High Risk Work Licence - Materials Hoist (HM) cheat sheet

High risk work licensing is competency-based: the operator must hold the correct class of licence for the hoist being used, and the PCBU must verify currency before allowing operation.

Primary duty: a person conducting a business or undertaking must eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable (the SFAIRP test).

Officers owe a due-diligence duty: they must acquire and keep up-to-date knowledge of hazards, understand operations, ensure resources and processes, and verify compliance.

Workers must take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others, comply with reasonable instructions, and use controls as directed; they may cease unsafe work.

A materials hoist is plant; the PCBU must ensure it is designed, manufactured, imported, supplied, installed and commissioned without risks to health and safety.

Registration of plant design and item registration apply to specified plant classes in many jurisdictions; unregistered hoists must not be used where registration is required.

Safety duties are non-delegable: contracting out inspection, maintenance or operation does not remove the PCBU's obligations.

Notifiable incidents include a death, serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident such as plant collapse, uncontrolled load fall, or failure of a major component.

Hierarchy of control, highest to lowest: eliminate, substitute, engineering isolation, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment. PPE is the last line only.

Common hoist hazards: falls from height, falling loads and objects, crush between car and structure, electrical contact, entanglement, overloading, and structural failure.

Risk score = likelihood x consequence; controls are prioritised for the highest scores and residual risk must be re-assessed after each control.

Exclusion zones are the primary engineering/administrative control against struck-by and crush hazards; the zone radius must account for load size, wind and potential fall trajectory.

Hazard identification must be done before first use, after alteration or repair, after an incident, and at defined intervals, with workers consulted.

Load charts and rated capacities are not to be exceeded; capacity reduces with factors such as number of falls, reeving, and load geometry where applicable.

Environmental hazards: wind loading on the car and load, lightning, poor visibility, water ingress to electricals, and ground bearing capacity under the base.

Communication failure (no signal, ambiguous signal, radio dropout) is a hazard; work stops until clear communication is re-established.

Materials hoists are for goods only; personnel hoists are a separate class with different design, guarding and licensing requirements. Never carry people on a materials-only hoist.

Major components: mast or guide rails, base and foundation, car or platform, head frame and sheave, drive unit, wire ropes, counterweight where fitted, landing gates, and safety devices.

Safety devices include overspeed and broken-rope detection, slack-rope switch, upper and lower limit switches, final limit stops, landing gate interlocks, and overload protection.

Rated capacity is the maximum load stated by the manufacturer for the configuration; it includes the platform, attachments and any personnel where permitted.

Working load limit (WLL) is the maximum mass a component or assembly is designed to bear in service; the hoist must never be loaded beyond its rated capacity.

Landing gates and interlocks prevent access to the hoistway and prevent movement unless gates are closed and secured; bypassing an interlock is prohibited.

Mast ties or wall anchors transfer lateral load to the structure; the tie schedule and spacing are set by the manufacturer and must be followed.

Terminology: hoistway is the travel path, landing is a floor access point, headroom is clearance above the top landing, and the overtravel space absorbs run-past.

Pre-start checks cover ropes for broken wires, corrosion, kinks and end fittings, mast sections and ties, base and foundation, gates and interlocks, limit switches, and signage.

Function-test each safety device without load before use: upper and lower limits, final limit, gate interlocks, emergency stop, and audible/visual alarms.

Wire rope discard criteria follow the manufacturer or applicable standard; broken-wire counts, diameter reduction and corrosion are assessed over a defined rope length.

Faults are classified by risk: any defect in a safety device, rope, brake or interlock means the hoist is out of service and locked out until repaired.

Defects must be reported to the person with control of the plant, recorded in the log, and the plant tagged out; operators must not attempt repairs outside their competence.

Inspection results are recorded with date, time, inspector, items checked and any defects found; records are retained for the period required by the regulator.

Daily pre-use checks are additional to, not a substitute for, periodic inspection by a competent person at the intervals set by the regulator or manufacturer.

Ground bearing capacity must be verified against the manufacturer's foundation loads; base is level, drained, and clear of excavations, trenches and backfilled ground.

The exclusion zone must cover the full footprint of the hoistway plus the drop zone, with the radius set by risk assessment and any site-specific rules.

