What Should a Lifting Operation Plan Cover?

A lifting operation plan should explain what will be lifted, how it will be attached and controlled, which equipment and people are needed, where people must not stand, what could change during the lift, and who has authority to stop the work. The detail should be proportionate to the risk: a familiar routine lift may use a suitable generic plan, while an unusual or changed lift needs more specific planning.

What is the legal duty in Great Britain?

Regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) requires every lifting operation involving lifting equipment to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. LOLER applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate legislation and regulator guidance.

LOLER works alongside the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). HSE explains that equipment must be suitable for the task, safe to use and maintained, while LOLER adds specific requirements for lifting equipment and lifting operations. The equipment, accessories and safe working load matter, but a valid examination certificate does not replace planning the job.

HSE's planning pages and Approved Code of Practice are guidance on applying those duties. The guidance is not a new rule or a separate requirement to complete a particular template. The legal outcome is that the operation is competently planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.

Does every lifting operation need a written plan?

Not every individual lift needs a new formal document. HSE says a straightforward, common operation—such as experienced fork-lift operators carrying out routine lifts in a factory—may be covered by a suitable generic plan within the normal risk assessment. The plan still needs to address the foreseeable risks and remain valid for the actual work.

More detail is needed when the lift is unusual, complex or changed. Examples include a load with an uncertain centre of gravity, a new attachment, an awkward route, work near pedestrians or traffic, lifting over an occupied area, poor visibility, a new team, a different landing point, or a load outside normal dimensions. A generic plan should not be stretched to cover conditions it never assessed.

A written record is often the clearest way to communicate the method, roles and controls, particularly across shifts, sites or contractors. The format can be brief for a simple task. What matters is whether another competent person and the team carrying out the lift can understand the safe system of work.

1. Define the load before choosing the method

Start with the load, not the available machine. Record:

• what is being lifted and the reliable source of its weight;
• dimensions, shape, stability and whether parts can move or detach;
• the centre of gravity and how the load may tilt, swing or shift;
• lifting points, anchor points and any manufacturer instructions;
• fragile surfaces, sharp edges or conditions that could damage an accessory;
• the starting position, travel path, orientation and final landing point.

Do not guess the weight or rely on a spotter to steady an unstable load by hand. If weight, balance or lifting points are uncertain, stop and obtain reliable information or competent engineering advice before selecting the equipment and method.

2. Select equipment and accessories for the actual lift

Identify the lifting machine, attachment and every accessory between the equipment and the load. Check that the combination is suitable for the load, environment and configuration. The plan should confirm:

• the equipment's safe working load or rated capacity in the configuration to be used;
• any reduction in capacity caused by an attachment, reach, height or load centre;
• the suitability and capacity of chains, slings, hooks, eyebolts, grabs or other accessories;
• the current status of required thorough examinations and relevant inspections;
• the condition checks required before use;
• the method for attaching, securing, controlling and releasing the load.

Fork-lift capacity is not just the number on the truck. The load centre, lift height and attachment can change the actual capacity. HSE advises that a significant change from standard fork-lift practice may require additional planning. If a crane, hoist or purpose-designed attachment gives a safer method, the plan should not default to the most convenient equipment.

3. Assign competent people and clear roles

Name or define the people responsible for planning, operating, attaching the load, signalling, supervising and controlling access. One person may hold more than one role on a simple lift, but responsibilities and authority must remain clear.

The competent planner needs practical and theoretical knowledge appropriate to the operation. An operator's licence or training certificate does not automatically demonstrate competence to plan every type of lift. Match the planner's knowledge and experience to the equipment, load and complexity involved.

Set one agreed communication method. If the operator cannot see the load, route or landing point, define how a signaller will guide the lift and when the operation must stop. Everyone involved should know who is directing the movement and that any person can call a stop if conditions become unsafe.

