Last updated 2026-08-20
TL;DR
A rigger picks and inspects the hardware, then connects the load. OSHA requires a qualified rigger for assembly and disassembly and for hooking work in the fall zone. NCCCO Level I and II are portable certificates, not a federal license. Buy a kit only if it maps those rules, a real lift-plan template, and the 5-year CCO recert cycle. Confirm fees with NCCCO. Get hours, then sit the practical.
What is a rigger?
A rigger picks the slings and hardware, inspects them, connects the load, and sets hitch geometry so the crane is not guessing. That is the job. It is not a nickname for whoever grabbed the tag line.
On construction work covered by OSHA's crane rule, qualified rigger is a defined role. 29 CFR 1926.1401 states, "Qualified rigger means a rigger who meets the criteria for a qualified person." [1] The same section defines a qualified person as "a person who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, successfully demonstrated the ability to solve/resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project." [1]
People mix the rigger up with the operator. The operator runs the machine. The rigger makes the load legal to pick. Signal person is a third assignment under 29 CFR 1926.1428. [14] You can hold more than one. The proof for each is separate.
BLS tracks Riggers as SOC 49-9096. [7] That bucket includes shipyard and industrial work, not only building-site crane picks. Nobody has a clean national headcount for people who rig construction loads. The closest official occupation table is that OES series. Want wages? Open the current table. They change every release.
If you cannot explain hitch choice, how sling angle changes tension, and why a screw pin shackle sits a certain way, you are not rigging yet. You are hoping. Hope is not a method.
How do you start as a rigger?
You start by getting on real lifts under someone who already knows the work, then you document why you qualify. That is the honest path. A card with no hours next to a competent person is theater.
OSHA does not say get NCCCO or stay home. OSHA says the employer must use a qualified rigger for assembly and disassembly, and when workers are in the fall zone hooking, unhooking, or guiding a load, or making the initial connection. [2][3][6] The employer has to explain why you qualify. Subpart CC of 29 CFR 1926 is the construction crane rule that creates those duties. [15]
Here is what I would do in year one. Get hired or indentured around cranes, steel, precast, or millwright work. Log lifts. Learn wire rope, chain, synthetics, and hardware by putting hands on them. Sit a written and practical exam from a nationally accredited program if your contractors want a portable card. NCCCO Rigger Level I is the common one. [8][9]
Skip the social-media shop that mails a "certified rigger" wallet card after a Saturday slideshow. No practical exam, no public directory a superintendent can check? That is not paper that survives an incident.
State rules can stack on top. Washington writes crane rigger requirements in WAC 296-155-53306. [12] California jobs still run under Cal/OSHA plus the qualified-rigger duty. If you are starting in a specific state, read that state's path, not a national myth. The how to start rigger in California walkthrough is the kind of page you want before you spend money. Same idea for how to start rigger in Alaska if that is the job.
Does OSHA require an NCCCO rigger card?
No. OSHA requires a qualified rigger. Plenty of GCs, steel erectors, and owners still put NCCCO in the bid spec. Those are two different problems. Do not let a salesperson mash them together.
OSHA's Qualified Rigger Fact Sheet restates the duty. Employers must use qualified riggers during hoisting for assembly and disassembly under 29 CFR 1926.1404(r)(1). They also need them whenever workers are in the fall zone and hooking, unhooking, or guiding a load, or making the initial connection, under 1926.1425(c). [6][2][3] The fact sheet does not name NCCCO. It names the function.
NCCCO Rigger Level I and Level II are personnel certifications with written and practical exams. [8][9][10] They are one way to show a recognized certificate under the qualified-person definition. They are not a federal license. There is no federal rigger license.
I would still sit NCCCO if I planned to bounce between contractors. A folder of toolbox talks does not travel. A verifiable CCO card does. If you work for one industrial employer that trains and tests in-house to a written procedure, you may never need CCO. Confirm with that employer. Do not guess.
If a kit or school tells you OSHA requires NCCCO rigger, they are selling. Read 1926.1401 yourself. [1]
What should a rigger and lift-plan kit actually include?
