High Risk Work Licence - Personnel and Materials Hoist (HP) key terms

A powered lifting machine with a guided platform or car that carries workers, tools and materials between levels on a construction site; it is not a crane and must never be used for tasks outside its rated purpose.

A national competency-based licence issued by a work health and safety regulator that authorises a person to operate specified high risk plant, including personnel and materials hoists, without direct supervision.

A person who has the training, qualifications and practical experience needed to carry out a specific task safely, such as inspecting or erecting a hoist, and who can identify defects and unsafe conditions.

A written document that lists the high risk construction work tasks, the hazards each creates, the control measures to be used, and who is responsible, reviewed before work starts.

The process of systematically finding and recording anything at the workplace that could harm people, equipment or property, before deciding how serious each hazard is and what to do about it.

The ranked order of risk control measures from most to least effective: eliminate the hazard, substitute, use engineering controls, then administrative controls, with personal protective equipment as the last line of defence.

A short, informal meeting held before or during a shift where supervisors explain the day's tasks, hazards, controls and any changes, and workers can raise concerns or ask questions.

A drawing or written plan showing where the hoist will stand, its distance from the building and site boundaries, landing positions, loading areas, overhead clearance and the exclusion zone around it.

A set of inspections and function tests carried out by the operator before the hoist is used on each shift, covering structure, ropes, gates, interlocks, brakes, controls, alarms, signage and the logbook.

The on-site record where operators and inspectors note daily checks, defects found, repairs completed, maintenance and any out-of-service periods, so the hoist's history can be traced.

A procedure that cuts off all energy sources to the hoist and fits a personal lock and tag so the equipment cannot be restarted while someone is working on or near it.

A warning tag attached to an isolating device or control stating that the equipment must not be operated, who applied it, the reason and the date, and removed only by the person who fitted it.

A device that automatically stops or reverses hoist movement when the platform reaches a set position, such as the top landing, the bottom of the mast or an open gate.

A sensing system that detects when the load exceeds the hoist's rated capacity and prevents further lifting, often with an audible and visual warning to the operator.

A check that the hoist's brake holds the platform and its load without slipping when the power is removed, carried out at the start of each shift as part of the pre-operational routine.

A visual and tactile examination of hoist ropes for broken wires, corrosion, kinks, crushing, bird-caging and wear, with damaged ropes removed from service by a competent person.

A written record of any fault or damage found on the hoist, describing the problem, its location, when it was found and the action taken, so repairs can be organised and tracked.

Regular servicing and inspection carried out at set intervals by competent or specialist personnel according to the manufacturer's instructions, covering items that operators cannot check during routine pre-start inspections.

One of the interchangeable lattice or tube modules bolted together to form the vertical tower that guides the hoist platform and carries its loads down to the base.

The steel structure and concrete footing or slab that spread the hoist's weight and overturning forces into the ground, and must be built to the manufacturer's design before any mast is added.

A structural connection, usually a steel strut or frame, fixing the hoist mast to a building or separate anchor to stop it bending or toppling, fitted at the spacing specified by the manufacturer.

The maximum height a hoist mast may be built without ties or other support, set by the manufacturer and reduced in strong wind, beyond which ties must be installed.

The condition of the mast being vertical and the base being horizontal within the manufacturer's stated tolerances, checked with levels and plumb lines during erection and after any tie is added.

A self-closing gate at each floor level that keeps people from stepping into the hoist shaft or off the platform edge, and is interlocked so the hoist cannot move until it is closed.

A marked area around and beneath the hoist where only authorised people may enter, keeping workers clear of falling objects, moving parts and the platform's travel path.

The maximum load, in kilograms or tonnes, that the hoist is designed to lift under stated conditions, including the platform itself and any passengers, as shown on the manufacturer's plate and load chart.

A table or graph supplied with the hoist that shows the permitted load at various platform positions, heights or configurations, and which the operator must consult before lifting.

The point where the load's weight is concentrated; keeping it near the middle of the platform and low down stops the load shifting and reduces uneven loading on the hoist.

A control that only keeps the hoist moving while the operator keeps pressing or holding it, so the machine stops automatically if the operator lets go or is distracted.

A clearly marked red button or switch that immediately cuts power to the hoist's motion in an emergency, and must be reset deliberately before the hoist can be used again.

Standard arm and hand movements used to direct the hoist operator when radios fail or are unsuitable, agreed and understood by everyone involved before any movement begins.

The maximum wind speed at which the hoist may be operated, set by the manufacturer and often lower for tall or partly erected masts, measured on site with an anemometer.

A hoist designed and marked for goods only, which must never carry people because it lacks the safety features, controls and strength required for passenger transport.

The routine of lowering the platform to its rest position, closing and locking landing gates, switching off and isolating power, and securing the site before the operator leaves.

Keeping the hoist's keys, isolation locks and control panel locked and in the operator's charge so unauthorised people cannot start the machine after hours or between shifts.

A controlled procedure, using the manufacturer's manual descent system, to bring a stranded platform down to a safe landing when power or controls fail.

A written and practised procedure describing how to reach and recover people trapped on or near the hoist, including who to call, equipment needed and roles of each person.

A record completed after any accident, near miss, injury or equipment failure, describing what happened, who was involved, the consequences and the immediate action taken.

Clothing and gear such as hard hat, safety boots, high-visibility clothing and gloves worn by workers to reduce the chance of injury when other controls cannot remove the risk.

Live electrical cables above or near the site that the hoist and its mast must stay a safe distance from, with the distance set by the electricity authority and spotter controls in place.