Checklist - planning the safe set-up and operation of personnel and materials hoists

A personnel or materials hoist is generally used on construction sites to hoist personnel, goods and/or materials between the ground and
elevated floors of a multi-level structure. A hoist system comprises a car, mast tower, mast ties, base/landing systems and a drive unit.

Operating hoists can present a risk of injury to people from the following:
Hoist collapse. This can occur due to the failure of the mast structure or if the hoist is not adequately secured to the supporting structure. A
collapse may be influenced by a number of factors, including overloading or incorrect installation of the mast structure or supporting ties.
Contact or collision with other plant and structures. This can occur when sufficient clearances are not maintained between where the hoist
car will travel and other plant and structures, such as cranes, EWPs, concrete pumping booms, buildings and overhead powerlines.
Contact with moving parts. This can occur where any part of a persons body is able to access moving parts of a hoist system, including at
the base and at all landing areas.
Falling objects. This can occur from hoist components or any part of a load falling during erecting, jumping and dismantling activities, when
entering or leaving the hoist car from a landing, or during raising or lowering.
Falls from height. This can occur during activities associated with erecting and dismantling a hoist or from an unsecured landing area.

Why is planning important?

Planning is the first step in ensuring that work is done safely. Planning for hoist operations should start as early as possible and involve
consultation with everyone engaged in the work. Good planning involves:
selecting the right hoist
erecting, jumping and dismantling the hoist
planning, scheduling and coordinating hoist operations
operating the hoist safely, including shut down.

Effective planning will help identify ways to protect people who are:
erecting, jumping and dismantling hoists
directly involved in hoist operations, such as the operator
performing other work activities at the workplace
in an area adjacent to a hoist, including public areas.
 How to use this checklist
This checklist can be used to assist with the set up and operation of personnel and materials hoists at construction workplaces.
The assessment can be led by a principal contractor (PC), Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), hoist operator, safety
advisor or health and safety representative and should be done in consultation, coordination and cooperation with everyone involved.
For example, a representative from the principal contractor might assemble a group of relevant people from the site to discuss each item and
coordinate the actions required for any no responses.

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires a PCBU to consult, so far as is reasonably practicable, with workers who are likely to be directly
affected by a health and safety matter and with other duty-holders at the same workplace. Records of completed checklists can be kept to
monitor and review items at a later date.

Part one site details

Date of assessment:

Assessment completed by:

Name of PC or PCBU:

Site location:

Current number of floors serviced:

Name of plant owner:

Plant item/rego number:

Make, model and year of manufacture:

Section Item Response and comments

Part two selecting the right plant
1. Is the type of hoist selected suitable for the work that needs to be performed? Consider: Yes No
Registratio Determining hoist

the type, weight and dimensions of loads to be hoisted (e.g. people, materials)
requirements

Comments:
the height of the structure to be reached
the ability of the structure to support the hoist (e.g. loading capacity, floor heights, space
for ties)
the frequency and duration that the hoist will be used
proximity of other plant and structures
2. Is the design of the hoist registered with WHSQ? Yes No
Comments:
Note: Hoists with a platform movement exceeding 2.4 metres designed to lift people must be
n

design registered.
3. Has the operator carried out a documented pre-operational inspection on the hoist prior to Yes No
Inspections and maintenance

starting work? This should cover, but not be limited to:

Comments:
all relevant items indicated in the operations manual
operating and emergency controls
brakes
safety switches and devices
mechanical and electrical interlocks functioning correctly
a visual inspection of the car and mast structure
guarding/screening at landing areas
conditions of supporting ground
cables and wiring.

4. If the hoists log book reveals any outstanding faults or safety issues, has the hoist been Yes No N/A
assessed and appropriate action carried out and recorded by a competent person prior to
Comments:
being put back in to service?

5. Is an inspection report available as evidence that routine inspections (i.e. three-monthly) and Yes No N/A
 annual inspections have been carried out? Comments:

6. If the hoist is ten years or older, is the major inspection certificate available? Yes No N/A
Comments:

7. Is the hoist operator manual written in English, use metric units and readily available to the Yes No
operator?
Hoist manuals and markings

Comments:

8. Does the hoist and its components have all required markings? This includes Yes No
make, model and serial number of hoist
Comments:
safe working load (SWL) prominently displayed inside the car
operator controls inside the car clearly marked
emergency stops prominent (e.g. coloured red)
overspeed safety device marked with maximum speed and retest date.

Part three - planning, scheduling and coordinating the work

Licencing and training

9. Do the workers involved hold the required high-risk work licence to perform the work? Yes No
Rigger(s) erecting, jumping and dismantling the hoist.
Comments:
Hoist operator.

10. Has the hoist operator received documented familiarisation training on the make and model Yes No
of hoist they are currently operating?
Comments:

11. Did the induction training provided to workers (e.g. operator, riggers, workers in the vicinity of Yes No
the hoist) specifically cover what to do in the event of an emergency involving the hoist?
Comments:
This should include information about:
people with specific emergency roles
how to use warning systems and what to do when they sound
how to lower the hoist car safely in the event of loss of power
rescue procedures
effective communication between all workers near the device to evacuate safely
 how to use firefighting and rescue equipment and where to find it.

