Obras Onsite
Free decision tool · cranes & lifting

Before that lift goes up

Crane incidents are rarely a surprise. They are a weight nobody confirmed, a sling angle nobody checked, or ground nobody tested. This walks the nineteen things that get missed and tells you what is outstanding before the load leaves the ground — it does not calculate capacity and it never says a lift is safe.

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This is not an approval. A green result means nothing on this list is outstanding — it is not a sign-off, a permit, an engineering release or a legal determination. The decision to proceed belongs to the competent person responsible for the work, using the site’s own hold points and approvals.
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Questions

Does this tell me if the crane can make the lift?

No, and it deliberately does not try. Capacity comes off the load chart for that exact configuration, read by the operator. This tool checks that somebody has actually done that, along with the eighteen other things that get missed.

Does a green result approve the lift?

No. It means nothing on this list is outstanding. Authorising a lift is the job of the competent person responsible for it, under your own lift plan and permit system.

Why is sling angle on the list?

Because as slings flatten out, the load in each leg climbs steeply. Two legs at a shallow angle can each carry far more than half the load, and it is one of the most commonly misjudged things on site. Our free sling angle calculator does the numbers.

What makes a lift critical rather than routine?

Site rules vary, but the usual triggers are lifting near the crane’s rated capacity, multi-crane lifts, blind lifts, lifting over live work or the public, personnel boxes, and anything where a failure has consequences beyond the immediate area. Your own procedure sets the threshold.

Is anything uploaded?

No. It stays in your browser on your device.

Related free tools

Sling angle calculatorWhat each leg is really carrying at that angle. Powerline exclusion zonesMinimum approach distances for plant near overhead lines. Permit selectorWhich permits this task should have behind it. Delivery & crane slotsBook the crane and stop two trades wanting it at once.

One lift. A tower crane does forty a day.

The paid system holds the licence currency, the gear certificates and the lift plan against the crane itself — so an expired ticket or an out-of-date sling shows up before the lift, not after the incident.

See Obras in action Take a free SWMS

This is a practical site-management tool. It is not legal, engineering or regulatory advice and does not guarantee compliance or a satisfactory inspection outcome. Requirements may vary by jurisdiction, project, contract and circumstances.

Want a person to look at it?

The tools above are free and yours to use. When you need the paperwork behind them reviewed by someone who has run sites, Obras HSE Services is a live consulting business in south-east Queensland.