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Lifting Operations: High Consequence, Strictly Regulated
Lifting operations — using cranes, hoists, telehandlers, lorry-mounted cranes, and powered access platforms — are among the most technically demanding and potentially fatal activities carried out on construction sites, in manufacturing, in utilities, and in logistics. When a crane or lifting operation fails, the consequences are rarely minor. Loads can crush. Equipment can topple. Workers can fall.
The UK's regulatory framework for lifting equipment is detailed and mandatory. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) impose specific legal obligations on every employer who uses lifting equipment — from a small hoist in a care home to a crawler crane on a major infrastructure project. Despite this framework, lifting-related accidents continue to cause fatalities and serious injuries every year.
Key Facts & Figures (Overview)
- In 2024/25, "struck by moving object" and being "caught in/between equipment" are among the leading causes of workplace fatalities in construction — the sector accounting for the highest number of crane and lifting equipment operations (HSE 2024/25)
- The construction sector recorded 35 worker fatalities in 2024/25 — with lifting equipment, vehicle movements, and work at height the dominant contributing factors
- LOLER 1998 requires thorough examination of all lifting equipment: every 6 months for equipment used to lift people, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment (or after significant alteration or following exceptional circumstances)
- The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) and Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) both track equipment-related incidents — the UK is a consistently significant contributor to global incident datasets
- IPAF Global Safety Report 2025: In 2024, the UK provided just over 50% of all 170 fatal and major incident reports to IPAF (which covers mobile elevating work platforms — MEWPs — and related powered access equipment globally)
- Globally: 100 fatalities from MEWP accidents in 2024 — down from 135 in 2023
- The most common locations for IPAF-tracked incidents: construction sites, followed by arboriculture and electrical sectors
- The three most common accident types under LOLER relate to: forklift trucks (the most numerous category of lifting equipment); cranes (most commonly due to poor planning); and lifts/hoists (including passenger-carrying equipment)
- The most common crane accident cause: poorly planned lifting operations — including incorrect crane selection, inadequate ground bearing capacity assessment, failure to account for load swing, and contact with overhead power lines
- A poorly planned crane lift is categorised as either a standard lift (lower risk, within the crane's rated capacity and normal operating conditions) or a complex lift (non-routine, near overhead lines, multi-crane operations) — LOLER and BS 7121 require a formal lifting plan for all complex lifts
- Power line contact is a specific and frequently fatal cause of crane and MEWP accidents — cranes operating near overhead lines require specific risk assessment and exclusion zones
The LOLER Framework
LOLER 1998 applies to all lifting equipment provided for use or used at work. Key requirements include:
Thorough examination: All lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined by a competent person:
- Before first use (unless an EC Declaration of Conformity is available and equipment has not been damaged in transit)
- After installation in a new location
- Following exceptional circumstances (overloading, visible damage)
- At regular intervals: every 6 months for equipment used for lifting persons or carrying materials above people; every 12 months for other lifting equipment
Lifting plan: Every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner.
Marking: All lifting equipment and accessories must be clearly marked with safe working loads (SWL).
Record keeping: Reports of thorough examinations must be kept and defects reported to the relevant enforcing authority.
Common Causes of Lifting Equipment Accidents
Poor planning: The most consistent root cause of crane accidents. Planning failures include: selecting the wrong crane type or capacity; failing to assess ground conditions (ground failure under outriggers causes crane collapse); failing to plan for load swing in wind conditions; failing to account for the radius at which the load will be picked and set.
Overloading: Using lifting equipment beyond its rated capacity — either through ignorance of the SWL, miscalculation of load weight, or deliberate risk-taking.
Equipment defects: Cranes, slings, shackles, and lifting accessories deteriorate with use. Failure to maintain inspection schedules or act on defect reports allows degraded equipment to remain in service.
Inadequate operator training: Crane and telehandler operators are required to hold appropriate certification (CPCS, NPORS, or equivalent). Untrained or inappropriately certified operators are a consistent factor in serious incidents.
Proximity to overhead power lines: Contact between a crane or MEWP boom and an energised overhead line is an immediately potentially fatal incident. Exclusion zones, banksmen, and goal-post markers are standard mitigations — but failure to establish them is a recurring cause of incidents.
Written by CPD Experts
This guide was produced by the team at Online CPD Academy, a UK provider of CPD-accredited online training courses. Our LOLER awareness, lifting operations safety, and construction plant safety training covers planning, inspection, operator obligations, and regulatory compliance.
Sources & References
- HSE – Work-Related Fatal Injuries in Great Britain 2024/25 – https://press.hse.gov.uk/2025/07/02/latest-annual-work-related-fatalities-published/
- HSE – Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) – https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/loler.htm
- LOLER 1998 (legislation) – https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/contents/made
- IPAF – Global Safety Report 2025 – https://www.ipaf.org/en/gsr2025
- JMW Solicitors – What Are the Most Common Types of Crane Accidents? – https://www.jmw.co.uk/articles/cranes/common-types-crane-accidents
