Lift plan builder

Why every lift needs a plan

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), regulation 8 requires that every lifting operation is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. BS 7121 (the code of practice for the safe use of cranes and lifting operations) sets out how to do that in practice. A lift plan is the written record of that planning.

Basic, intermediate and complex lifts

BS 7121 groups lifts by how much planning they need:

• Basic lifts — routine, repetitive, low-risk lifts within the machine's capability, with no unusual hazards. These can run to a straightforward standard plan, which is what this tool helps you produce.
• Intermediate lifts — anything that needs more thought (heavier proportion of capacity, restricted space, multiple set-downs). These need a written plan prepared by a competent appointed person.
• Complex lifts — tandem (multi-crane) lifts, blind lifts, lifting near overhead or buried services, lifting people, or unusual loads. These always need a detailed written plan and close supervision by the appointed person.

If your lift is intermediate or complex, this builder is not enough — the appointed person must produce the full written plan. The tool flags this if you change the classification.

The appointed person

The appointed person is the competent individual responsible for planning the lift, selecting the equipment and accessories, and making sure the operation is carried out safely. They review and authorise the plan; they are not the same as the operator or slinger, although on a basic lift one competent person can hold more than one role. This tool does not act as the appointed person — it structures the plan, but a named, competent appointed person must review and authorise it before anyone lifts anything.

Equipment must be in date for thorough examination

LOLER regulation 9 requires lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined by a competent person at statutory intervals: at least every 6 months for lifting accessories (such as chains, slings and shackles) and equipment used to lift people, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment — or in accordance with an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. Check the report (and the SWL/WLL markings on every accessory) before the lift; the plan has a prompt for both.

Getting the capacity right

A crane or telehandler's safe capacity falls as the radius increases — always read the rated capacity from the duty chart for the actual radius and configuration, not the headline figure. The builder works out the load as a percentage of that capacity and flags anything above 75%, because once you add the weight of the slings, hook block and lifting gear — plus a margin for dynamic effects and any error in the load estimate — a high utilisation leaves very little safety margin.

Sources: HSE guidance on the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/loler.htm) and HSE's pages on planning and organising lifting operations.