6.2 Written Plans, Sequence and Change Control

Write the assumptions needed for execution

A written rigging or lift plan turns the proposed movement into a reviewable sequence. Its required form and approval depend on the operation, applicable law and owner or project policy. It is incorrect to claim that every routine lift has the same mandatory engineer-stamped document. It is equally incorrect to treat a required written plan as optional because the crew has performed similar work before.

A useful plan identifies the load and its configuration, weight and CG information, pick locations, selected equipment and capacities, route, destination supports, personnel roles and hold points. It also states the assumptions that make the calculations valid. If the calculation uses a level load, equal-height picks and a particular hook location, the field team needs to know those conditions.

Plans should identify the evidence behind their inputs: drawing revision, manufacturer information, weighing method, equipment chart or supplied assembly rating. A precise calculated answer based on an uncertain dry weight remains uncertain. Establish how unresolved inputs will be resolved before execution instead of concealing them in a rounded total.

Include the entire operating sequence

Describe initial support, connection, take-up, trial lift, travel or rotation, final landing, securing and removal. Specify who gives signals and who verifies each hold point. An instruction to “lift and set” omits the stages where changes in support and force are most likely.

The plan must account for rigging removal. If slings pass beneath the payload, specify clearance or an approved removal method. If connections become inaccessible at the destination, revise the arrangement before the pick. Release of rigging is a planned operation with its own falling-object and pinch hazards.

Keep different limits distinguishable

A manufacturer limit, OSHA requirement and owner criterion may all apply, but they have different purposes. A site might require special review above a stated utilization percentage. That threshold does not automatically become the crane’s new manufacturer rating or a nationwide critical-lift definition. Identify the source and consequence of each limit.

Likewise, a plan may specify fully extended outriggers because that is the selected chart condition. Do not convert this selection into a claim that all partial-outrigger operation is forbidden. The field setup must match the approved plan and manufacturer procedures. A different permitted setup still needs a new capacity review.

The calculation inventory should distinguish physical suspended masses from chart-specific deductions. A stowed attachment might impose a chart adjustment without hanging in a lower sling. Record it in the appropriate capacity calculation without adding it to a lower-leg force that does not carry it.

Define changes that require review

A change is a departure from an assumption or selected condition. Examples include a different sling material, revised attachment location, additional contents, altered crane configuration, changed route or weather outside the approved condition. Record the proposed change, identify affected calculations and get approval from the designated authority.

A substitute shackle with the same WLL may have different pin dimensions or side-load permission. A longer sling may clear an obstruction while reducing angle. An added lifting beam may solve a fit problem while consuming crane capacity. “Equivalent” must be established for the full function, not assumed from a single rating.

Change-control example

The original plan uses two vertical lower slings beneath a beam. At the site, a narrower beam is substituted and the slings incline inward. The lower tension increases and the payload attachments now receive horizontal forces. Even if the substituted beam carries the same rated load, the lower system has changed. The crew must revise geometry, component checks and attachment approval before loading it.

Make the plan usable at the work location

Use clear sketches and labels that match field identifiers. Put units beside dimensions and forces. Separate the sequence from supporting calculations so a person giving signals can find the relevant hold point without searching a long derivation. Provide the equipment procedures and chart notes necessary for the selected operation.

Before the lift, review the plan with the involved workers and confirm they understand their responsibilities. For covered multiple-crane lifts, OSHA 1926.1432 specifically requires the lift director’s review with all workers involved. Personnel hoisting has its own pre-lift meeting requirements. Do not conflate these specific rules into an invented identical legal meeting requirement for every operation.

The plan remains a live control during work. If a trial lift contradicts it, stop and resolve the discrepancy. A signed page does not make an unexpected condition safe, and an experienced crew does not eliminate the need to follow the approved sequence.

Sources: OSHA multiple-crane planning, CCO reference materials.