Plan and Prepare Hoist Work
Start with the paperwork, not the machine
Planning a hoist task means proving, before anything is erected or energised, that the machine, the site and the people are matched to the job. Begin with the scope: what loads, what mass, what dimensions, which landings, how many people, and for how long. Read the manufacturer's operating manual and load chart for that specific model - rated capacity is not a single number but a curve that falls as platform height, configuration or number of falls changes.
Identify hazards from the site, not from memory: ground bearing capacity and slope at the base, excavations and services below, overhead powerlines and their exclusion distances, adjacent crane and scaffold operations, wind exposure on an open facade, public access below, and the structural adequacy of every point where the hoist will be tied. Confirm tie positions and loads with the engineer or principal contractor. Confirm permits, traffic control, landing access and barricading.
Settle the rescue plan and the communication method before work starts. Decide who dogges, who operates, who signals, and how a person at height is recovered after a power failure.
Trap: questions often describe a materials-only hoist and ask whether it can lift people because the platform looks big enough. Only a hoist designed, marked and authorised for personnel may carry them.
Rule of thumb: add platform, attachments and personnel to the load, then compare with the chart for that height. If the margin is under 10 per cent, re-plan.