ETCP News | ETCP certification is an investment that pays long-term benefits gauge the market’s acceptance of the Certifi ed Rigger designation and to get a sense of how our direct competitors were reacting. We also had no idea how much effort it would take to get our people up to test-taking form, we weren’t excited about the cost (both of the test and, particularly, the cost of on-the-clock preparation time), and we didn’t want to go through the logistical complications of fi tting testing into our installation schedule. Using this gutless yet practical approach to the certifi cation program, it took until 2008 before it became obvious to us that the market was embracing the concept. The ETCP Certifi ed Rigger designation had started to arise in conversations with our customers and we were beginning to see it in stage design specifi cations. After we concluded that we needed to investigate the certifi cation route, Janson Industries needed a guinea pig to take the examination and debrief the group about the experience. While we have over a dozen very competent and experienced theatrical riggers who were qualifi ed to sit for the exam, ultimately, Eric and I concluded that the most logical guinea pig—was me. There were a number of factors that led to this decision. My brother and I didn’t want to ask any of our people to go through a process that was new, different and, potentially, uncomfortable that one of us wasn’t willing to undergo himself. We, additionally, felt that the best way to understand what was involved in becoming certifi ed was to experience it personally. Frankly, I was curious whether I’d stand up to our profession’s gold standard; there had never been a benchmark before. From an employee relations standpoint, we didn’t want to subject any of our employees to the added pressure of being the fi rst to take the test (they are under enough stress already) and wanted to avoid the potential adverse affects to them, their peers, and their self-confi dence if they failed. On the other hand, if I didn’t pass the test, we could chalk it up to my lack of recent fi eld experience (it’s been some time since I strung wire rope) and, as an added By providing in-house training for their employees, Janson Industries demonstrates their strong commitment to safety and continuing education. benefi t, it would give our folks a source of amusement at my expense. I called some contacts at J. R. Clancy, a company with which we have been doing business for more than 50 years, and got some advice as to study materials. In June 2008, with some trepidation, I took the ETCP Certifi ed Rigger – Theatre test and proved to myself and our people that it can be passed. Since then, we are committed to the examination of all of our technical people. Eric and I have made it very clear to our installers about our desire to have them “ . . . theatre designers are increasingly emphasizing the use of ETCP Certified Riggers at construction sites. 75 PROTOCOL “ SPRING 2011