ESTA’s European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL) project took another significant step forward in April with the first official meeting of the new organization’s Committee of Experts.
The inaugural meeting of the 9-strong committee took place during the Bauma exhibition in Munich. It followed the final meeting of ESTA’s ECOL Working Group in Denmark at the end of January and signals the ECOL project’s transition to its new and permanent management structure.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “This may seem like a bureaucratic change, but it is very important. This – and other similar developments that we will be announcing in the coming months – will place ECOL on a professional, stable and long-term footing.
“It will help to ensure that we build into the ECOL system the necessary expertise, transparency and accountability so that the industry at large can have faith in our work and standards.”
The Committee of Experts will advise and assist the ECOL management board in its role of overseeing the day-to-day running of the ECOL system.
The nine members are: Fraser Cocks, BCACS, Canada; Thomas Crauwels, VZW Montage, Belgium; Kim Hvolbøl, DKF, Denmark; Erik Kroes, Mammoet; Pia Metsola, INFRA, Finland; Kim Poulsen, EUC-Lillebælt, Denmark; Norbert van Schaik, Siemens-Gamesa; Lion Verhagen, VVT, the Netherlands; Paul Zepf, VDMA, Germany.