PLANNED LIFTING WORK NEEDS COMPETENT PEOPLE, SUPERVISION AND A REAL LIFT PLAN

In lifting work, “we have enough people on the shift” is not a plan.

HSE says City Electrical Factors Limited was fined £4 million after a worker was crushed during loading operations involving a 231kg load. Its investigation found that the lifting operation had not been properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised or carried out safely. There was no risk assessment or lift plan, and workers had not been given information or instructions about a regular lifting activity.

The case is a sharp warning against treating loading and lifting as a resourcing puzzle. The number of workers available is only one input. The real control is whether the operation has been designed, planned and led by people with the right authority and competence.

Before a lifting or loading shift is filled, establish the answers to these questions:

What exactly is being moved? Weight, dimensions, centre of gravity, condition and destination all affect the method.

What is the planned method? Identify the equipment, attachment points, route, exclusion zone and any safer alternative.

Who is competent to plan and supervise it? Those are distinct responsibilities from simply providing labour.

What is each worker’s role? Workers should know whether they are operating equipment, signalling, managing an exclusion zone or staying clear.

What changes stop the lift? Ground conditions, visibility, damaged equipment, an altered load or a missing competent person should trigger escalation, not improvisation.

HSE highlighted that the load in this case could have been secured using existing anchor points and that a lorry-mounted crane offered a safer alternative. Instead, employees were expected to steady the load while it was moved. That is exactly the kind of gap a proper plan is meant to expose before work starts.

For agency and temporary workers, the brief needs to be specific. A role title alone does not explain the lift plan, the communication method, exclusion zone or stop-work authority. New starters should not be placed in a position where they are asked to “help steady it” because the safe system was never properly defined.

V3 Recruitment can support employers with role-matched operational staffing and disciplined mobilisation. Lift planning, equipment choice, supervision and safe execution remain the employer’s responsibility.