12. Has a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) been prepared for the high-risk construction Yes No
work associated with erecting, maintaining and dismantling the hoist, that:
Comments:
describes the high-risk construction work to be undertaken
sets out the steps required to perform the work
identifies hazards
describes the control measures to be used?
Planning the work

13. Does the SWMS follow the hierarchy of controls to prioritise higher-level control measures Yes No
and not rely on administrative controls only?
Comments:

14. Have workers been consulted in the development of the SWMS, by: Yes No
providing input in to the content of the SWMS
Comments:
demonstrating that they understand the content of the SWMS.

15. Is there a system in place for monitoring compliance with the SWMS? Yes No
Comments:

Part four - plant siting and setup

16. Is the hoist positioned so that the risk of injury from collision with other plant or structures is Yes No
Proximity to plant, structures

minimised? This should consider:

Comments:
overhead electrical lines and other services
and public areas

nearby structures
cranes, EWPs or other potential obstructions (e.g. concrete placement booms).

17. If using an unenclosed materials hoist, is it positioned so that hoisting loads over public Yes No N/A
access areas (e.g. footpaths, roads, railways, waterways, buildings) is avoided where
Comments:
possible?
 18. Have appropriate exclusion zones been established around the hoist to prevent: Yes No
the hoist nearing vicinity of overhead electrical lines
Comments:
people working around the base of the hoist that dont need to be there
other plant and vehicle traffic from entering the area around the base of the hoist
Exclusion zones

people being hit by falling objects during erecting, maintenance and dismantling
activities.

19. Have all relevant workers been informed and understand where exclusion zones are Yes No
established?
Comments:
Erecting and dismantling hoist

20. Is there a system in place to ensure that during erecting, jumping and dismantling the hoist, Yes No
the risk of it collapsing is minimised? This should include:
Comments:
instructions for erecting, jumping and dismantling activities
activities supervised by a competent person
components assembled in the correct sequence
the correct equipment and tools
mast sections that are the correct model or a model of greater strength
the correct bolts when connecting mast sections
correctly torqued bolts
scheduling activities to take place outside of normal work hours
maintaining appropriate exclusion zones.

21. Have ties been secured to the supporting structure at set intervals in accordance with the Yes No
hoist manufacturers and designers instructions?
Comments:

22. Are control measures in place to minimise the risk of workers falling from height during the Yes No
erecting, jumping and dismantling of the hoist? Control measures might include:
Comments:
edge protection systems
travel restraint systems
fall-arrest harness systems.
 23. Is a commissioning report available that confirms that a competent person has tested, Yes No
Commissioning

inspected and ensured the hoist is in full working order prior to it being put in to active
Comments:
service?

Part five - operating the plant safely

24. Is there a braking system and manual lowering mechanism for the hoist in the event of an Yes No
Managing the risk of falling from

emergency (e.g. loss of power supply?

Comments:

25. Is the risk of people falling adequately controlled at each landing? This includes: Yes No
gates interlocked through mechanical and electrical means
heights

Comments:
mesh/screening adequately secured.

26. Does the car roof perimeter handrail provide adequate fall protection and is it in good Yes No
condition?
Comments:

27. Is mesh or screening in place around the hoist car, at landing areas and at the base of the Yes No
contact with
Managing Managing

hoist? This includes:

risk of

Comments:
mesh at gates to prevent any item coming within 800mm of moving parts
base enclosure no closer than 75mm to any moving part
protection at landings, minimum of 2.3m high.
28. Is the risk of falling objects adequately controlled at each landing? This includes:
moving

Yes No
risk of falling
parts

clearance between landing and hoist platform less than 150mm

objects

Comments:
mesh or screening that meets floor adjacent to landing area.

29. Have wind conditions been considered as to how they may affect the hoists stability Yes No
conditions

including:
Wind

Comments:
wind speed as measured at top of mast tower
maximum wind speed rating of hoist installation (e.g. mast structure, ties) specified by
manufacturer or designer
 30. Has a reliable method of communication between the hoist operator and all landing areas Yes No
Communicat

been established? This includes the use of:

Comments:
radio communication between the car and landings at each level and should involve
ion

regular equipment checks and procedures for loss of signal

other methods in case of emergency such as bells, buzzers, whistles or hand signals.
31. Is the hoist fitted with safety devices or indicators in working order? This includes: Yes No
upper and lower limit switches
devices
Safety

Comments:
overload detection device
fire extinguisher.
32. Is the hoist power supplied directly from the main switchboard and not from a sub-board? Yes No
Comments:
Electrical issues

33. Is electrical equipment and cabling contained and protected against mechanical damage? Yes No
Comments:

34. Before leaving the hoist unattended, has it been secured to prevent unauthorised use? Yes No
Leaving the

unattended

This requires:
Comments:
hoist

leaving the car at the designated level

isolating and locking out the controls
locking the hoist landing gate.

What to do next
If you answered no to any of the items during the assessment, further action should be taken. This should start with a discussion with the
relevant people on site to gather more information and decide on a course of action. Keeping a record of the completed assessment will help to
monitor and review items at a later date.

More information on the safe operation of hoists can be found in AS 2550.71996: Cranes, hoists and winches safe useBuilders hoists
and associated equipment.