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Crane Lifting and Rigging JHA
A JHA breaks the work into steps, hazards and controls. Use this example to build a draft for your actual job and review it with your crew.
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Step 1 of 4 · Working draft
Your job
Tell Jenkins what you’re planning and where the work will happen. Use the actual job details.
Use the published example’s suggestions when they fit your task, or write your own steps. These are planned controls, not verified worksite conditions.
Describe an observable step, how someone could be harmed, and the control that acts on that hazard. Identify who checks it and what evidence is needed.
Walk through the plan with the people doing the work. Resolve missing controls and agree who checks them. Moving to the next step does not approve the work.
Confirm people, equipment and emergency arrangements
Record changes, checks, and open actions
Walk the work area, review with the crew, and resolve missing controls. Follow the required approval process. This tool does not judge completeness, verify signatures or authorize work.
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Your Crane Lifting and Rigging JHA
Walk through the job in order. Use these possible hazards, planned controls and checks to start a conversation about your actual work.
01Review the lift and crew roles
Possible hazards: Incorrect load information or unclear responsibilities cause an overload, unsuitable rigging, or conflicting movement instructions.
Planned controls: The responsible lift planner establishes the lift method and capacity checks using actual equipment and load data. Brief the operator, riggers, signal person, receiving crew, and affected trades on roles, signals, stop criteria, and changes.
Check before work: Verify the current lift plan, load documentation, equipment configuration, role qualifications, and each person’s understanding.
02Set up the crane and control the area
Possible hazards: An outrigger punches through inadequate support; the crane or load enters a power-line zone or strikes a worker.
Planned controls: Establish adequate ground/support conditions and use the planned matting and outrigger arrangement. Identify and resolve power-line hazards under the applicable provisions. Barricade swing/crush areas and control the load route and landing zone.
Check before work: The designated personnel verify support conditions, underground information, setup dimensions, and effective exclusion before lifting.
03Inspect crane and select rigging
Possible hazards: Defective equipment or rigging fails; incompatible hardware or unsuitable sling angles overload individual components.
Planned controls: Complete required crane inspections. A qualified rigger selects the arrangement for the panel, lifting points, angles, capacities, and edge protection. Inspect and remove defective or unidentifiable rigging; do not improvise lifting points.
Check before work: Check inspection status and actual rigging identification, condition, connections, and compatibility against the planned arrangement.
04Connect and take controlled tension
Possible hazards: The panel shifts from its rack, loose items fall, or hands are trapped as rigging tightens.
Planned controls: Secure loose items, connect from stable access, and keep hands and bodies out of pinch and fall zones. Take up tension only on the agreed signal. Check rigging seating and load behavior before continuing; lower and reassess unexpected movement.
Check before work: The rigger and operator verify connections, freedom from snagging, panel balance, and that people are clear.
05Lift and transfer along the planned route
Possible hazards: The suspended panel strikes a structure or person, rotates in wind, or moves after communication is lost.
Planned controls: Follow the planned path and operating limits. Use the designated signal arrangement and stop for lost communication or visibility. Restrict fall-zone access as required; use planned tag-line or equivalent control when necessary without creating entanglement exposure.
Check before work: Monitor clearance, wind and panel behavior, exclusion boundaries, and confirmed communication throughout the movement.
06Land, stabilize, and release
Possible hazards: The panel falls after unhooking or crushes a receiving worker against the structure.
Planned controls: Only necessary receiving personnel enter the controlled landing operation. Use positioning tools and keep bodies out of crush points. Install the designed supports, braces, and connections before releasing rigging, using the approved access method.
Check before work: The responsible receiving person verifies the specified stabilization and communicates readiness before controlled unloading and detachment.
Example scope and starting conditions
Fictional example: a mobile crane lifts one identified prefabricated form panel from a prepared laydown rack to an engineered receiving position. The panel will be stabilized according to its erection design before rigging is released. The route remains inside a controlled construction area. The example excludes personnel lifting, multiple-crane lifts, steel erection, and lifts near unresolved power-line exposures. This JHA supports a site-specific lift plan; it does not provide one or calculate crane or rigging capacity.
