Hard at work during the 2008 SC&RA Crane & Rigging Workshop

September's SC&RA Workshop, this year held in Canada, offered, among other things, a range of education sessions and numerous networking opportunities. Terry White reports

Toronto in Canada, is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. More than 46% of its population was born outside Canada. The city was a fitting location for the 2008 SC&RA Crane & Rigging Workshop. More than 450 people from 11 countries participated in the 18-20 September Workshop, at The Sheraton Centre.

Countries represented included Canada, China, Denmark, England, Germany, Kuwait, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United Arab Emirates and the United States. The annual SC&RA event was sponsored this year in co-operation with the Crane Rental Association of Canada.

Before the opening session, three committees of the SC&RA Crane & Rigging Group reviewed their progress, made decisions of importance to the membership and discussed developments that might require further attention. Many attendees took the opportunity to watch committee members working diligently on the industry's behalf during meetings of the Safety Education & Training Committee, Labor Committee and Governing Committee.

The 12 workshop sessions were well-attended and lively question-and-answer segments were the order of the day. The focus was on the many contributions of safety to the overall success of crane & rigging companies. In order of appearance, sessions and speakers included:

• Everyone's a Safety Coach, David Sarkus, David Sarkus International
• Incident Investigation: How to Implement, Why It's Important, Plus the Benefits of Periodic Review, Randy Sever and Julie Cotrell, PSC Crane & Rigging
• New Responsibilities for the Crane Industry, Bill Smith, NBIS Construction & Transport Underwriters, Inc.
• Supporting the Mobile Crane: Loads, Mats & Soil, David Duerr, 2DM Associates
• Selling at Ground Zero: Sales Skills for a Frontline Job Site Manager, James Kenny, Western Illinois University
• Current Priorities in the Crane & Rigging Industry, Frank Bardonaro, AmQuip, and Jim Robertson, General Crane
• Lifting in the Wind, Ron Kohner, Landmark Engineering
• Welcome to Ontario Safety, Bob Low, Matcom Industrial Installations, Inc.
• Do You Know Your Slings?, Mike Riggs, Slingmax
• Tower Cranes: Planning, Operations and Safety, Peter Juhren, Morrow Equipment
• Preparing for Tandem Picks, David Duerr, 2DM Associates
• 2008 Rigging Jobs of the Year, Presented by representatives from the winning companies.

The 50 booths at the Exhibit Center were busy throughout the three hours of operation. Attendees also took advantage of networking opportunities during organised refreshment breaks, receptions, and breakfasts.

• Start making plans now to attend the next Crane & Rigging Workshop, 17-19 September 2009, at The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.