SAFE WORK PROCEDURE
LIFT PLANNING
Weight, COG, chart, path, people, abort — before the hook.
- DOCUMENT
- GOSPEL-SWP-020
- REVISION
- 01 CURRENT
- EFFECTIVE
- 2026-09-01
- OWNER
- GOSPEL Safety
- APPROVED BY
- GOSPEL
- REVIEW
- 2027-09-01
PURPOSE
Build a plan that a crew can actually follow.
SCOPE
Non-routine lifts, tight sites, and any lift the supervisor or operator asks to be planned. Routine picks still need an FLHA.
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
- 01
COLLECT FACTS
Load data, drawings, crane, ground, energy, other work.
- 02
CHART IT
Configuration, radius, deductions, rigging weight. If it does not fit, change the method — not the numbers.
- 03
RIGGING
Hitch, WLL, angles, hardware. Attach a rigging plan when the hitch is not obvious.
- 04
PATH AND ZONE
Walk it. Mark it. Include the swing.
- 05
PEOPLE AND ABORT
Names. Radios. Wind, visibility, radio loss. Numbers, not vibes.
- 06
BRIEF AND KEEP IT
The plan stays at the lift. Drift = stop and rewrite.
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
- Supervisor or designated planner
- Operator who will refuse a plan they cannot run
EQUIPMENT
- GOSPEL-FRM-006
- Drawings and shipping data
- Chart
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
- Planning in the cab after the load is hooked
- Using last week’s plan because the steel “looks the same”
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
- GOSPEL-FRM-006
- FLHA
- Rigging plan if used
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.