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Lifting Equipment Risk Assessment

Lifting Equipment Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Lifting Equipment Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with lifting equipment across governance, planning, procurement, and operational systems using this comprehensive Lifting Equipment Risk Assessment. This management-level tool supports WHS Act compliance, demonstrates Due Diligence, and helps protect your business from operational and legal liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, Duties and WHS Legislation Compliance: Assessment of PCBU and Officer duties, WHS governance structures, and executive oversight of lifting operations to minimise legal exposure.
  • Design, Engineering and Procurement of Lifting Equipment: Management of specification, engineering verification, and procurement processes to ensure lifting gear is fit for purpose and compliant with relevant Australian Standards.
  • Plant Registration, Asset Management and Documentation Control: Systems for plant registration, asset registers, configuration control, and secure storage of certificates, test reports and OEM documentation.
  • Competency, Licensing, Training and Supervision Systems: Verification of high-risk work licences, competency frameworks, refresher training, and supervisory arrangements for lifting operations.
  • Planning, Risk Management and Lift Authorisation Systems: Formal lift planning processes, critical lift assessments, risk assessment workflows, and lift authorisation controls.
  • Safe Systems of Work, Procedures and Permit Systems: Development and implementation of lifting procedures, isolation and permit-to-work systems, and interface with SWMS and JSA processes.
  • Inspection, Testing, Maintenance and Calibration Systems: Preventive maintenance programs, periodic inspection and proof load testing of lifting equipment, and calibration of load monitoring devices.
  • Contractor and Supplier Management for Lifting Operations: Prequalification, selection, and performance monitoring of crane providers, rigging contractors and lifting gear suppliers.
  • Site Layout, Traffic Management and Exclusion Zone Control: Planning of crane pads, access routes, load paths, and exclusion zones, including interaction with pedestrians, vehicles and overhead services.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and Recovery: Emergency response planning for lifting incidents, dropped loads and equipment failure, including communication protocols and recovery strategies.
  • Monitoring, Audit, Consultation and Continuous Improvement: Internal audit schedules, safety performance indicators, workforce consultation, and corrective action tracking for ongoing improvement of lifting safety.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Senior Managers, WHS Managers, and Engineering or Operations Leaders responsible for planning, approving, and overseeing lifting equipment and lifting operations across their organisation.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, Duties and WHS Legislation Compliance
  • • Lack of clear allocation of WHS duties for lifting equipment between PCBUs, officers, workers and contractors, leading to gaps in control of critical risks
  • • Failure to identify, understand and apply relevant WHS legislation, regulations, codes of practice and Australian Standards relating to lifting equipment (e.g. WHS Act 2011, WHS Regulations, AS 1418, AS 2550)
  • • Inadequate WHS policy framework and risk management procedure specifically addressing lifting equipment as ‘plant’ under the WHS Act
  • • Poor consultation and coordination with other PCBUs on shared worksites, resulting in inconsistent standards for lifting equipment selection, operation and inspection
  • • Insufficient officer due diligence in verifying that resources, systems and monitoring for lifting equipment risks are in place and effective
2. Design, Engineering and Procurement of Lifting Equipment
  • • Procurement of lifting equipment that is not fit for purpose, not adequately rated, or incompatible with existing plant and loads
  • • Failure to verify that designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers have fulfilled their WHS duties, including provision of safety information and design risk controls
  • • Absence of formal engineering review for non-standard, modified or custom lifting devices, leading to unknown load limits and failure modes
  • • Lack of documented technical specifications and acceptance criteria for lifting equipment, resulting in inconsistent purchasing decisions based on cost rather than safety and compliance
  • • Use of counterfeit, untested or uncertified lifting components (e.g. chains, slings, shackles) due to inadequate procurement controls and vendor assurance
  • • Inadequate change management when introducing new or replacement lifting equipment, causing unrecognised system interactions and hazards
3. Plant Registration, Asset Management and Documentation Control
  • • Failure to register registrable lifting plant with the WHS regulator where required by WHS Regulations
  • • Incomplete or inaccurate plant asset register for lifting equipment, leading to missed inspections, maintenance and uncontrolled decommissioned items being reused
  • • Loss, misplacement or non-control of critical documentation such as test certificates, inspection reports, design registrations and safe use information
  • • Inconsistent version control of lifting equipment procedures, drawings and load charts, resulting in workers relying on outdated information
  • • Inability to trace lifting equipment history (ownership, inspections, incidents, repairs), preventing effective investigation and risk management
4. Competency, Licensing, Training and Supervision Systems
  • • Use of lifting equipment by workers or contractors without the required high-risk work licences, qualifications or verification of competency
  • • Inadequate training on organisational lifting procedures, limitations of specific lifting equipment, and site-specific hazards
  • • Insufficient refresher training and competency reassessment leading to skill fade and unsafe practices becoming normalised
  • • Lack of supervision, mentoring and monitoring systems for inexperienced workers or new contractors involved in lifting operations
  • • Poor recordkeeping of qualifications, licences, and training, making it difficult to verify competence prior to allocating lifting tasks
  • • Failure to integrate learning from incidents, near misses and industry alerts into training content and competency systems
5. Planning, Risk Management and Lift Authorisation Systems
