From their lofty cabins, crane operators help to install work sites and distribute materials to the different work zones. As qualified technicians, crane operators install and maneuver lifting equipment with great precision, sometimes to the nearest centimeter.
Working as a crane operator requires great dexterity, speed and technical mastery of lifting equipment. Alone at the controls, the operator must be highly organized and check that safety conditions are guaranteed before any maneuver.
Crane operators are in permanent contact with the team on the ground. Acting a gigantic arm for the work site, crane operators sometimes cannot see the places they have to reach. In this case, they rely on their team to guide them by radio. These extremely delicate operations call for excellent coordination.
Perched at a height of between 30 and 70 meters, crane operators have an unbeatable view. However, their key contribution to the progression of the works means that they have time to admire the panorama.
On the Notre-Dame de Paris site
Crane operators sprang into action on the day after the fire by supplying, assembling and maneuvering oversized aerial lifts.
Once the securing operation began, the sheer scale of the works called for the tallest tower crane in Europe. The size and weight of the great crane made its installation a mini construction project in its own right on the restoration site. Crane operators contribute to all high-level operations carried out on the site. After installing the supporting arches for the flying buttresses, crane operators contributed to the securing operations and to the dismantling of the damaged scaffolding as well as the evacuation of the vestiges of the burnt structural roof timbers.
During the cathedral restoration phase, crane operators act as indispensable assistants for the different trades carrying out all high-level operations. In particular, crane operators deliver structural roof timbers and lead roofing to the teams working in elevated positions.
How to become a crane operator?
Training for crane operators can begin in 8th grade with an "Equipment Operator: Public Works and Quarries" CAP certificate and the BP vocational diploma in "Equipment Maintenance, Construction and Handling Equipment” specialization.
Further training is then recommended with the "Equipment Operator: Public Works and Quarries" BP vocational diploma.
The CACES (certificate of competency for safe equipment operation) is the minimum qualification required to work as a crane operator.
