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PROVEN

SAFE WORK PROCEDURE

SWP-008

BLIND LIFTS

Someone who can see owns the voice. The operator does not guess.

DOCUMENT
GOSPEL-SWP-008
REVISION
01 CURRENT
EFFECTIVE
2026-09-01
OWNER
GOSPEL Safety
APPROVED BY
GOSPEL
REVIEW
2027-09-01

PURPOSE

Move a load the operator cannot see without turning the crane into a rumour.

SCOPE

Any lift where the operator cannot see the load, the set, or a part of the path.

This document is the method — the steps. Hazards, consequence and residual risk for the same work are in the JHA library. A procedure is not a hazard analysis. A hazard analysis is not a procedure.

PROCEDURE

  1. 01

    DECLARE IT BLIND

    Say it in the brief. Do not discover it at radius.

  2. 02

    NAME THE EYES

    Who sees the load. Who the operator listens to. One voice. Relays only with a protocol.

  3. 03

    WALK THE PATH

    Lines, steel, people, other cranes, holes. Before the hook is loaded.

  4. 04

    TEST COMMS

    Radio check. Stop word. What happens when the radio dies — written in the brief.

  5. 05

    INCH IT

    Slow movements. Holds. No booming through a hole nobody can see.

  6. 06

    LOST COMMS

    Stop. Hold or land as planned. Do not complete the last guessed instruction.

RESPONSIBILITIES

This program

The published method for the work. Stop-work is named in it. It does not own the site.

Supervisor

Confirms the plan, the crew, the zone and the stop criteria. Owns whether the hook moves.

Crane operator

Runs only the machine they are competent on, to the chart, after inspection. Stops on an unclear signal or a broken plan.

Rigger

Selects, inspects and applies the hitch. Does not guess weight, centre of gravity or angle.

Signalperson

One set of hands on the crane. Holds the zone. STOP means stop.

Worker

Works to this program and to site rules — whichever is stricter. Uses the three rights. Reports damaged gear.

REQUIRED COMPETENCY

  • Dedicated signalperson
  • Tested radios
  • Operator who will stop on silence

EQUIPMENT

  • Radios
  • Spotter positions
  • Tag lines

PPE

  • Hard hat
  • CSA-grade footwear
  • High-visibility clothing
  • Eye protection
  • Task-rated gloves
  • Hearing protection where required
  • Fall protection where the work exposes a fall

PROHIBITED PRACTICES

  • Operator moving on a delayed relay they did not brief
  • Blind lift with no dedicated signalperson

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Stop the lift. Make people safe. Land or hold the load if it can be done without a second incident. First aid. Notify the site and the employer. Hold the scene.

DOCUMENTATION

  • FLHA
  • Pre-use / inspection record
  • This SWP number and revision

REFERENCES

  • Workers Compensation Act s. 21 — known or reasonably foreseeable hazards; instruction and supervision
  • OHS Regulation (B.C. Reg. 296/97, in force 15 Apr 1998) Part 3 — OHS program, instruction, inspections
  • OHS Regulation Part 4 s. 4.13 — risk assessment where rescue or evacuation may arise
  • OHS Regulation Part 8 — PPE; headwear CSA Z94.1-05 or Z94.1-15
  • OHS Regulation Part 11 — fall protection
  • OHS Regulation Part 14 — Cranes and Hoists
  • 14.2(5) — CSA Z150-1998, or ASME B30.5-2004, or ASME B30.22-2005 (articulating boom)
  • 14.2(6) — CSA Z248-2004 for tower, hammerhead and self-erecting tower cranes
  • 14.35 pre-use inspection · 14.36 load weight · 14.42.1 critical lift · 14.44 loads over work areas · 14.45 unattended loads · 14.47–14.49 signals
  • OHS Regulation Part 15 — Rigging
  • Manufacturer load chart, manual and configuration limits
  • Site lift plan, FLHA and site rules where stricter

PROVENsin(). Current version on this site.