Crane and Rigging Certification Prep Across Covington County

Industry snapshot

Shaw Industries’ carpet yarn plant in Andalusia has long been the county’s largest manufacturing employer, with roughly a thousand workers in recent profiles. Auto suppliers such as SaeHaeSung serve Hyundai and Kia from the Andalusia industrial park, and MFG Galileo makes fiberglass parts. Conecuh Sausage announced a nearly $58 million second production plant in Andalusia, expected to bring 110 jobs.

Textile machinery, press lines and food processing equipment all arrive on trucks and get rigged into place. When plants expand, mobile cranes set steel and rooftop units, and maintenance teams use overhead cranes and hoists day to day.

Opp has its own industrial history, including large textile mills that closed in earlier decades, and older plant buildings across the county are periodically cleared out and re-equipped for new tenants. Those conversions mean equipment removal, structural repairs and new machinery placement, all of which call on certified operators and qualified riggers.

Aviation at the regional airport

The South Alabama Regional Airport’s industrial park hosts maintenance, repair and overhaul shops and a branch of the Alabama Aviation College. Companies there include McDermott Aviation and Isolair. Pulling engines, rotor heads and external load equipment calls for careful rigging, accurate weights and gentle handling, skills covered in depth in the rigger courses.

Hydro dams on the Conecuh

The Gantt and Point A hydro plants on the Conecuh River date to 1924 and 1926 and were rebuilt after the 1929 flood destroyed both. PowerSouth, formerly Alabama Electric Cooperative, has owned them since 1944. Gantt Lake covers about 2,700 acres. Work on gates, intakes and powerhouses puts cranes on dam crests and riverbanks, where water levels and soft ground need attention.

Covington County also catches tropical storms moving north from the Gulf, plus summer heat, humidity and lightning. Sandy soils in the south of the county drain fast but can wash out under a heavy rain.

Courses to consider

• Rigger Level 2 for aircraft component and plant equipment lifts
• Mobile crane operator for contractors on plant expansions and utility work
• Service truck crane operator for field mechanics and equipment service
• Digger derrick operator for cooperative and utility line crews

Requirements and test day

Alabama does not license crane operators. Federal OSHA, which covers Alabama’s private employers, requires construction crane operators to be certified by an accredited body and evaluated by their employer under 29 CFR 1926.1427; signal persons and riggers must be qualified under 1926.1428 and 1926.1425. Florida, just south of Florala, is also a federal OSHA state without a general crane license, so a national card carries across the line. Our Alabama certification guide has the details.

Written exams may be taken by online proctoring, at a test center or at a test event. The practical is hands-on at a practical site and is not replaced by online prep. Montgomery, Dothan and the Pensacola area are the larger cities within reach for testing.