Impact of COVID-19 on the Crane & Rigging Industry

Q&A: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Crane and Rigging Industry Part Two

By: Matt Reinhart

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The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has seriously impacted the daily lives of individuals, businesses, and industries worldwide. As fleet management software providers to equipment rental fleets across the globe we are particularly interested in how the virus has impacted the crane & rigging industry and how companies are responding to the resulting limitations.

This is our second interview in a series that features discussions with industry professionals, experts, and consultants where we will explore the impact of COVID-19 on crane & rigging companies throughout the world.

This interview features Lisa Grepps, Director of Marketing and Communications, for the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA). The SC&RA is an international trade association that advocates for the crane, rigging, and specialized transportation industries. The SC&RA advocates for its members at the state and national levels as well as provide vital educational materials and networking opportunities for its global membership.

Question: The team at SC&RA was instrumental in getting Crane work declared an essential service/recognized as essential critical infrastructure very quickly as the crisis was unfolding. What feedback are you getting from your members about how this has impacted their ability to work?

Answer: We started hearing concerns about the impact of COVID-19 right around ConExpo in March. Ultimately, we ended up acting as a clearinghouse to obtain information for members about the virus. We worked with FMCSA and OSHA to determine what information was essential for our members, such as what kind of PPP is going to be required for customers and on job sites. We evaluated concerns over flexibility on job sites; and concerns over the day to day changes of onsite requirements for workers.

One of the SC&RA’s greatest accomplishments is the designation of our industry and workers as essential and critical to the ongoing well-being of the states.

Question: With more than 1,400 members in 46 nations, what are you seeing in other parts of the world that could help our industry specifically in US and Canada?

Answer: There are lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners and right now, to do that you have to do, you need to be very creative. I think that a lot of what we are being called upon right now is to be smart and creative, and to roll with the punches. Every day is different. And we are hopeful, we are hopeful that we will continue on a positive path. We are just going to have to adjust.

If you are looking for more information from the SC&RA, a lot of things we try to cover in our crisis resource center. There is a business section there and one of the things that we are hearing in the news and at SC&RA is the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). Problems with that, money being gone, different concerns. One of the things we have heard was that some businesses have received the PPP but then aspects of the grant changed after receiving it.

Thank you to Lisa Grepps for providing insight into the SC&RA’s ongoing efforts to ensure our crane and rigging industry can keep moving projects across the country moving forward safely.