Free Crane Lift Plan & Critical Lift Checklist

Why every lift deserves a plan — and some deserve a lot more

Most crane incidents don't come from exotic failures. They come from a load that weighed more than the paperwork said, a radius that grew during the swing, an outrigger on soft ground, or a boom that drifted toward a power line. A lift plan is where those four things get written down, checked and signed before anyone rigs up. The free Excel template above handles the math — gross load, percent of chart capacity at every phase, ground bearing, power-line clearance, sling tension — and flags a critical lift using a threshold your company sets.

Step 1 — Know the real gross load

The number that goes against the load chart is not the load. It's the load plus everything below the boom tip that the chart notes tell you to account for:

• The load itself — from the manufacturer's data, shipping documents, a certified scale, or a calculation from dimensions and unit weights.
• Below-the-hook devices — spreader bars, lifting beams, equalizers.
• Rigging — slings, shackles, hooks, turnbuckles.
• The hook block or overhaul ball as reeved.
• Load line and jib or extension deductions, if the chart requires them.

OSHA 1926.1417(o)(3) requires the operator to verify the load is within rated capacity — by a recognized source or calculation, or by starting the hoist with a load-weighing device, LMI or RCL and stopping to verify if the load exceeds 75% of the maximum rated capacity at the longest radius of the lift. If any weight is estimated, the template lets you add a contingency percentage so the estimate doesn't quietly become the plan.

Step 2 — Configure the crane to match the chart

A capacity only means something for the exact configuration it was charted for: outriggers fully extended or not, counterweight, boom length, jib stowed or erected, and the quadrant you're working over. The template records all of it, plus parts of line and line pull per part, and checks gross load against hoist-line capacity (parts × line pull). Set the LMI or RCL to the same configuration — a mismatch between the computer and the crane is a classic cause of overloads.

Step 3 — Percent of chart at pick, swing and set

Radius is what kills capacity. A load that's 40% of chart at the pick can be over 75% when the boom swings out to reach the set point. The template has three rows — pick, the longest radius during the swing, and set — each with the chart capacity you read from the manufacturer's load chart. The template doesn't contain any load chart; those numbers are yours to look up. Read at the next larger radius column, never interpolate upward, and take the capacity for the configuration you'll actually have.

The formula is simple:

% of chart = gross load ÷ rated capacity at radius

In the example, a 16,678 lb gross load is 40% of chart at a 28-ft pick, 66% at the 44-ft set, but 78% at the 50-ft radius the boom passes through during the swing. That governing number is what gets compared with your threshold.

Step 4 — Set your critical-lift threshold

Federal construction rules don't define "critical lift" with a percentage. Your company, your owner or your insurance carrier usually does, and the common thresholds are 75% or 85% of chart capacity, sometimes lower for personnel or tandem lifts. The template makes the threshold an input — change it once and every phase status, the lift classification and the Lift Log all update. Percentage is only one trigger; the template also lists the other conditions most programs treat as critical:

• Tandem or multi-crane lifts
• Hoisting personnel (1926.1431)
• Loads over occupied buildings, live process areas or public ways
• Equipment that could get within 20 ft of a power line
• Load weight estimated or not verified
• Engineered lugs, below-the-hook devices, flipping or turning loads
• Cranes on structures, barges or non-standard supports
• Irreplaceable, long-lead or high-value loads

Edit the list to match your program. Any "Yes" makes the lift critical, which in most programs means an engineered plan review and a full set of signatures.

Step 5 — Ground conditions and mats (1926.1402)

The equipment can't be assembled or used unless the ground is firm, drained and graded enough — with mats or cribbing if needed — to meet the manufacturer's support and level requirements. The controlling entity has to tell the crane user and operator about known hazards beneath the set-up area: voids, tanks, utilities. The template runs a screening check: maximum outrigger or track load (from the manufacturer's outrigger-load calculator for the worst position) divided by mat area, compared with the allowable bearing pressure from a geotech report or engineer. It assumes a rigid mat spreading load evenly — good for catching an undersized pad, not a substitute for an engineered mat design on a critical lift.

Step 6 — Power lines (1926.1408)

Start by asking whether any part of the crane, load line or load could get within 20 feet of a power line at the crane's maximum working radius in the work zone. If yes, pick one option:

1. Deenergize and ground — confirmed by the utility owner/operator.
2. Keep 20 feet of clearance.
3. Keep the Table A distance for the voltage — 10 ft up to 50 kV, 15 ft over 50 to 200 kV, 20 ft over 200 to 350 kV, and more above that.

