Lifting Operations Permits: LOLER 1998, Lift Plans & Appointed Person Duties

Lifting operations are among the most heavily regulated activities on UK construction and industrial sites — and for good reason. Crane and hoist failures, dropped loads, and equipment overturns cause fatalities and serious injuries every year. The consequences of getting it wrong are immediate and unforgiving.

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) impose specific legal duties on every dutyholder involved in a lifting operation — from the equipment owner to the operator to the person directing the lift. A lifting operations permit to work is the document that brings all of those duties together before the first lift takes place.

This guide covers what LOLER requires, the role of the Appointed Person, what a lifting permit must include, and the mistakes that lead to incidents.

The legal framework: LOLER 1998

LOLER applies to any lifting equipment used at work and any lifting operation carried out using that equipment. It requires that:

• Lifting equipment is of adequate strength and stability for its intended use
• Every lifting operation is properly planned by a competent person
• Every lifting operation is appropriately supervised
• Every lifting operation is carried out in a safe manner
• Lifting equipment is thoroughly examined by a competent person at specified intervals — and records kept

Relevant industry standards include BS 7121 (Safe Use of Cranes), LEEA guidance on lifting accessories, and IPAF guidance for MEWPs and personnel-carrying equipment.

What equipment requires a lifting operations permit?

A permit to work is expected wherever a lifting operation creates a foreseeable risk of injury to persons. In practice, this includes:

The Appointed Person: role and responsibilities

LOLER's requirement that lifting operations be "planned by a competent person" is the legal basis for the Appointed Person (AP) role. The AP is responsible for planning the lift and ensuring it is carried out safely.

The AP must have the competence — through a combination of training, knowledge, and experience — to:

• Plan the lift and produce or review the lift plan
• Assess the ground bearing capacity and specify outrigger mat requirements
• Verify that the lifting equipment and accessories are suitable, certificated, and within their safe working load (SWL)
• Identify obstacles, overhead power lines, and structural constraints
• Define the exclusion zone and specify banksman arrangements
• Sign off the permit before the first lift takes place

The AP role is distinct from the crane operator. The operator carries out the lift; the AP plans it and confirms it is safe to proceed. On a straightforward, routine lift these may sometimes be the same experienced individual on smaller sites — but for complex lifts, the AP should always be independent of the operating team.

Lift plans: what they must cover

Every lifting operation must be planned, and the plan must be documented. A basic lift plan should cover:

• The load: weight, dimensions, centre of gravity, any rigging or attachment method
• The equipment: crane or hoist type, SWL at the required radius, outrigger configuration
• The ground: bearing capacity assessment, outrigger mat specification, any underground services or voids
• The lift path: start position, end position, any obstacles or overhead power line clearances
• The exclusion zone: extent, signage, and who is responsible for clearing and maintaining it
• The signalling arrangement: banksman designation, signals to be used, communication method with operator
• Weather limitations: maximum wind speed at which the operation will be suspended
• Contingency: what happens if the lift is aborted mid-operation

For complex lifts — tandem picks, lifts near power lines, lifts over occupied areas — the lift plan should be an engineered document, reviewed and signed by a chartered or suitably qualified engineer.

LOLER examination records: what to check

LOLER requires that lifting equipment and all lifting accessories are thoroughly examined by a competent person at specified intervals:

The permit issuer must confirm that current LOLER thorough examination certificates are on site and within date for all equipment and accessories to be used. An out-of-date certificate is grounds to stop the lift — regardless of how recently the equipment was last used.

What a lifting operations permit must include

Overhead power line clearances

Overhead power lines are a specific and serious hazard for crane operations. The statutory safe approach distances under the HSE's Electricity at Work guidance are a minimum — most site rules and insurance requirements impose greater clearances. The permit must record that overhead lines have been identified, that their voltage has been confirmed (which determines the safe approach distance), and that the operator has been briefed on the clearance requirement.

Ground conditions and outrigger mats

A mobile crane that overturns because of inadequate ground support is as dangerous as a dropped load. The AP must assess the ground bearing capacity at the crane position, specify outrigger mat size and type accordingly, and confirm that the mats have been correctly positioned before the crane is set up for the lift. This must be recorded on the permit — not assumed.

Exclusion zones

No person should be in the load path during a lift — not walking past, not working nearby, not standing at the pick or landing point. The exclusion zone must be established before the lift commences, physically demarcated with barriers or tape, and maintained continuously throughout the lift. The permit must record who is responsible for clearing and maintaining the zone.

Wind speed

Every crane and MEWP has a maximum rated wind speed — typically expressed in metres per second or on the Beaufort scale. The permit must record the limit for the equipment in use, confirm that wind speed has been checked before the lift, and state the action to be taken if wind speed exceeds the limit during a lift (typically: suspend the load in a safe position if possible, and abort).

Common mistakes to avoid

• No AP named on the permit. "Competent operator on site" is not enough. LOLER requires planning by a named competent person — and that person's name should be on the permit.
• Using the same permit for multiple lifts across multiple days. Each day's lifting should begin with a fresh check of conditions, equipment, and certificates. A permit from Monday does not cover Tuesday's lifts without re-confirmation.
• Checking in-date certificates only at the start of a project. Certificates expire. If a project runs for six months, an accessory certificate issued at the start may expire mid-project. The permit process must include a check of current certificate dates.
• Informal exclusion zones. "Everyone stood back" is not a recorded exclusion zone. The permit must document the zone, its extent, and who maintained it.
• No wind speed record. Wind conditions change. A record of the wind speed check at the time of the lift — not just a statement that "conditions were checked" — is required for a proper audit trail.

Download a free lifting operations permit template

We've produced a free Lifting Operations Permit to Work template in Word (.docx) format, available in both a pre-filled version (standard hazards and controls already populated) and a blank version.

For all permit types — including Excavation, Hot Works, and more — visit the templates page.

Beyond paper: managing lifting permits digitally

Lifting operations require precise record-keeping: the Appointed Person's sign-off, the certificate numbers and expiry dates, the wind speed at time of lift, the exclusion zone confirmation. On paper, these records are scattered across forms, site diaries, and cab paperwork that is easy to lose and difficult to retrieve.

PermitDesk generates lifting permits and all other PTW types digitally — with the AP sign-off captured as a named digital signature, certificate numbers recorded against the permit, and a full timestamped audit trail automatically stored. When LOLER records are requested following an incident, you can produce them in seconds.

Related reading

→ What is a permit to work? A plain-English guide

→ Excavation & Ground Works Permits: CDM 2015 guide

→ Hot Works Permits: a complete guide for site managers

→ Browse all free permit to work templates