Contents
Overview
What BS 7121-1 is
BS 7121-1 is the British Standard code of practice for using cranes safely. It sets out how crane lifting operations should be planned and managed.
In short
- It is a code of practice, not law. Its recommendations are written with “should”.
- BSI says HSE and the courts use it as an indication of good practice.
- One appointed person plans each lifting operation and has overall control of it.
- Each lift is placed in a category, from basic to complex, by its hazards, and the category sets how much planning it needs.
| Full title | Code of practice for safe use of cranes — Part 1: General |
|---|---|
| Reference | BS 7121-1:2016 |
| Current edition | Third edition, published 31 January 2016. It replaced BS 7121-1:2006. |
| Publisher | BSI (BSI Standards Limited) |
| Status | Current, under review |
| Legal status | British Standard code of practice. Its recommendations have no legal force of their own. |
| Intended for | Lifting operations with cranes anywhere in the UK |
Scope
What BS 7121-1 applies to
The standard covers cranes installed in a work environment, whether permanently or temporarily. It deals with the safe system of work, choosing and erecting the crane, maintenance and thorough examination, and planning and running the lift. It excludes entertainment uses such as bungee jumping, and cranes inside fully automated storage or production systems.
According to BSI, anyone planning and carrying out lifting operations with cranes in the UK can adopt it.
Its annexes set out training for appointed persons, crane supervisors, crane operators and slinger-signallers. Annex D deals with wind. Annex E covers cranes on or near sites of exceptional hazard, such as railways and chemical plants.
Recommendations
Safe system of work and lift plans
Every crane installation and every lifting operation should have a safe system of work. It covers planning, choosing the equipment, preparing the site, maintenance, competent people and supervision, and keeping anyone not involved in the lift safe. Everyone involved should be told about it, in a language they all share.
Each lifting operation should have a written lift plan from the appointed person. The plan holds the risk assessment and the method statement, with any drawings and supporting information. For routine basic lifts, the planning may only be needed the first time, with periodic reviews after that.
The method statement records details such as the load’s weight, the crane configuration, the outrigger support and the maximum wind speed for the lift. Before work starts, the crane supervisor briefs the lifting team on the plan, and each member signs to confirm they understood it.
When choosing the crane, keep repeated loads to 70% to 80% of its rated capacity in the configuration in use, unless its duty classification allows full-load lifting every time. The standard goes into detail on two site hazards:
- Ground: for a crane that is not permanently installed, the appointed person gets a competent person’s assessment of whether the ground or supports can carry the loads the crane imposes. Load figures come from the manufacturer or another authority on crane design.
- Overhead power lines: if the crane or load could come within 10 m of a line, the appointed person arranges for it to be switched off where reasonably practicable. If not, they make sure HSE’s GS6 guidance and L113 are followed.
Roles
Lifting roles and lift categories
The lifting team
| Appointed person | Plans the lift and controls it throughout, on behalf of the organisation that needs it. Can stop the work, and can hand tasks to others while keeping responsibility for them. |
|---|---|
| Crane supervisor | Directs the lift on site so it follows the lift plan, with the authority to stop it if carrying on would be dangerous. |
| Crane operator | Runs the crane to the maker’s instructions and the method statement, taking signals from one person at a time, though anyone can give an emergency stop. |
| Slinger-signaller | Checks and attaches the lifting accessories, then directs the crane’s movements. |
| Signaller | Passes the slinger-signaller’s signals on to the operator, or takes over directing the crane. Only one person directs the crane at any time. |
| Crane coordinator | Where more than one crane works on a site, plans and directs the order of crane movements so they do not hit each other or other plant. |
Lift categories
Hazards from the load and equipment, or from the site around them, can each push a lift into a higher category.
| Basic | The weight is known and nothing significant in the working area or on the crane’s way in makes the lift harder. |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | Significant hazards with the load, in the working area or on the crane’s way in. This was formerly called a standard lift. |
| Complex | Lifting people or awkward loads, sharing a load between cranes, or lifting at a site with exceptional hazards. |
A basic lift can use a generic lift plan if no extra hazards turn up on site. An intermediate lift needs a site or task-specific risk assessment and method statement. For a complex lift, the appointed person visits the site to prepare a dimensioned drawing showing the crane position, the load path, the pick-up and set-down areas and any exceptional hazards, then attends the lift.
Crane hire and contract lifts
Annex C separates hiring a crane from a contract lift. Under an operated hire, the owner supplies a competent operator and a maintained crane, but the hirer provides the appointed person and plans the lift. If the hirer has no lifting expertise of its own, the standard points to a contract lift, where the contractor provides the appointed person.
The law
How BS 7121-1 relates to LOLER and PUWER
The standard’s foreword says following a British Standard gives no immunity from legal obligations, and anyone claiming to follow it should be able to explain where they did something different.
Regulation 8 of LOLER requires employers to make sure every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person. It must also be appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. The appointed person and lift plan in BS 7121-1 are its way of organising crane lifts to help meet that duty. HSE’s LOLER Approved Code of Practice, L113, refers to the BS 7121 series.
PUWER covers the crane as work equipment, including its maintenance and the training of the people using it. For thorough examination and maintenance, BS 7121-1 points to BS 7121-2.
LOLER and PUWER apply in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own 1999 versions, such as the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, enforced by HSENI and the district councils.
Editions
Editions and related parts
The 2016 edition was fully revised, BSI says, to line up with the rest of the series and to base lift planning on risk. The text began as section one of CP 3010 in 1972 and was first published as BS 7121-1 in 1989.
BS 7121-2 covers inspection, maintenance and thorough examination, with a general part and parts for particular crane types. Other parts deal with specific cranes, including mobile cranes (Part 3), lorry loaders (Part 4), tower cranes (Part 5), bridge and gantry cranes (Part 7) and hydraulic gantry lifting systems (Part 13).
Sources and further reading
Questions
Common questions
Who appoints the appointed person?
Usually the organisation that needs the lift. It appoints someone trained to Annex A, in writing, and keeps its own legal duties. In a contract lift the contractor provides the appointed person. Where several subcontractors lift on a large construction site, the principal contractor appoints one for the whole site.
When can one person cover more than one lifting role?
Only after the appointed person has reviewed the lift, and only if that person is competent in every role they take on. The standard gives basic lifts as the example.
Where do the legal duties for crane lifts come from?
From health and safety law. In Great Britain that is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and regulations made under it, including LOLER. In Northern Ireland it is the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and its own regulations.
Related
Related services and guides
For a crane hired with an operator, or a contract lift planned and run for you, see our crane hire and contract lifting service. Call 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk.
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