📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — The Basic Rigger Signalman is an online workplace safety course delivered by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety, Calgary’s Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider. Self-paced, mobile-friendly, same-day certificate upon exam completion. Available across Canada.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: Fall Protection Calgary · H2S Alive Calgary · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
COURSE OVERVIEW
An OSHA-Compliant training course online for riggers and signalers. This basic rigger and signaler class covers an introduction to rigging, determining load weight, sling angles and stresses, center of gravity, basic hitches, sling types, lifting hardware, below-the-hook-devices, verbal communication, and hand signals. Quiz questions along the way prepare the trainee for the final written examination. Upon completion, you will gain access to your certificate and a checklist which can be used by your employer to administer the practical observation.
COURSE OBJECTIVE
To help employers or to help operators complete OHS-compliant rigger and signalman training and properly record it. This basic rigger and signaler class covers an introduction to rigging, determining load weight, sling angles and stresses, center of gravity, basic hitches, sling types, lifting hardware, below-the-hook-devices, verbal communication, and hand signals, and more.
COURSE TOPICS
- Section 1: Introduction, Load Weights
- Section 2: Angles, Stresses, COG
- Section 3: Sling Hitches, Sling Types
- Section 4: Rigging Hardware, Lifting Devices
- Section 5: Communication, Conclusion
ONLINE COURSE DURATION
Approximately 3 hours
PASS MARK
Quizzes conducted throughout this course are designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Participants are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available to download and print.
COURSE PREVIEW
Additional Safety Knowledge
Crane Operator Qualifications in Alberta
Alberta OHS Code Part 21 requires crane operators to be competent, and for mobile cranes with a rated capacity over 5 tonnes, the operator must hold an Alberta Journeyperson or Provisional Journeyperson Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator certificate. Boom trucks, tower cranes, and overhead cranes each have specific certification pathways. Employers must verify operator credentials before work assignment.
Load Charts and Capacity Planning
Every lift must be planned using the manufacturer’s load chart specific to the crane configuration in use. Key variables that reduce lifting capacity include:
- Boom length and angle
- Load radius (horizontal distance from centre of rotation to load)
- Counterweight configuration
- Ground conditions and outrigger extension
- Wind speed — most cranes require shutdown at 32–40 km/h sustained wind
Operators must never exceed the load chart rating for the specific configuration and radius in use. A load exceeding chart capacity by even 10% can cause tipping or structural failure.
Rigging and Signal Person Requirements
Riggers must select slings rated for the load weight with an appropriate safety factor (typically 5:1 for synthetic slings). Wire rope slings, chain slings, and synthetic web slings each have distinct inspection criteria and rejection standards. A certified signal person is required whenever the operator’s view of the load is obstructed or when directed by the site safety plan. Standard hand signals must be used unless voice communication is established and verified.
Basic Rigger Signalman — Ground Conditions
The most common cause of crane tipping is soft or unstable ground under outriggers. Ground bearing capacity must be verified before setup. Timber pads or steel plates are required to distribute point loads. Slope, buried utilities, and proximity to excavations all affect ground stability. A daily pre-shift inspection of the setup is required in Alberta.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