A useful kit is a paper system, not a tote of random shackles. You can buy hardware at a supply house. You cannot buy a clean lift-plan habit there.
Here is what I would want in front of me before I take a written exam or walk a first-year job.
A current mapping of OSHA 1926.1401, 1926.1404, 1926.1425, and 1926.251, plus 1910.184 if you also work general-industry slings. [1][2][3][4][5] NCCCO Rigger Level I (and Level II, if that is your target) exam domains copied from the candidate materials, not from a blog. [9][10] Sling-angle, D/d, and hitch-capacity worksheets you can redo by hand. Calculators fail. Your brain should not.
A lift-plan template that matches how owners actually ask: load data, crane data, radius, parts of line, ground bearing, weather cutoff, exclusion zone, qualified rigger name, lift director name, and stop criteria. Inspection checklists that follow 1926.251 and 1910.184 removal criteria, not a generic "looks ok" box. [4][5] A verification sheet with your NCCCO ID, test site, expiration, and the public lookup method.
State addendum pages. Alabama paper is not Alaska paper. Use a state guide such as rigger license in Alabama instead of assuming one federal card closes the file.
RiggerPath sells a $149 one-time NCCCO Rigger + Lift-Plan Kit aimed at that folder. Use it or build the same stack yourself from the primary documents. The kit is not a credential.
If the kit does not tell you to confirm fees and test windows with NCCCO, throw that page out.
What is a waste of money in rigger kits?
Laminated "certified rigger" wallet cards from a trainer who is not an accredited certification body. Those cards die in a deposition. Lifetime certifications. NCCCO does not work that way. You recertify. [11]
A crate of cheap imported hardware sold as a starter rigger kit, no working-load marks you trust. Buy known slings and shackles from a real dealer, one hitch at a time, as the work needs them. Exam-dump PDFs. They teach you to pass a stolen outline and fail a practical.
A pricey "executive lift director weekend" before you have Level I hands. Learn to rig a 2,000 lb HVAC unit cleanly before you talk about engineered critical lifts.
I would spend money on NCCCO exam seats (confirm current written, practical, and retake amounts on NCCCO's own schedule), a practical slot, one good sling-angle reference, and time next to a competent rigger. The rest is optional.
| Spend | Why it survives | Skip | Why it dies |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCCCO written and practical seat | A stranger can verify you | Mail-order wallet card | No practical, no directory |
| Printed OSHA section numbers | Inspectors cite numbers | Motivational safety poster | Zero enforceability |
| Lift-plan blank with load, crane, site, people | Owners ask for those fields | Lifetime cert claim | CCO rigger cards are not lifetime [11] |
| State addendum | Some states add their own rule | "Valid in all 50 states" license talk | OSHA qualification is not a state license |
Third-party schools often bundle training plus the exam at a markup. Sometimes that markup buys you a practical date. Sometimes it buys a binder you will never open. Ask for the NCCCO test-site code and whether the exam fee is passed through at cost.
What belongs in a real lift plan?
A lift plan is the written argument that this pick is inside the chart, inside the ground, and inside the crew's qualification. It is not a cover sheet with a logo.
For ordinary production picks, many contractors use a standard method plus a pre-lift briefing. For critical, engineered, or multi-crane picks, owners want numbers. Write the numbers even when the owner is sloppy. You are the one on the hook.
USACE EM 385-1-1 is the federal contract safety manual a lot of heavy civil jobs still point at. It treats hoisting and critical lifts as planned work, not a shrug. [13] If you work government sites, read the current EM 385-1-1 crane chapter yourself. Do not rely on a summary.
Minimum I put on paper. Load weight source (shipping list, scale, or calc), center of gravity, and a note if the weight is estimated. Gear: sling type, size, hitch, included angle, hardware working-load limit, shackle orientation. Crane: make and model, counterweight, boom length, radius, percent of chart, parts of line, outrigger or crawler setup. Site: ground bearing versus mats, overhead power, travel path, tag lines, weather and wind cutoff. People: operator certification, qualified rigger, signal person, lift director, who can stop the lift. A sketch. If you cannot sketch it, you cannot brief it.
