Working with our clients, we take these basic considerations into account and then move on to a more detailed plan for the lift, including a site survey and risk identification.

Site Inspection and Information
To help plan the lift, our clients must complete a full site survey. At Lindores Mobile Cranes we offer a free site inspection to all of our customers so that our experience can assist in making your crane hire as safe as possible. Many variables can be uncovered in a simple site survey that can dictate the requirements of the project or make changes to the type of crane that is needed. The site survey will include necessary details such as the address and design of the site, how the site is accessed and the dimensions of the access points if they are constricted. If you are using multiple sites, a risk assessment for each specific site will be carried out.

Other considerations in a site survey are where you plan to situate the crane on the site for the lift (often a diagram or site plan works best for this), the materials that will be used in the project, if any other activities will be concurrently happening on the work or project site and the planned material handling zone. The terrain also needs to be inspected and reported on to ensure that the environment is suitable for the type of crane proposed.

Hazard Identification and Assessment
This point is worth revisiting as it is an essential part of lift planning. Many smaller project crane hirers do not take enough time and effort to consider the risks that may occur and therefore do not undertake any steps to mitigate them. Some of the most frequently encountered hazards on the worksite that relate to crane usage are;

• Overloading the crane
• Overhead electrical power lines
• Other overhead hazards such as trees or buildings
• Uneven terrain and improper crane setup up to accommodate this
• Changing or extreme weather
• Incorrect configuration or placement of the crane from the lift object
• Breakages and falling materials

Planning your lift is an essential part of any mobile crane hire. It is necessary not to be complacent when it comes to safety and the more planning that you can do for both your lift and your project, the safer the project will be. Proper planning also helps to eliminate time redundancies and makes sure that you have the crane for the elements of the project that you need it for, saving both time and money. The team at Lindores Mobile Cranes are experts in planning lifts and assisting project managers in getting the most from their crane hire.