ECOL - Liebherr awarded certificate to provide training for the European crane operators licence

Safety is paramount for crane operation. Not only does that require safe cranes, but also good training for crane operators. Public institutions, crane contractors and manufacturers have been providing this for many years in the form of suitable training courses. But to date, there have been no standard statutory regulations. The European Crane Operators Licence ECOL is a major step in the right direction – an internationally recognised crane operators licence will increase the safety of crane operations and enable crane owners and operators to extend their activities internationally more easily.

ESTA, the European Association for Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes, took the initiative for a crane operators licence, which would be accepted throughout Europe, in 2013, supported by the European Materials Handling Federation (FEM) in Brussels. Working groups were formed, including crane operators, groups of specialists and manufacturers. They defined the contents of the operator’s licence and defined uniform standards not just in terms of content, but also for training methods and framework conditions.

The Liebherr Training Centre is now the first certified training Institute for the ECOL mobile crane operator in the whole of Germany. There are other sites in Denmark and the Netherlands. ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “On behalf of the ECOL Supervisory Board, we congratulate Liebherr on this result and we wish them and the training centre many successful ECOL training sessions and certified operators in the future.”

Christoph Behmüller, Manager of the Liebherr Training Centre in Ehingen and chairman of the relevant working group at the FEM, is delighted with the certification: “I hope that the European Crane Operators Licence will be accepted by every country in Europe and training for it can also be provided in every country. The main point is to ensure safety when operating cranes. Despite all the technology, we must not forget about the person operating it. We all bear a great deal of responsibility, both manufacturers and contractors. Good crane operating training must be regarded as very valuable.”

The demands on the level of training for the ECOL are therefore high and are equivalent to European training level EQF 3. EQF (European Qualifications Framework) is an initiative by the European Union, to make professional qualifications and skills comparable throughout Europe. The level of training qualifications will then become more comparable and quantifiable for employers, the general public and institutions. Employees and apprentices will be able to use their qualifications in other countries.

Liebherr is offering two ECOL courses – a 3-week course for mobile crane operators with at least 4 years of experience and a 1-week course for mobile crane operators with at least 8 years of experience. In the latter case, we recommend that applicants first attend the two-week course for mobile crane operators organised by the German employers’ liability insurance association also organised by Liebherr.

The Liebherr Training Centre in Ehingen has already taken steps to meet the challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Extensive action has been taken so that courses and training sessions (including the ECOL) can still be provided.