4. Control the lifting area and protect people

Map the operating zone, travel path and landing area. Consider pedestrians, other vehicles, customers, contractors, overhead services, structures, edges, slopes, ground condition, lighting, weather and restricted visibility. Plan segregation before the lift starts.

A spotter is not a substitute for keeping people out of the danger zone. Define where the signaller or observer will stand, with a safe escape route and no need to touch or stand beneath an unstable load. Avoid suspending loads over occupied areas. Where that cannot be avoided, HSE says the risks must be minimised through a safe system of work and appropriate precautions.

Check that the landing point can support and stabilise the load and that hands and feet can remain clear. Include the safe removal of slings, forks or restraints; the risk does not end when the load first touches down.

5. Set out the safe sequence

Write the operation in the order it will happen. For example:

1. brief the team and isolate or segregate the work area;
2. check equipment, accessories, capacity, route and landing point;
3. attach and secure the load using the specified points and method;
4. perform a controlled trial lift where appropriate to confirm balance and security;
5. move the load at the planned height and speed, using the agreed signals;
6. land and stabilise the load before anyone approaches or releases attachments;
7. remove controls only after the operation is complete and the area is safe.

State the limits that must not be exceeded: load, configuration, reach, wind, visibility, ground condition or other relevant parameters. Include the instructions and information the team needs before starting. A plan hidden in a folder after the briefing is not an effective control.

6. Plan for change, failure and recovery

Ask what could reasonably go wrong: the load shifts, an attachment does not fit, the route becomes blocked, communication fails, the equipment alarms, weather changes, a pedestrian enters the zone or the landing point is not ready. Define the safe response and the person who decides whether work can resume.

The normal response to uncertainty should be to stop, lower or place the load safely if possible, re-establish the danger zone and review the plan. Do not improvise a new attachment method, add people to steady the load, bypass a warning or continue outside the planned limits.

Complex or higher-risk lifts may need a specific rescue or recovery arrangement. Make sure it does not require someone to enter beneath a suspended load or approach unstable equipment.

7. Keep records that show the decision

A useful lifting record connects the plan to the job. Depending on risk, retain:

• the lift identifier, site, date, task and version of the plan;
• the planner, supervisor, operator and other defined roles;
• the load information and equipment or accessory identification;
• the risk assessment, drawings, photographs or manufacturer data relied on;
• the briefing or authorisation record;
• pre-use checks, defects and the decision to proceed or stop;
• changes, deviations, incidents, near misses and follow-up actions.

Keep thorough-examination reports and equipment records through the system required for them, but link them where useful. An examination shows the condition of equipment at the relevant time; it does not approve the method for a particular lift.

When should the plan be reviewed?

Review a generic or task-specific plan when the load, equipment, attachment, route, environment, people or work sequence changes; when a pre-use check identifies a concern; after an incident or near miss; or when observation shows the method is not being followed or does not control the risk.

For multi-site teams, use common minimum fields and escalation rules, but allow the plan to reflect local layouts and hazards. Central oversight should make it easy to see which non-routine lifts need specialist review, which actions remain open and whether recurring problems point to an unsuitable standard method.

Why the question matters now

On 16 October 2026, HSE reported that an electrical wholesaler had been fined £4 million after a worker suffered life-changing injuries during a forklift loading operation in Telford. HSE said a 231kg load was not secured and fell onto the worker, who had been acting as a spotter. Its investigation found there was no risk assessment or lift plan, the operation had not been properly planned, and workers had not received information or instructions despite the activity being regular.

The prosecution is not a new rule. It is a severe example of what the existing planning duty is intended to prevent: an unsuitable method becoming normal through repetition, with people placed inside the danger zone instead of the load being secured and the safer lifting option selected.

Primary sources

• UK legislation: LOLER regulation 8, organisation of lifting operations
• HSE: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations overview
• HSE: Planning and organising lifting operations
• HSE: Safe lifting by machine
• HSE: Equipment and machinery frequently asked questions
• HSE Media Centre, 16 October 2026: electrical wholesaler fined after lifting incident