Working 180 Feet Up
Not For Everyone
t is hard to imagine being in one
spot for 8 to 15 hours straight.
For Bruce Harbin with Miller &
Long Concrete Construction, it is
an everyday occurrence. He is the
crane operator on the construction of the state’s first two-level
Harris Teeter (scheduled to open
in Fall 2009) at North Hills in
Raleigh.
Harbin has 30 years of experience in the business and although
he is a pro now, it took months of
on-the-job training to learn all of
the crane functions and nuances.
“You find out pretty quickly if
you have what it takes,” he said.
“It is hard to comprehend moving 15,000 pounds and placing it
basically in someone’s hands, all
while five or six other foremen
are yelling for you to pick up or
The crane operator’s view of the construction below.
drop off something for them.”
Training for crane operators is
bucket with a sanitary liner that can be thrown away.
basically seat time. A trainee will
The crane weighs 22,000 pounds and has three
go up in the tower crane with another experienced
functions:
operator. It is almost like behind-the-wheel training in
Joystick: There are two joysticks with 360-degree
a car. There are certain certifications that are required
mobility.
The hook moves in and out, but away from
also. The National Commission for the Certification of
the
base,
and
goes up and down.
Crane Operators (NCCCO) administers certification
Jib: The jib is just the part that sticks out away
programs for operators of mobile cranes, tower cranes,
from
the crane. That is where the hook runs along a
and overhead cranes. In addition to a written exam,
trolley
that moves in and out away from the crane.
operators are required to complete a practical exam in
Wench:
The wench on the back of the crane helps
which they are tested on how they operate a crane in a
to pick up heavy objects so that another crane doesn’t
controlled environment that is set up like an obstacle
course. CCO certification is valid for five years and op- have to be brought in to set something on top of the
original crane.
erators must complete recertification 12 months prior
The jib is 160 feet in length. The crane can hold
to their certification expiration date. Crane operators
240,000
pounds of material. The crane is held securely
have an important responsibility for the safety of the
to
the
ground
by a large slab of concrete, which is covworkers on the ground. It is their burden when they
ered with grass. It does tend to sway if material is laid
are operating the crane to take extreme care to ensure
down
on the site quickly.
operations move smoothly and that nobody gets hurt.
“I
was
very nervous the first time I took the reins,
Harbin is the first one on the job site every mornbut
after
a
little while I was used to it and now it is
ing and the last one to leave. He cannot leave his post
like second nature,” said Harbin.
(180-feet high or roughly 18 stories) above the job for
The median salary for a crane operator is around
the entire day. He packs his lunch and if he needs to
$40,000
(according to salary.com), however, it can
go to the bathroom, there is a five-gallon bathroom
I
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vary based on a variety of factors such
as employer size, industry, employee
credentials, years of experience, and
metropolitan area.
Other current projects at North
Hills include: the CAPTRUST Tower
opening in Fall 2009, which will include 275,000 square feet of Class A
office space and 28,000 square feet of
retail and restaurant space; a luxury
continuing care retirement community called The Cardinal opening in
late 2010; The Lassiter condominiums opening in 2010; Ramblewood, a
neighborhood of townhomes, singlefamily garden homes and stacked flat
condominium residences, which is
already open and will continue to develop; an all-suite Hyatt Summerfield
Suites scheduled to open in 2010; and
the Renaissance Raleigh Hotel, which
opens in December. The $1 billion
North Hills expansion underway will
add 1 million square feet of office space, 250,000
square feet of retail space, 1,800 residential units,
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An aerial view of the development.
800 hotel rooms and more green space. North Hills
is also home to the North State Bank headquarters
and First Citizens Bank Corporate Center. 
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