Options 2 and 3 also require encroachment precautions (1926.1408(b)): a planning meeting with the operator and crew, non-conductive tag lines, an elevated warning line or barricade at the clearance distance, and at least one of a proximity alarm, a dedicated spotter, a range-control warning device, a range limiter or an insulating link. The template looks up Table A from the voltage you enter and compares it with your planned closest approach. Full table and details: crane power line clearance chart.

Step 7 — Wind and weather

The competent person must adjust the equipment and operations for the effect of wind, ice and snow on stability and rated capacity (1926.1417(n)). Enter the wind limit from the manufacturer's manual or your program for this configuration, and the forecast or measured gust. Large-surface loads — wall panels, rooftop units, trusses, tilt-up panels — act like sails and may need a limit well below the crane's general maximum.

Step 8 — Rigging check

The Rigging Check tab calculates tension per leg: load ÷ number of legs ÷ sin(angle from horizontal). At 60° each leg sees about 1.15 times its share; at 45°, 1.41 times; at 30°, twice. Below 30° it climbs fast, and the sheet flags it. On a 3- or 4-leg bridle, assume only two legs carry the load unless the rigging is equalized. Compare tension with the sling's WLL for the hitch you're using, and include shackles and hooks.

Step 9 — People and pre-lift checklist

The checklist covers the Subpart CC items that most often fail on a real lift:

• Shift, monthly and annual crane inspections current (1926.1412).
• Load chart and operator's manual in the cab (1926.1417(c)).
• Operational aids working — anti-two-block, LMI/RCL, boom angle indicator (1926.1415–.1416).
• Counterweight swing radius barricaded (1926.1424(a)(2)).
• Operator certified or qualified (1926.1427); signal person qualified with documentation on site (1926.1428).
• Signal person used where the operator can't see the load path (1926.1419(a)).
• Load rigged by a qualified rigger, with self-closing hook latches, when workers are in the fall zone hooking, unhooking or guiding (1926.1425(c)).
• Rigging inspected each shift (1926.251(a)).
• Hoisting route that keeps loads away from workers; fall zone controlled (1926.1425).

The status bar reads GO only when every checklist item is answered, nothing in the plan is red, and — for a critical lift — reminds you that all signatures are required before rigging up.

How to use the Excel template

1. Lift Plan tab — fill in lift and crew, the load and rigging table, crane configuration, and chart capacities at pick, swing and set. Set your critical-lift threshold.
2. Complete ground, power-line and weather sections. Each has a live check.
3. Mark the critical-lift criteria and walk the pre-lift checklist.
4. Rigging Check tab — verify sling tensions and angles.
5. Sign and add the lift to the Lift Log, which classifies every lift against the same threshold.

Common lift-planning mistakes

Planning only the pick radius

The governing radius is the longest one during the lift, which is often mid-swing. Measure it on the site plan.

Forgetting the deductions

Hook blocks on larger cranes weigh as much as a small load. If the chart says deduct it, it goes on the load side.

Trusting the shipping weight

Crates, fluids, attached accessories and "approximate" weights add up. Verify, or add a contingency and say so on the plan.

Outriggers on unknown ground

A buried vault, backfilled trench or septic tank under an outrigger is how cranes tip. Ask the controlling entity, look at the as-builts, and mat for the worst case.

Beyond paper: lift plans in Field PM

A lift plan in a binder in the trailer doesn't help the crew at the crane. Field PM keeps lift plans, JSAs, crane inspections and sign-offs with the daily report — every signature timestamped and filed to the project Job Book. Build your pre-lift checklist from our form library. Start a free 30-day trial.

Related free safety tools

• Crane power line clearance chart — 1926.1408 Table A
• JSA template — hazard analysis for the rigging and lift task
• Equipment inspection checklist — daily pre-use checks
• Scaffold inspection checklist — landing loads on scaffolds
• Excavation inspection checklist — setting boxes and pipe in trenches
• All free construction templates

This template organizes a lift plan; it isn't legal or engineering advice and it contains no load chart data. Use the crane manufacturer's load charts and manuals, a qualified rigger and a certified operator, and have critical lifts reviewed per your program. Verify citations against the current 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC and any stricter state-plan or owner requirements.