Ask an officer: Building better crane operator supervision plans
In B.C., every provisional tower crane operator (i.e., trainee) must be supported by a written supervision plan. A supervision plan is one of an employer’s most powerful tools for helping new crane operators build the skills they need to work safely and professionally.
By Lyndsay Barrett and Geo Thomas, certification specialists at WorkSafeBC
Wes Bauder
Occupational safety officer, Provincial Crane Inspection Team
Years on the job: 4
Region: Province-wide
We spoke with Wes Bauder, an occupational safety officer with the Provincial Crane Inspection Team, about how employers can build supervision plans that actually work on the ground.
What is key to making a supervision plan work?
There are two essential elements to making a supervision plan work. First, the plan needs to be part of an employer-established system of assessment and training. Second, the crane supervisor involved with the plan should have both training and practical experience. That way, they can evaluate a trainee’s skills as well as develop and maintain the plan.
As part of the supervision plan, additional supervisors with certain skills but limited training experience could oversee specific tasks.
When employers get the assessment and training system right, crane supervisors can use these plans to help trainees build the skills they need to get the work done safely.
What do you look for in a crane supervisor?
First and foremost, I want to see that crane supervisors are meeting the qualifications set out by BC Crane Safety. Supervisors must have the right combination of experience and training to meet the needs of trainees.
Many employers don’t realize that trainees might need different crane supervisors. You might be lucky enough to find one supervisor who is qualified for all the equipment in use and can oversee training and supervision (including developing and maintaining the trainee’s plan). But, more often, firms may elect to have a couple of people doing different slices of that role. Either way, I’m looking for crane supervisors’ experience and training to be well matched to each trainee and to meet BC Crane Safety’s qualifications.
What do you look for in a supervision plan?
A supervision plan needs to be updated when new information becomes available. It should describe where the trainee is now and where they need to be. And it should map out the supervision, training, and hands-on experience that will get them there.
Each plan has to include evidence — not just a declaration — that the trainee “demonstrated competence.” This means they were able to perform a task at a particular level. For example, a plan might tell a trainee they’ll be at 750 hours by the end of the month. And between now and then, we’re going to work on three learning tasks that have room for improvement.
WorkSafeBC’s Supervision plan for tower crane operator training resource is a good starting point. But it must be tailored to the site, the trainee, and the piece of equipment.
If you’re doing a supervision plan correctly, it can be very engaging and inspiring for a worker. It should show them the path from where they are today to where they — and the firm supporting them — aspire to be.
Where can I get more information?
Visit worksafebc.com for the following resources:
- Supervision plan for tower crane operator training
- Evaluating the competency level of a tower crane operator
- Evaluating a written supervision plan for tower crane operator training
BC Crane Safety is responsible for the tower crane operator certification process.
This featured topic is the second in a three-part series on effective crane supervision and crane safety. In the first of this series (published in our Summer 2025 issue), we focused on crane operator certification. Our safety officer highlighted the risks of inadequate training and reinforced the need for regulatory compliance to ensure safe, competent operations.
In the upcoming Winter 2025 issue, our safety officer will provide an overview of how to evaluate operator performance on the job and take action when gaps are identified.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of WorkSafe Magazine.
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