ASME B30.5 lays out responsibilities among operator, lift director, and site supervisor. The standard is copyrighted. Buy it or read it through an employer if you run mobile cranes for a living. A kit that paraphrases B30.5 in two pages is not a substitute.
Nobody has good public data on how many construction lifts use a written plan. The closest enforceable language you will meet is the owner's spec, EM 385-1-1 on federal work, and OSHA's qualified-rigger and load-handling rules. [13][6]
Should you take NCCCO Rigger Level I or Level II first?
Level I first. Almost always. Level II is the wrong first exam if you are still learning hitch basics.
NCCCO Rigger Level I is built around basic hitch selection, inspection, and load handling as part of a team. [9] Level II expects you to rig with less supervision and to handle more complex planning and load control. [10] If you cannot walk a Level I practical in your sleep, Level II is how you donate exam fees.
I would sit Level I after months of real sling time, not after a single weekend, unless I already came from a millwright or ironworker book with heavy rigging hours. Confirm current exam outlines and any published recommendations in the NCCCO candidate materials. Those documents change. The page you want is the Level I page and the handbook linked from it, not a reseller. [9]
Level II earns its keep when your job puts you in charge of the rigging plan more than the hook. Some employers treat Level II as a lead-rigger card. Some do not care. Ask the contractor who signs your ticket, not a forum.
Recertification runs on a 5-year cycle for CCO cards. [11] Plan the calendar. A surprise expiration is how people do work they can no longer prove.
How much does the first year of rigger paper cost?
I will not invent NCCCO's current written or practical fees. They change, and a stale number is how people budget wrong. Confirm written, practical, and retake fees on NCCCO's own fee schedule before you pay a third party. [8][11]
Budget categories, not a fake grand total. Application and exam seats (written and practical). Travel to a practical site if your town does not have one. A prep course only if you learn badly from books. Many people do not need one. Your own slings or gloves if you want them. Optional. State application fees if you work a state that runs its own rigger file. Washington is the example people hit first. [12] Confirm that fee with L&I, not with me.
A one-time kit in the low hundreds is cheaper than a bad course if the kit only organizes primary sources. A kit that pretends to be the certification is a waste.
For state add-on costs, use a local page. Rigger license in California and how to start rigger work in Colorado are the right next clicks, because the extras live in state programs, not in NCCCO. Do not copy a California budget onto a Colorado job.
What will OSHA or a superintendent ask to see?
They will ask who the qualified rigger is, and how you know. Then they will look at the gear. The card is the easy part.
1926.1404(r) puts a qualified rigger on assembly and disassembly rigging inspection, tied back to 1926.251. [2][4] 1926.1425 is the fall-zone and hooking rule. [3] 1926.251 and 1910.184 are where sling and hardware removal criteria live. [4][5] Missing tags, a synthetic with edge cuts, a wire-rope sling with broken wires past the limit, and the card in your pocket will not save the lift.
A superintendent on a decent job will ask who calculated the load. What percent of the chart are we at. Why this hitch. Who can stop it. If your kit trained you to answer those, it did its job. If it trained you to flash a logo, it did not.
Bring the lift plan or the standard lift procedure, your CCO card if you have one, and the inspection record for the gear in the air. That is the folder. Leave the motivational poster in the truck.
Do any states still issue their own rigger card?
NCCCO is national. It is not a state license. Most states do not issue a standalone rigger license the way they issue a barber license. A few jurisdictions write extra crane-rigger rules on top of OSHA. Confirm with the relevant board. Do not trust a kit that pretends one card closes every file.
Washington's WAC 296-155-53306 is the clearest example of a state rigger rule you can read in public. [12] Read the current text before you take a Seattle or Tacoma job and assume a CCO card is the whole file. Confirm application steps with L&I. I will not guess their processing time.
