A crane lift plan is a written document that uses calculations and drawings to show which crane will lift a load, at what radius and boom angle, with which rigging and on what ground conditions. It is prepared by a lifting engineer and approved by the site supervisor and, where required, by the customer; it is considered mandatory for lifts approaching the crane's capacity and for multi-crane lifts.
Why is a lift plan prepared?
A mobile crane rated at 500 tonnes cannot lift every load up to 500 tonnes. Capacity drops quickly as the load moves away from the centre; boom length, boom angle, counterweight and ground support also change the result. A lift plan brings these variables together in one document and answers the question "can this crane safely lift this load in this position?" with calculations.
In Türkiye, the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment (İş Ekipmanlarının Kullanımında Sağlık ve Güvenlik Şartları Yönetmeliği) requires all load-lifting operations to be properly planned and carried out under supervision. The same regulation requires coordination between operators when a load is lifted simultaneously by two or more cranes.
What does a lift plan contain?
- Load data: Weight, dimensions, centre of gravity and lifting points. Planning is based on the manufacturer's stated weight plus the rigging and the hook block.
- Crane selection: Model, boom and jib length, counterweight configuration and the manufacturer's load chart.
- Geometry: Pick and set radius, boom angle, hook height, slewing area and clearance from surrounding obstacles.
- Capacity ratio: The ratio of the total lifted weight to the chart capacity at that radius.
- Rigging: Slings, shackles, lifting lugs, spreader bar or lifting beam; the working load limit of each and the effect of the sling angle.
- Ground: The pressure transferred to the ground by the crane outriggers or crawlers, the bearing capacity of the ground, and the mats and plates to be used.
- Environmental conditions: Maximum permitted wind speed, visibility, night work.
- Organisation: Allocation of roles, signaller and communication method, exclusion zone boundaries, emergency steps.
What is a critical lift?
There is no single legal definition of a critical lift; the thresholds are set by the project specification and company procedures. In common practice a lift is considered critical, requiring a more detailed plan, additional approval and a pre-lift meeting, if any of the following applies:
- the lifted weight exceeds roughly 75–90% of the crane's chart capacity in that position,
- the load is lifted by two or more cranes (see tandem lifting),
- the load passes over an operating plant, a power line or people,
- the load is high-value, long-lead or hard-to-replace equipment,
- the load is tilted or rotated in the air.
Nuclear power plant equipment usually falls under the last two points; for this reason every main equipment lift is treated as critical.
Who prepares it and who approves it?
The plan is prepared by the lifting engineer of the crane company or the contractor. The site lifting supervisor verifies the conditions on site; the crane operator and the signaller read and follow the plan. For critical lifts, the customer's engineer, the occupational safety specialist and, where necessary, an independent checking engineer also sign. In international practice, BS 7121 and LOLER in the UK and ASME P30.1 in the US are widely used references describing this process.
Common mistakes
- Not adding the weight of slings, shackles and spreader bar to the load.
- Calculating the pick radius but forgetting the set radius.
- Setting up the crane on fill or freshly poured concrete without a ground survey.
- Not checking before the lift day that the crane's annual periodic inspection is still valid; the regulation sets a maximum interval of one year for cranes.
Choosing the crane type is covered in mobile vs crawler cranes, situations where lifting is not suitable in jacking and skidding, and the loading stage in loading out-of-gauge cargo.
How does Voltim Global support this?
In crane- and forklift-supported operations, Voltim Global organises the equipment at the loading and unloading points together with the transport plan and makes sure the load data is passed on correctly to the crane company.