NCCER Rigger study guide
NCCER Rigger · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The NCCER Rigger credential sits within NCCER's Crane, Rigger & Signal Person Certifications family, one of the credential areas NCCER lists alongside its industry-recognized credentials and construction site safety programs. NCCER describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education foundation created in 1996 that provides industry-recognized credentials through accredited training and assessment programs, so rigger candidates typically enroll through an NCCER-accredited training or assessment provider rather than registering with NCCER directly. The NCCER Rigger study guide has 4 sections and about 1,308 words.
01Rigging and Crane Safety Fundamentals
Rigging safety rests on a chain of responsibilities: knowing the load, selecting and inspecting the gear, planning the lift, and controlling the area around it. Candidates should understand the roles of the signal person, qualified rigger, and crane operator, and the principle that a load must never be lifted over people.
344 words, about 2 min02Rigging Hardware and Slings
This domain covers the hardware that connects the crane to the load: shackles, hooks, links, swivels, turnbuckles, eye bolts, and the slings themselves-wire rope, chain, synthetic web, and synthetic round sling. Candidates must know that every component has a rated capacity marked on it, and that the assembly is only as strong as its weakest link.
335 words, about 2 min03Load Weight, Center of Gravity, and Sling Tension
Before any lift, the rigger must know the load's weight and its center of gravity (CG). Weight can be found from shipping papers, nameplates, or calculated from volume and material density.
319 words, about 2 min04Rigging Hitches, Knots, and Lift Planning
Hitches determine how the sling grips the load. The vertical hitch carries the full rated capacity; the choker hitch reduces capacity (commonly to about 75–80% of vertical); the basket hitch can increase capacity when legs are vertical but loses capacity as the angle flattens.
310 words, about 2 min