Safety, Job Hazard Analysis, and Lift Planning
Safety in tilt-up is dominated by three hazards: struck-by and crushed-by during lifting, panel instability during erection, and falls during bracing and connection work. Candidates must understand the job hazard analysis process - identifying tasks, hazards, controls, and responsible parties - and how it feeds the lift plan. A lift plan addresses crane capacity, radius, load weight including rigging, ground conditions, and contingency for power lines and personnel exclusion.
Key concepts: critical lift criteria, crane capacity charts and deductions for configuration, ground bearing verification, exclusion zones, tag lines, and fall protection during bracing. Understand that the lift plan must be site-specific and reviewed with the crew, and that changes during the lift require re-planning, not improvisation.
Traps: questions that treat the lift plan as a generic document; ignoring deductions for jib, block, and rigging weight; assuming ground conditions are adequate without verification; overlooking that personnel must never be under a suspended panel. Another trap is confusing a job hazard analysis with a lift plan - they are related but distinct documents.
Rule of thumb: total load equals panel weight plus rigging plus any deductions; compare against the crane chart at the actual radius, not the maximum radius. Worked example: a 12,000 lb panel with 800 lb of rigging at a 40 ft radius requires the chart to show at least 12,800 lb capacity at 40 ft - not at 30 ft, and not before deducting for the jib or block in use.