- Establish the panel identity, weight, center of gravity, lifting points, sail area, and manufacturer handling information; do not infer these from dimensions alone.
- The lift plan must identify the crane configuration, radii throughout the path, load-chart deductions, rigging arrangement, ground support, weather limits, and receiving arrangement.
- Assign an appropriately trained, certified/licensed and employer-evaluated operator as applicable, qualified rigging personnel, qualified signal personnel when required, and the person directing the lift.
- Identify buried structures, ground conditions, public/worker interfaces, power lines, emergency actions, and clear authority for anyone to call stop.
Know when to pause
- Pause for changed radius, load identity, rigging, weather, support conditions, route, or receiving arrangement.
- Stop for loss of communication, exclusion-zone entry, uncontrolled rotation, equipment concerns, or unresolved power-line hazards.
After a pause, correct the condition, reassess the work, and obtain required authorization before restarting.
Free example and template
No account required. The worked example contains planned controls. The blank template is for your own work; neither includes fabricated inspection results, signatures or approval.
Worked exampleNeed help? Ask Jenkins
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For managers
Does the team have what it needs to carry out the plan? Give the crew time, equipment and support, and make it clear who will resolve anything that is missing.
Manager checks and supporting resources
Confirm the people doing the work have the time, equipment, information and support to carry out the plan. Agree who checks the controls and who resolves open actions.
Decisions that change the plan
The panel drawing and delivery label disagree. What now?
Do not lift until the responsible planner resolves identity and weight and confirms the lifting arrangement.
The receiving brace anchor cannot be installed. Can the crane release?
No release under this planned method. Keep the condition controlled and obtain a revised stabilization solution before proceeding.
Keep planning connected
Resources that support this JHA
Additional tools for task planning and safe work. Start with the free resources; explore paid options only when they meet an additional need.
Toolbox talks for the work
Prepare a practical crew discussion.
Browse free toolbox talks →
Safety program resources
Review procedures, roles, and requirements.
Browse the existing catalog and confirm the scope and purchase availability of each program.
Browse safety programs →
Paid service · Availability
Task-specific training and qualifications
Explore applicable training and qualification needs.
Task-specific training services are not currently available to book here. Start with the free training-needs lookup; a toolbox talk or online course alone does not establish competence or employer authorization.
Review training needs · Free →People, equipment, emergency arrangements and open actions are recorded in the guided JHA’s Crew review step.
Open the crew review step →For safety professionals
How do we know the planning process and controls are working? Connect what the crew reports with field checks, risk decisions and the evidence behind your system.
Industry context, SIF, control verification and AHA review
Guidance and evidence
Review the method, risk decisions and evidence behind the plan. Use the actual jurisdiction, equipment instructions, employer process and project requirements.
Task-by-task control and verification rationale
Review the lift and crew roles
Hazard: Incorrect load information or unclear responsibilities cause an overload, unsuitable rigging, or conflicting movement instructions.
Control: The responsible lift planner establishes the lift method and capacity checks using actual equipment and load data. Brief the operator, riggers, signal person, receiving crew, and affected trades on roles, signals, stop criteria, and changes.
Verification: Verify the current lift plan, load documentation, equipment configuration, role qualifications, and each person’s understanding.
Why this belongs in the analysis: A signed JHA cannot compensate for an unknown panel weight or an unverified crane configuration.
Set up the crane and control the area
Hazard: An outrigger punches through inadequate support; the crane or load enters a power-line zone or strikes a worker.
Control: Establish adequate ground/support conditions and use the planned matting and outrigger arrangement. Identify and resolve power-line hazards under the applicable provisions. Barricade swing/crush areas and control the load route and landing zone.