California jobs run under Cal/OSHA. Operator certification is its own stack. Rigger duties still sit on the qualified-person idea, and owners will still ask for NCCCO on many steel and industrial sites. See rigger license in California and Rigger renewal in California.
Colorado, Connecticut, Alabama, and Alaska each have their own mix of contractor licensing, local crane rules, and "no separate rigger license" reality. Do not import a California story onto a Colorado job. Use rigger license in Colorado or how to start a rigger career in Connecticut when that is the state on the permit.
If a kit claims "valid in all 50 states" as if it were a driver's license, that is marketing. Qualification is employer-side under OSHA. State add-ons are local.
How do you check a kit against board-confirmable facts?
Board-confirmable means a stranger can check your claim on a primary page without calling you. If the kit cannot survive that test, it is a brochure.
Test a kit like this. Every OSHA citation is a numbered section, not "OSHA says be safe." You should be able to open 1926.1401 and find the sentence. [1] Every NCCCO claim points at the current rigger certification pages or the candidate handbook, not at a reseller blog. [8][9][10] Fees, cut scores, and test-site lists say "confirm with NCCCO." If they print a fee as if it were eternal, the kit is already aging.
State pages name the statute or WAC section. [12] Lift-plan fields match what EM 385-1-1 or a real GC spec asks for, not a poster. [13] If the kit includes sample "certificates of completion" that look like CCO cards, that is a fail. Completion of a class is training. Certification is an independent exam.
I also want the kit to tell you what it is not. It is not legal advice. It is not a substitute for the exam. RiggerPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. That sentence should be boring and obvious.
When do you recertify, and what do you keep?
Keep the card, the score report, the ID number, and a calendar reminder at 4 years, not 5. NCCCO certifications run on a 5-year cycle. [11] People blow the window because they wait for a letter they already deleted.
Keep copies of lift plans you actually used (redact owner data if you have to) as proof of experience. Keep sling inspection logs. Keep the standard you were working under. OSHA construction and general industry are siblings, not twins. 1926.251 and 1910.184 do not read the same in every line. [4][5]
When you recertify, confirm current written and practical options with NCCCO. Do not assume last cycle's path still exists. [11] If you move states, take the folder with you and then read the new state's page before the first pick. Start with the state guide, not with a Facebook group.
The last useful thing a kit can do is give you a recert checklist and a lift-plan blank you will still open in year four. Want that stack already assembled? Go to /start. Want to build it from OSHA and NCCCO for free? Do that. I would not pay for anything that does not point you back to those primary pages.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rigger?
A rigger picks slings and hardware, inspects them, and connects the load so a crane or hoist can pick it inside the chart. On OSHA construction crane work, a qualified rigger meets the qualified-person test in 29 CFR 1926.1401. It is a defined job, not a nickname for the person on the tag line.
How do you start as a rigger?
Get on real lifts under a competent rigger, log the work, and learn hitch choice and inspection by hand. OSHA wants a qualified person, not a brand name. If contractors want a portable card, sit NCCCO Rigger Level I written and practical. Confirm current exam fees with NCCCO. Skip mail-order wallet cards with no practical exam.
Is NCCCO required by OSHA for riggers?
No. OSHA requires a qualified rigger for assembly and disassembly and for certain hooking work in the fall zone. NCCCO Level I or II is one way to show a recognized certificate. Many bid specs still ask for CCO. Read 29 CFR 1926.1401 and the OSHA Qualified Rigger Fact Sheet, not a school's sales page.
How long is NCCCO rigger certification good for?
NCCCO rigger certification runs on a 5-year cycle. Put a reminder at year four so you do not miss the window. Confirm current recertification options, written or practical paths, and fees on NCCCO's recertification materials. Do not assume last cycle's process still exists.
What is the difference between Rigger Level I and Level II?
Level I covers basic hitch selection, inspection, and team load handling. Level II expects more unsupervised rigging and more complex planning. Sit Level I first unless you already have heavy hours and your employer is pushing Level II. Confirm outlines on the current NCCCO Level I and Level II pages.
Do I need a written lift plan for every pick?
