All Lifts Should Be Planned

That may be true, but just how much planning is necessary? It depends on the hazards associated with the lift. OSHA does not have requirements for the level of planning needed, so until recently the crane industry has done it. This year ASME released the P30.1, titled, Planning for Load Handling Activities in which two levels of planning have been defined; Standard and Critical. It states that the following would have to be taken into consideration in determining the type of lift and amount of planning:

• Personnel Hazards
• Work Area Hazards
• Load Handling
• Environmental Impact
• Potential for Overload of Crane or Rigging
• Load Replacement Cost
• Unusual Site Requirements

From this information the type of lift would be determined to be either a Standard or Critical Lift.

Standard Lift Plan

• A lift with no serious hazards to personnel or property
• Used for repetitive lifts
• Depending on company policy, can be written or verbal
• If plan does not work, stop and evaluate
• Do not attempt to make real time changes

Critical Lift Plan

The traditional industry definitions for a critical lift are:

• Heavy load 85-90% of crane capacity
• Hazardous load
• Expensive load
• Potential Property damage
• Multiple cranes used

The P30.1 recommends the same evaluation criteria as in the Standard lift except it requires that the plan be documented.

Bottom line, every lift should be planned whether it is a discussion with the crew or a room full of engineers and planners. Without a plan, everyone thinks they know what needs to be done which is inefficient and dangerous.

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