Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control for Hoist Operations
Risk management is a continuous cycle: identify hazards, assess risk (likelihood and consequence), apply controls using the hierarchy of control, then monitor and review. For hoists, the hierarchy matters more than the list. Elimination means not lifting at all; substitution and engineering controls include interlocks, gates, overrun limiters, hold-to-run controls and two-handed or constant-pressure devices; administrative controls include procedures, signage, training and permits; personal protective equipment is the last line only.
Typical hazards: falls from height at landings and the platform; falling loads and materials; people struck by the platform, counterweight or suspension ropes; crush points at gates and landing edges; electrical hazards from wet conditions or damaged cabling; structural failure from overloading or poor ground bearing; and environmental hazards such as wind, heat and poor lighting. Also consider the person at the landing who loads the hoist - they are exposed to the same edge and crush hazards as the operator.
Traps: questions that reward PPE as a first control; forgetting the loading side of the operation; treating a risk assessment as a one-off document rather than a live process; and overlooking that a control can introduce a new hazard (for example, barricading that blocks an escape route).
Worked example: a hoist landing beside a public walkway. Eliminate by relocating the landing; if not practicable, engineer out access with fixed fencing and interlocked gates; then add signage and a spotter; PPE (helmet, boots, gloves, hi-vis) last. Record the reasoning, not just the outcome.