This policy procedure sets out how lifting operations are planned, supervised and carried out, how lifting equipment is examined and maintained, and what to do in an emergency.

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• Version
• Page number / total pages

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Further Reading

Further guidance on lifting operations:

• Management of Lifting Equipment
• Manual Handling
• Pedestrian Transport at Work
• Managing Equipment and Premises knowledge base

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Lifting Operations Policy Procedure Template

The Lifting Operations Policy Procedure is a Word template that sets out how a business plans and manages lifting operations safely. It covers forklift trucks, cranes, pallet lifts and lifting accessories, the duties of the lead person or supervisor, operator checks, lifting plans, safe working loads, thorough examination and maintenance, training and the emergency procedure.

It is written to sit within an IMS1 management system, pointing to IMS1 1.6 Legal Compliance for the law that applies and listing its external references in an appendix. Document control fields, an Amendment Record and a Business Use classification complete it.

What the Policy Covers

• Amendment record, summary, scope and applicability - the purpose of the procedure, the risk assessments it responds to, the lifting equipment in scope and who it applies to
• Overview and management of lifting operations - planning, supervision and competence, maintenance and inspection, the lead person or supervisor duties, operator checks and quarantine of defective equipment
• Planning of lifting operations - load weight and stability, safe working load, ground conditions, lifting and exclusion zones, weather and communications, and when a written lifting plan is needed
• Lifting equipment requirements - safe working load marking for every configuration, positioning to reduce the risk of striking people or dropping loads, and securing loads
• Thorough examination and maintenance - a record and schedule for all lifting equipment, examination intervals and triggers, competent examiners, defect reporting and equipment tagging
• Training and emergency procedure - training and competence for operators, refresher training, and the steps operators take after equipment failure, a dropped load, injury or instability
• Appendix of external references - the external files the procedure refers to and where they are held within the IMS folder structure

Built for Planned Lifting Operations

• Thorough examination every 12 months for general equipment and every 6 months for accessories and people lifting equipment
• Safe working loads marked on all lifting equipment and accessories, shown for each configuration where they vary
• Lifting and exclusion zones planned so that loads are not lifted over people
• Defects reported to the user and to any hire or leasing company, with the equipment quarantined at once
• Operations not started, or stopped, whenever safety concerns or unsafe conditions arise

Who Needs a Lifting Operations Policy Procedure?

Any business that uses forklift trucks, cranes, pallet lifts or lifting accessories. It is written for the people who plan and supervise lifts and for the operators who carry them out.

How the Policy Fits Together

The procedure is written in response to the hazards and controls in the relevant risk assessments, listed in a table that names the RA-HS31 Lifting Operations, which should be read alongside it.

Using the Policy

Edit the scope to list the lifting equipment your business uses, add your own risk assessments to the reference table and set the examination schedule and tagging arrangements. Name the person in the Controlled By field, give it top level approval and brief supervisors and operators before any lifting takes place.

Related Documents

The GG-7-14 Lifting Operations Guidance and TT-7-14 Lifting Operations Training Talk can be used to brief operators and supervisors on lifting operations.