Not every production pick gets a full engineered packet. Ordinary lifts often use a standard method and a briefing. Critical, multi-crane, or owner-spec lifts need numbers on paper: load, gear, crane chart, ground, people, and stop criteria. Federal contract jobs often point at USACE EM 385-1-1. Follow the spec in front of you.
Can I buy a rigger card online without a practical exam?
You can buy a piece of plastic. You cannot buy a card that will hold up. NCCCO rigger certification uses written and practical exams. A mail-order "certified rigger" wallet card with no practical and no public lookup is a waste of money and a problem after an incident.
What is a qualified rigger under OSHA?
29 CFR 1926.1401 says a qualified rigger is a rigger who meets the criteria for a qualified person. That means a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or extensive knowledge, training, and experience, plus shown ability to solve problems on that work. The employer has to be able to explain the qualification.
How much does NCCCO rigger testing cost?
Do not use a blog number. NCCCO publishes its own written, practical, and retake fees, and they change. Confirm the current schedule on NCCCO's site before you pay a school. Ask whether a bundled course is passing the exam fee through at cost or marking it up.
Does every state accept NCCCO rigger certification?
Most states do not issue a separate rigger license, so employers treat NCCCO as portable proof of qualification. Some places add their own rule. Washington publishes crane rigger requirements in WAC 296-155-53306. Confirm with that state's agency. A kit that says "valid in all 50 states" like a driver's license is marketing.
Do I need signal person certification too?
Maybe. Signal person is a separate OSHA assignment under 29 CFR 1926.1428. You can be rigger and signal person on the same crew if you qualify for both. The paper is not automatic. If you give crane signals, get qualified for that role and keep that proof with the rigger card.
What happens if my NCCCO rigger card expires?
You no longer have a current CCO rigger credential. Some employers will pull you off the hook until you recertify. OSHA still requires a qualified rigger, so an expired card also punches a hole in how the employer proves qualification. Confirm the current late and recertification path with NCCCO. Do not guess.
Is a weekend rigger class enough to start?
A weekend can teach vocabulary. It does not replace months of sling time. I would use a short class only to prep a written exam after I already had hours. The practical is where thin training shows. Get next to a competent rigger first, then sit NCCCO Level I if you need the portable card.
Sources
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1401 Definitions: Defines qualified rigger as a rigger who meets the qualified-person criteria and defines qualified person
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1404 Assembly/Disassembly: Requires a qualified rigger for assembly and disassembly rigging, including inspection duties tied to 1926.251
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1425 Keeping clear of the load: Requires materials in the fall zone to be rigged by a qualified rigger when workers hook, unhook, guide, or make the initial connection
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251 Rigging equipment for material handling: Sets construction rigging equipment, inspection, and removal criteria used with the crane rule
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184 Slings: Sets general-industry sling inspection and removal criteria that industrial riggers still work under
- OSHA Qualified Rigger Fact Sheet: States employers must use qualified riggers for assembly/disassembly hoisting and for fall-zone hooking, unhooking, guiding, or initial connection
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Riggers 49-9096: Federal occupation classification and wage table for Riggers, SOC 49-9096
- NCCCO Rigger certifications: NCCCO offers rigger certification as a national written-and-practical personnel certification program
- NCCCO Certified Rigger Level I: NCCCO Rigger Level I is the basic rigger certification with written and practical exams
- NCCCO Certified Rigger Level II: NCCCO Rigger Level II is the advanced rigger certification with written and practical exams
- NCCCO recertification process: NCCCO certifications must be recertified on the published cycle (5 years) using NCCCO's recertification process
- Washington WAC 296-155-53306 Crane rigger qualifications: Washington publishes its own crane rigger qualification rule that can add duties beyond a national card
- USACE EM 385-1-1 Safety and Health Requirements: USACE safety manual used on many federal contracts treats hoisting and critical lifts as planned work
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1428 Signal person qualifications: Signal person is a separate qualified assignment from rigger under the construction crane rule
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1400 Scope: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC is the OSHA construction crane and derrick rule that contains the qualified-rigger duties