required.
ITI’s qualifications are trusted across industrial markets to validate rigging proficiency.
NCCER Rigging Certification
The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) offers rigging training as part of a broader construction and craft curriculum.
- Used in apprenticeship programs and workforce development
- Emphasizes skill progression across multiple levels
- Less common in specialized or industrial rigging environments
ITI offers one online course through NCCER for customers aligned with its framework. Iit can be a useful tool for teams engaged in craft-based learning tracks.
Who on Your Team Needs to Be Certified?
While OSHA does not mandate certification from a specific body, it does require that workers be qualified for the rigging tasks they perform. Many sites, contracts, and companies now require formal credentials as proof of that qualification.
Typical roles that benefit from or require rigging certification:
- Riggers and rigging leads
- Signalpersons
- Millwrights and maintenance techs
- Crane operators assisting with rigging
- Foremen or supervisors overseeing lifts
If your crew is hooking, unhooking, guiding loads, inspecting gear, or working near hoisting equipment, rigging certification is often recommended, and in many cases, contractually required.
Get a Clearer Picture of Skills and Risk
Already using ITI? Take the next step by leveraging assessments to identify gaps, reduce risk, and tailor your rigging training more effectively.
ITI’s data-driven approach helps you understand where your team stands today, so you can assign the right training, accelerate time to competency, and strengthen your workforce at every level.
Explore ITI’s Skills and Risk Framework
How to Prepare Your Team for Rigging Certification
To ensure success, choose a training program that goes beyond exam prep, and actually prepares workers to apply what they learn on the job.
Look for training that includes:
- Core rigging knowledge: Sling types, load angles, hardware selection, inspection criteria
- Hands-on practice: Repetition and feedback under simulated conditions
- Real-world scenarios: Training that mirrors field challenges and sharpens problem-solving skills
- Standards alignment: Instruction based on OSHA, ASME, and ANSI guidelines
Many organizations benefit from blended training models that combine digital learning, instructor-led sessions, and on-the-job reinforcement, keeping productivity high while building lasting competence.
What Rigging Certification Conveys to Employers and Clients
Rigging certification does more than check a box. It builds credibility, reduces risk, and gives your company a competitive edge.
Here’s what certification communicates to your stakeholders:
- You’re qualified for high-stakes projects: Certification is often a requirement for industrial, infrastructure, or government contracts, and sets you apart in bidding.
- You’re trained to minimize risk and liability: Certified riggers follow established safety practices, reducing the chance of injuries, citations, or equipment damage.
- You’ve created a culture of consistency and safety: Certification fosters shared terminology, expectations, and accountability across your team.
- You’re accelerating time-to-productivity: Structured learning helps new hires ramp up faster while reducing reliance on shadowing or trial-and-error training.
- You’re building trust: Certified teams build confidence among clients, supervisors, inspectors, and leadership, and are seen as more reliable and professional.
Help Your Team Get Certified with Confidence
Whether you oversee one crew or manage operations across multiple sites, investing in rigging certification builds a stronger, safer, more capable workforce and helps your business reduce risk, improve performance, and win more work.
Explore ITI’s Rigging and Signalperson Certification Training to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What’s the difference between a rigging certification and a qualification?
A certification (like those from NCCCO or NCCER) is a third-party credential, usually involving formal exams and industry-recognized standards. A qualification (like those offered by ITI) is typically employer-verified and based on hands-on performance and instruction. Both can meet OSHA’s requirement for a “qualified” rigger.
Is OSHA rigging certification required?
No, OSHA requires riggers to be qualified, but it doesn’t mandate certification from a specific organization. However, many sites and contracts do require formal certification for compliance or liability purposes.
How long does NCCCO certification last?
NCCCO rigging certifications (Rigger Level I, Level II, and Signalperson) are valid for five years. Recertification requires passing a written exam and, in some cases, a practical exam.
Who needs rigging certification on a jobsite?
Anyone responsible for hooking/unhooking loads, guiding loads, signaling, inspecting gear, or supervising lifts may need to be certified or qualified, depending on the site’s requirements and the nature of the lift.
How much does rigging certification cost?
Costs vary by provider and training format. With ITI, prices depend on whether you choose online prep, instructor-led courses, onsite testing, or bundled options. Get in touch for a custom quote based on your team size and needs.
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