  • • Lack of structured risk assessment processes for lifting activities, resulting in unmanaged system-level hazards (e.g. simultaneous operations, interaction with utilities or public areas)
  • • Inadequate planning for complex or critical lifts, such as heavy, awkward, tandem or near-capacity lifts, leading to ad hoc decision-making
  • • No formal lift plan or authorisation process, causing inconsistencies in how hazards are identified and managed across sites
  • • Failure to consider environmental and site conditions (e.g. wind, ground bearing capacity, overhead services, confined spaces) within planning systems
  • • Insufficient consultation with relevant stakeholders (e.g. engineers, principal contractor, asset owner) during planning, causing critical constraints or limitations to be overlooked
  • • Poor integration of lifting equipment planning with other work activities, increasing the risk of plant interactions, dropped objects and congestion
6. Safe Systems of Work, Procedures and Permit Systems
  • • Absence of formal safe work procedures for the use, inspection, storage and management of lifting equipment, resulting in inconsistent practices across teams and sites
  • • Overly generic or outdated procedures that do not reflect specific lifting equipment, site conditions or changes in legislation and standards
  • • No permit-to-work or equivalent control system for high-risk lifting activities, leading to poor coordination and inadequate verification before work commences
  • • Failure to define and communicate clear criteria for taking lifting equipment out of service when defects, damage or unknown history are identified
  • • Lack of integration between lifting equipment procedures and other critical safety systems (e.g. lockout/tagout, confined space entry, hot work, traffic management)
7. Inspection, Testing, Maintenance and Calibration Systems
  • • Inadequate or inconsistent inspection and maintenance regimes for lifting equipment, leading to deterioration, undetected defects and increased likelihood of failure
  • • Failure to comply with prescribed inspection and test intervals in Australian Standards, manufacturer instructions or regulatory requirements
  • • Use of lifting equipment that is overdue for inspection, incorrectly tagged, or has missing/illegible identification marks and SWL/WLL information
  • • Reliance on unqualified or insufficiently competent persons to carry out inspections, testing and maintenance
  • • Poor coordination between maintenance systems and operations, resulting in equipment being returned to service without verification of repair effectiveness
  • • Lack of calibration systems for load cells, limit switches, overload protection devices and other safety-critical components
8. Contractor and Supplier Management for Lifting Operations
  • • Engagement of crane companies, riggers, doggers or lifting equipment hire firms without adequate WHS prequalification or verification of systems
  • • Inconsistent standards between principal contractor and subcontractors regarding lifting equipment selection, inspection, communication and exclusion zones
  • • Reliance on contractor-supplied lifting equipment with unknown maintenance, certification and inspection history
  • • Poor coordination and communication with contractors and other PCBUs, leading to conflicting instructions and uncontrolled simultaneous operations
  • • Insufficient oversight of contractor compliance with site-specific lifting procedures and permit systems
9. Site Layout, Traffic Management and Exclusion Zone Control
  • • Poorly planned site layout leading to interactions between lifting equipment and pedestrians, vehicles or other plant
  • • Inadequate exclusion zones around lifting operations, increasing the risk of struck-by incidents and exposure to dropped objects
  • • No systematic consideration of overhead and underground services (e.g. powerlines, pipelines) within site planning and lifting equipment operation
  • • Uncontrolled public interface where lifting equipment is used near public roads, walkways or adjacent properties
  • • Insufficient signage, barriers and visual controls to support safe movement around lifting operations
10. Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and Recovery
  • • Lack of clear emergency response procedures for lifting equipment incidents such as dropped loads, equipment failure, entrapment or contact with powerlines
  • • Insufficient training and drills on emergency scenarios specific to lifting operations, leading to confusion and delayed response
  • • Inadequate systems for securing and preserving incident scenes involving lifting equipment for investigation and regulatory notification
  • • Poor integration of lifting-related emergencies into broader site emergency plans (e.g. evacuation routes blocked by cranes or fallen loads)
  • • Failure to systematically investigate and learn from lifting equipment incidents, near misses and equipment failures
11. Monitoring, Audit, Consultation and Continuous Improvement
  • • Lack of ongoing monitoring and review of lifting equipment risk controls, leading to gradual degradation of safety standards and emergence of unrecognised risks
  • • Insufficient worker consultation and feedback mechanisms regarding lifting equipment issues and improvement opportunities
  • • Inadequate internal audit coverage of lifting equipment systems, allowing non-compliance to persist
  • • Failure to track and act on leading and lagging indicators related to lifting equipment performance (e.g. overdue inspections, near misses, equipment damage)
  • • Limited management visibility of lifting equipment risks and performance, weakening oversight and resource allocation

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS 2550 series: Cranes, hoists and winches – Safe use
  • AS 1418 series: Cranes, hoists and winches – Design, testing and compliance requirements
  • AS 4991: Lifting devices – Design, verification and testing of lifting attachments and spreader beams
  • AS 1891 series: Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices for work at height around lifting operations
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements and guidance for implementation
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Guidance on managing risks associated with plant, including cranes and lifting equipment
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risks of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice: Supporting controls for work at height during lifting activities
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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