Crane Certification Prep for Yuma's Produce, Military and Construction Crews

Lettuce season runs on steel and refrigeration

A University of Arizona study put Yuma's agriculture and agribusiness at about $3.9 billion of economic activity in Yuma County in 2022, and the region supplies roughly 90 percent of the country's leafy greens from November through March. Behind those numbers sit cooling sheds, processing plants and cold storage warehouses. Dole runs one of its U.S. packaged salad plants in Yuma, Almark Foods opened a 115,000-square-foot egg facility here in 2018, and produce coolers with dozens of dock doors line the industrial areas.

Those buildings use large rooftop refrigeration units, condensers and insulated panel systems that go up by crane. Off-season, between April and October, is when most expansions, equipment swaps and roof work happen, which also happens to be the hottest time of year. Contractors want operators and riggers who can work that window safely.

Base and range work

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is the Corps' main aviation training base, and the county estimates its economic activity at about $654 million a year. Before the F-35B arrived, the station went through roughly $400 million in construction, including new aircraft maintenance hangars. Yuma Proving Ground, the Army's test range north of town, is credited by the county with about $1.12 billion in annual economic activity.

Federal construction and test-range support jobs tend to require documented qualifications for everyone touching a lift. Contractors bidding on that work usually expect accredited operator certification, qualified riggers and signal persons, and complete lift paperwork.

Yuma heat is a lifting hazard

Summer highs in Yuma commonly reach 110°F or more. Steel and outrigger pads get hot enough to burn skin, hydraulic systems run warm, and people tire quickly. Crews that work through summer shift starts toward dawn, build in mandatory breaks and keep a signal person relieved before fatigue sets in.

Late-summer monsoon storms can also kick up dust and sudden wind across the open fields along the Gila and Colorado rivers. Our course explains how wind speed at boom tip differs from ground level and why manufacturer wind limits must be checked before each pick.

Certifications Yuma employers tend to ask for

• Mobile crane operator for warehouse, hangar and plant construction.
• Rigger Level I or II for setting refrigeration units, tanks and structural steel.
• Signal person for blind picks on roofs and inside large sheds.
• Digger derrick operator for utility and irrigation district crews setting poles and structures.
• Mobile crane recertification if your five-year card is coming due.