(b) Any employer, contractor or agent thereof who willfully permits a person to operate a crane without a certificate of competence issued by the commissioner of labor as required by section four hundred eighty-two of this article shall be deemed to have violated this article. The commissioner may impose a civil penalty upon such employer, contractor, or agent of no more than five thousand dollars for the initial violation, and no more than ten thousand dollars for a second or subsequent violation.
(c) When two final determinations have been rendered under this section against a person who operates a crane in violation of this article, such person shall be ineligible to apply for a certificate of competence from the commissioner of labor for a period of two years from the date of the second final determination.