Barricading is physical and continuous: rigid hoarding or fencing, not tape alone, at heights and distances that prevent unauthorised entry.

Signage at every access point: 'No entry - materials hoist', 'Do not ride', rated capacity, and the operator's contact. Signs must be legible from the approach.

Landing gates must be self-closing or kept closed and secured, with edge protection and toe boards at every landing level.

Lighting must be adequate at the base, landings and travel path; the operator must have a clear line of sight or a verified communication system.

Overhead power lines and other plant are checked for clearance; where minimum approach distances cannot be met, the line is de-energised or isolated.

Public protection is a separate consideration from worker protection; the zone must exclude members of the public at all times during operation.

Only the licensed operator starts, moves or stops the hoist; the platform is loaded within the rated capacity and the load is secured against movement.

Loads are distributed to keep the platform balanced; eccentric or concentrated loads reduce effective capacity and increase sway and rope wear.

No person rides on a materials hoist; the operator controls the hoist from outside the platform at a position with a clear view or verified signals.

Standard signals: stop is a clenched fist held still; hoist up is forearm raised with hand open; hoist down is forearm lowered with hand open; emergency stop is both arms crossed.

One signaller only, designated and identifiable; the operator obeys the stop signal from anyone, but takes directional signals from the designated signaller.

The operator keeps the load and travel path in view; where sight is lost, movement stops until communication is re-established.

Do not exceed the rated capacity; where a load's mass is uncertain, it is calculated or weighed before lifting, not estimated by eye.

Wind, ice, lightning and poor visibility are stop-work triggers when they exceed the manufacturer's limits or the risk assessment's thresholds.

At the end of the shift, the platform is lowered to the base landing, the power is isolated and the control key or isolator is removed and held by the operator.

Landing gates are closed and secured, the hoistway is barricaded, and the base access is locked or fenced against unauthorised use.

Loose materials, tools and debris are removed from the platform; the platform is left clean and empty.

The post-operational check records the final condition, any defects found during the shift, and the shutdown time in the log.

Isolation follows lock-out/tag-out: isolate, lock, tag, and verify zero energy before any maintenance or clearing of a fault.

The hoist must not be left in a state where wind, water or unauthorised persons can cause movement or damage; covers and weather protection are fitted where specified.

Handover between shifts includes a verbal and written brief on defects, out-of-service tags and any incomplete tasks.

Emergency stop: press the emergency stop, isolate power, secure the area, and account for all persons before any recovery action.

If a load is stuck or a person is trapped, do not attempt to move the hoist until the situation is assessed by a competent person; call emergency services.

Incident response sequence: make the area safe, provide first aid, notify the PCBU, preserve the scene, then notify the regulator where the incident is notifiable.

Notifiable incidents are reported to the regulator immediately by the fastest means, with a written report within the period set by the jurisdiction.

Accident prevention relies on the hierarchy of control, competent persons, verified inspection regimes and stop-work authority for all workers.

Rescue from height requires a pre-planned procedure, trained rescuers and equipment; improvisation is a common cause of secondary casualties.

Emergency drills and contact numbers are posted at the hoist base and at each landing, and are tested at defined intervals.

After any incident or near miss, the hoist is quarantined, the cause investigated, and corrective actions verified before return to service.

The PCBU is responsible for maintenance; the operator's role is to report defects, not to repair plant beyond their competence.

Maintenance is performed by a competent person to the manufacturer's schedule: intervals are set by hours, cycles or calendar, whichever comes first.

Records to keep: logbook, pre-use inspection sheets, periodic inspection reports, maintenance and repair records, and proof of operator licensing.

Equipment documentation includes the manufacturer's manual, load chart, design registration, item registration, and the commissioning or verification certificate.

Records must be legible, dated, signed and retained for the period required by the regulator; they are produced on request for inspection.

Any alteration, major repair or modification to a hoist may require re-assessment, re-registration and re-verification before use.

Out-of-service tags and lock-out devices are controlled; only the person who applied the lock removes it, under a documented procedure.

Audit trail principle: every inspection, repair and defect must be traceable to a person, a date and a specific item of plant.