Lift planning – how to do it properly

Creating a proper lift plan can be quite challenging. Find out how you can make this task much easier.

Crane lifting can be extremely dangerous especially when there is a lack of proper prior planning. When such operations go wrong, there are usually property damages and in some cases personal injuries. Both of these things should be avoided at all costs and in order to minimize the risk of accidents, a careful plan should be devised. This is necessary whether the plan is for a simple single crane operation or more complex operations involving two or more cranes that usually involve very big risks.

Lift planning might be the responsibility of the person carrying out the operation when it comes to simple operations. However, the plan for more complex lifting must be developed by a person who has specific and significant competencies. This individual must have the required expertise, skills, knowledge and adequate training in order to be suitable for the task.

There are various things that should be taken into consideration when it comes to lift planning. A good plan must address the predictable risks which are involved in the operation and allocate the necessary people and resources for safely completing the job. Some of the factors that should be included in the plan are overload, lifting people, derating, proximity hazards, overturning, location, environment, securing and attaching / detaching load, visibility and more.

Lift planning can be a very difficult task. A good plan must describe each step of the process and clearly state who is going to be responsible for what. Obviously, one of the most important things is to make sure that all the people assigned to different tasks are competent enough to handle them safely without compromising the success of the whole operation.

Other really important things that should be taken into consideration are the stability and strength of the lifting equipment that is going to be used. Lift planning is a process during which the combination of different forces that are going to have effect on the crane must be considered.

Installation and positioning are also very important factors for the success of a lifting operation. It is extremely important to position the crane so that the operator doesn’t have to lift over people if that’s possible. The person doing the lift planning should also minimize the risk of swinging and spinning of the load (also known as load drift) as well as the risk of the load being released unintentionally or falling freely. There are different measures that can be taken in order to avoid those risks including making use of nets, hydraulic check valves, multiple chains and ropes, etc.

Proper supervision is very important for any lifting operation. The supervision needed should be determined by taking into consideration the experience and competencies of the people involved in the operation as well as the risk.

As you can see, lift planning is a very important part of any lifting operation. It is not only needed to minimize the risks of injuries and property damage, but to also assign tasks and responsibilities to each person involved. Lift planning helps for much more efficient lifting operations.