Verification: The designated personnel verify support conditions, underground information, setup dimensions, and effective exclusion before lifting.
Why this belongs in the analysis: Ground condition and load-path decisions must precede lifting because their failure can affect the entire crane.
Inspect crane and select rigging
Hazard: Defective equipment or rigging fails; incompatible hardware or unsuitable sling angles overload individual components.
Control: Complete required crane inspections. A qualified rigger selects the arrangement for the panel, lifting points, angles, capacities, and edge protection. Inspect and remove defective or unidentifiable rigging; do not improvise lifting points.
Verification: Check inspection status and actual rigging identification, condition, connections, and compatibility against the planned arrangement.
Why this belongs in the analysis: A sling’s straight-pull rating does not establish capacity in every hitch or angle.
Connect and take controlled tension
Hazard: The panel shifts from its rack, loose items fall, or hands are trapped as rigging tightens.
Control: Secure loose items, connect from stable access, and keep hands and bodies out of pinch and fall zones. Take up tension only on the agreed signal. Check rigging seating and load behavior before continuing; lower and reassess unexpected movement.
Verification: The rigger and operator verify connections, freedom from snagging, panel balance, and that people are clear.
Why this belongs in the analysis: Initial tension is a verification stage, not a reason to continue with an unstable load.
Lift and transfer along the planned route
Hazard: The suspended panel strikes a structure or person, rotates in wind, or moves after communication is lost.
Control: Follow the planned path and operating limits. Use the designated signal arrangement and stop for lost communication or visibility. Restrict fall-zone access as required; use planned tag-line or equivalent control when necessary without creating entanglement exposure.
Verification: Monitor clearance, wind and panel behavior, exclusion boundaries, and confirmed communication throughout the movement.
Why this belongs in the analysis: Load control must protect the handlers as well as prevent unwanted rotation.
Land, stabilize, and release
Hazard: The panel falls after unhooking or crushes a receiving worker against the structure.
Control: Only necessary receiving personnel enter the controlled landing operation. Use positioning tools and keep bodies out of crush points. Install the designed supports, braces, and connections before releasing rigging, using the approved access method.
Verification: The responsible receiving person verifies the specified stabilization and communicates readiness before controlled unloading and detachment.
Why this belongs in the analysis: The crane can hide an unstable receiving condition until the lifting connection is released.
Compare control wording
| Needs improvement | More useful for this scenario |
|---|---|
| Rigging: use certified gear. | Verify identification, condition, capacity for the actual hitch/angle, compatible hardware, and the designed lifting points. |
| Release rigging when panel is set. | Verify the specified braces, anchors, and connections are installed before authorizing rigging release. |
Common questions
Is this crane JHA a lift plan?
No. It organizes hazards, controls, and verification. The lift plan must resolve actual crane capacity, rigging, ground loading, configuration, route, and receiving details through the appropriate competent and qualified personnel.
Must a rigger always have a third-party certificate?
A certificate alone does not establish competence for every load. Identify applicable qualified-rigger requirements and verify the person’s ability for this load and activity; the employer and contract may impose additional credentials.
Are these resources part of a paid course?
This walkthrough, browser draft builder and downloads are free public resources, separate from Academy course enrollment.
References and source note
- OSHA 1926.1402: Ground conditions
- OSHA 1926.1408: Power-line safety
- OSHA 1926.1412: Crane inspections
- OSHA 1926.1417: Operation
- OSHA 1926.1425: Keeping clear of the load
- OSHA 1926.1427: Operator training, certification, and evaluation
- OSHA 1926.251: Rigging equipment
- OSHA 1926.1428: Signal-person qualifications
This original walkthrough was informed by review of uploaded examples, then rewritten for the stated fictional scenario using current primary references. It does not reproduce a source document or its approval record. Use actual equipment instructions and site requirements alongside these references. Reference review: October 6, 2026.
Developed by Todd Jerome Jenkins, MS, CSP · Edition v1.0 · October 6, 2026
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