Commissioner Spotlight: Dave Judy
David (“Dave”) Judy has been an NCCCO Commissioner since 2012, holding a seat in the Labor category, representing the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) through Local 18, Ohio Operating Engineers. As a crane operator with decades of field of experience, he has been involved with NCCCO since its inception, earning his CCO mobile crane operator certification the first year it was available, in July 1996. At that point he’d already been working in the construction industry and working with the Operating Engineers for more than 20 years. By 1996 he knew that certification or licensing would be coming to the crane industry, so he became certified to stay in the forefront of safety issues and enhance his training.
Over the years his involvement with NCCCO has been wide-ranging and in-depth, making him well-qualified to be a Commissioner. He holds CCO operator certification on every type of equipment NCCCO offers certifications for (Mobile [LBT, LBC, TSS, and TLL], Tower, Overhead, Service Truck, and Articulating Cranes, Articulating Loaders, and Digger Derricks). In addition he has CCO Signalperson, Rigger Level I, Rigger Level II, and Crane Inspector certifications. He’s also an NCCCO-Accredited Practical Examiner, and he has served as a task force and management committee member for numerous CCO certification programs.
Dave sees that NCCCO has developed certification programs that set the standard for the crane industry, and he’s stayed involved with NCCCO because he wants to be associated with the highest quality certification standard available. He says, “First and foremost, NCCCO has brought increased attention to crane safety,” he said. “It has also helped the industry understand that training is key to operating safely.” He appreciates that NCCCO responds to industry needs by responding to requests over the years for additional certifications, and that is a prime reason he has been so involved with the full spectrum of CCO certifications from conception to development to management.
He started out in the early ’70s as an oiler on a Model 95 Northwest crane, then began operating friction cranes, and added telescopic boom cranes later as they became more popular. After operating cranes for ten years, in 1985 he became a crane instructor with the Ohio Operating Engineers Apprenticeship Fund, where he conducted classroom instruction on safety standards, terminology, signaling, OSHA and ANSI requirements, crane setup, load charts, rigging, and assembly/disassembly. He also gave field instruction, enabling his students to get practical, hands-on experience and apply what they learned in the classroom. Although retired from the Operating Engineers, he currently provides training through the Ohio Construction Industry Safety Program Crane Safety Seminars.
When not working, Dave enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and spending time with his grandchildren while they are still young and impressionable.