Lifting operations planning: what must be agreed before the load moves

The duty concerns the operation, not just the equipment

HSE explains that LOLER requires lifting operations involving lifting equipment to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. These are current duties in Great Britain. They apply alongside requirements concerning suitable equipment, maintenance and thorough examination; satisfying one part does not satisfy the others.

Keep the distinction clear in your paperwork. An examination report concerns equipment condition at the examination. A lifting plan addresses what people will do with that equipment in the circumstances of this job. A Newcastle engineering business moving a machine into a workshop needs both suitable equipment and an agreed method for the move.

Equipment assurance: LOLER thorough examination →

Make the plan proportionate to the lift

Planning does not always require a new substantial document. HSE recognises that simple, routine operations can be covered by an initial generic plan within the risk assessment, provided it remains valid. A more complicated operation needs greater detail; a tandem crane lift requires specialist planning and a written plan.

Define the limits of any routine arrangement. For example, specify the usual load range, approved attachment, lifting position and landing area. A different load, obstructed route or changed location should trigger a check before the familiar method is reused. Calling a task routine must never mean nobody checks whether its assumptions still hold.

The planner's knowledge must match the task. Experience with a small workshop hoist does not automatically equip someone to plan a mobile crane operation. Identify gaps early enough to obtain competent specialist input before equipment and contractors arrive.

Establish what is being lifted and how it will be held

Obtain reliable information about the load, including its weight, shape, centre of gravity and intended lifting points. Include packaging, containers and anything attached. Do not ask the operator to discover an unknown weight by attempting the lift. Where information is missing, resolve it through an appropriate competent person or the manufacturer.

Select equipment and accessories for the actual configuration and conditions. Capacity figures must be interpreted correctly for the equipment, reach and arrangement being used. Confirm that the load and its lifting points can withstand the proposed method. A convenient hole or projecting component is not automatically an approved attachment point.

Agree how the load will be restrained against movement or release, and how people will attach and detach it without entering a trapping position. Include the final placement: access to remove an attachment safely can be lost if a load is landed tight against a wall.

Walk the whole route and protect other people

Consider collection, movement and landing as one operation. Check available space, visibility, nearby structures, overhead electricity lines and the strength and stability of the supporting surface. Crane outriggers, excavations, buried services and changing weather can require specialist consideration. The absence of a visible obstruction does not establish that the ground will support the equipment.

Plan to avoid moving suspended loads over occupied areas wherever possible. Set out the exclusion area and how it will be maintained, including against visitors, delivery drivers and staff from other departments. A barrier that blocks a normal walkway needs a usable alternative route.

At a North East distribution site, a delivery may coincide with the morning vehicle queue. A practical plan could allocate a controlled unloading period, temporarily redirect pedestrians and confirm a clear landing bay before the driver enters. These are operational decisions to agree with the site team, rather than instructions left for the lifting crew to negotiate under pressure.

Coordinate the surrounding site: workplace transport risk assessment →

Name the people who control the operation

Make responsibility explicit: who plans, who supervises, who operates, who attaches the load and who signals? The level of supervision should reflect the risk and complexity. Check competence for each assigned role and brief everyone on the sequence, communication method and stopping arrangements.

If visibility is restricted, the communication arrangement needs particular attention. Agree who gives normal instructions, how the operator receives them and what happens if contact is lost. Nobody should have to guess whether a hand movement is a signal or a colleague pointing at something nearby.

Hiring a crane does not automatically transfer planning responsibility. HSE says those responsibilities normally remain with the user unless the crane company expressly assumes them through a contract lift. Confirm the written scope. Even with a contract lift, provide accurate site information and coordinate access, neighbouring work and other people affected.

Set clear reasons to stop and re-plan

Before starting, agree the conditions that invalidate the plan: unexpected load movement, unsuitable weather, changed ground conditions, failed communication, an occupied exclusion zone or equipment concerns. Stop, make the situation safe and refer back to the responsible person. Pressure to complete a delivery is not evidence that a changed method is acceptable.

Use the briefing to test understanding. Ask the crew where the load will land, who controls the area and what they will do if the agreed route is unavailable. Record significant changes and brief the revised method before resuming. A signed document is useful only if people can apply it.

Before-lift decision checklist

• Is the load information reliable and the attachment method suitable?
• Does the equipment suit the load, configuration and working conditions?
• Have collection, travel and landing areas been checked together?
• Are stability, overhead hazards and proximity risks addressed?
• Can people be kept clear, with alternative access where needed?
• Are competent people assigned to planning, supervision and operating roles?
• Has the crew agreed signals, communication and stopping conditions?
• Does the plan still fit the job actually facing the team today?