Management and Supervision of Lifting Operations

Mobile cranes are among the most versatile machines on any construction site, capable of lifting heavy loads to great heights and over significant distances. When they are operated on firm, level ground by a fully trained and competent lifting team, they are also one of the safest items of plant on site. The key word there is team. A lift is never a one-person job, and the way it is planned, supervised, and executed is what separates a routine task from a serious incident.

This guide walks through the management and supervision side of a mobile crane lift exactly as it should happen on a real site — from the moment the operator arrives at the gate to the moment the timesheet is signed at the end of the shift.

The Legal Framework: LOLER and BS 7121

Every lifting operation in the UK sits under two key references:

• LOLER 1998 (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) — Regulation 8 states that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner.
• BS 7121 — the British Standard Code of Practice for the safe use of cranes, which sets out the detail of how that planning, supervision, and execution should look in practice.

If you are sitting a CPCS renewal test in any mobile or crawler crane category, expect both to appear in your questions. Our guide to the top topics that appear in CPCS renewal tests covers how legislation features across the assessment.

Arriving on Site: The Induction

You are a visitor to that workplace, no matter how many times you have lifted there before. A suitable site induction is non-negotiable. It is the only way you become aware of:

• Site-specific risks and hazards
• PPE requirements
• Welfare and emergency arrangements
• The names and roles of the people who will be working with you

The competent person — usually the Appointed Person — will introduce themselves, confirm what you will be lifting, and walk you through the day’s plan before any documentation is checked.

Documentation Checks

Before a wheel turns or an outrigger extends, the paperwork has to be right. The competent person will typically ask the operator for:

1. The daily and weekly check sheets for the crane
2. The crane’s thorough examination certificate (the LOLER report)
3. The crane’s test certificate
4. The operator’s CPCS card
5. The operator’s competency certificate for the specific model being used

“Firstly there’s some documentation I need to check from yourself. I’d like to see a daily weekly check sheet please.”

In return, the operator must be given the method statement, risk assessment, and lift plan to read and sign. Both parties sign — the competent person to confirm they have briefed the operator, and the operator to confirm they understand the lift will be carried out in accordance with that method statement. This is also the point where the CPA Model Conditions for Crane Hire are referenced, which matters because they determine who carries which legal duties during the lift.

Walking the Site Before You Move

A good Appointed Person does not just hand you a piece of paper — they walk you through the lift on the ground. Where you will enter the site. Where you will turn. Where the outriggers will go (often marked with paint already). And, critically, the proximity hazards:

• Overhead power lines and their approximate height
• Substations and the permits already in place
• Telegraph poles
• Soft ground or excavations, marked with bunting
• Underground services

Even though you have been briefed and you have signed the method statement, conditions can change. Ground that was firm in the morning may be saturated by the afternoon. A scaffold may have gone up overnight. Stay alert.

Setting the Crane

Once positioned, the crane has to be set in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The operating manual must be in the cab and used for reference — not optional, not “I’ll remember.” The non-negotiables are:

• Outriggers extended to the dimension stated in the duty chart for the lift configuration
• Outrigger pins correctly fitted
• Support pads placed under the jacks to spread the load
• Crane levelled to manufacturer tolerances
• Wheels clear of the ground
• A walk-around to confirm nothing has been missed

If a support pad is too heavy to handle safely, ask for help. Some cranes have loading ramps and variable-height suspension to bring the pad closer to the ground. Manual handling is part of the job, but it is not a test of pride.

Access the cab and crane bed only via the grab rails, handrails, swing-around access ladders, or steps that the manufacturer supplied. Never improvise.

Setting the RCI and the 360° Slew Check

The Rated Capacity Indicator (RCI) must be set to match the duty the crane is actually working — boom length, counterweight configuration, outrigger spread. Get this wrong and every safety calculation downstream is wrong.

Once the crane is set and the RCI is configured, slew the superstructure through a full 360°, pausing briefly over each outrigger. This is the cheapest insurance in lifting:

“If any settlement of the support pads is noted, stop the operation and seek further guidance from the competent person.”

Ground that holds the crane at rest does not always hold it under the rotating load of the superstructure. The slew check shows you which outrigger is sitting on the weakest ground before you put a load on the hook.

Working as a Lifting Team

Lifting is a team activity. The operator runs the crane, but the slinger-signaller controls the load, and the Appointed Person controls the operation. Our walk-through of slinging and signalling — the seven steps every CPCS operator must know covers that side of the team in detail. Everyone in the team must know who is in charge of the lift, how communication will be carried out, and what the stop signal looks like — from anyone.

Closing Out the Lift

At the end of the shift, the paperwork closes the loop. The operator records:

• Arrival time on site
• Meal break duration
• Time leaving site

The operator signs the timesheet, the Appointed Person countersigns, copies are taken for both parties, and the job is closed. The CPCS card categories that this work falls under are typically Blue (Competent Operator) for the operator and Black (Manager/Supervisor) for the Appointed Person — if you are unsure where you sit, our explainer on CPCS card categories — red, blue, and black lays it out clearly.

How CPCS CPD Mastery Fits Into This

Knowing the management and supervision side of lifting is not just useful — it is examinable. CPCS renewal tests for every mobile crane, crawler crane, and appointed person category lean heavily on LOLER, BS 7121, duty charts, RCI setup, ground conditions, and lifting team roles.

CPCS CPD Mastery gives you:

• 4,000+ practice questions across 43 plant categories, with full coverage of mobile crane, crawler crane, slinger-signaller, and appointed person tests
• 5 plant calculators including a duty chart and lift planning calculator, so you can rehearse the maths you will face in the cab
• 8 quick reference guides covering LOLER, BS 7121, safe slinging, hand signals, and more
• Realistic mock tests that mirror the touch-screen format you will sit at the test centre
• Detailed explanations for every answer so you understand why — not just what

If your renewal is coming up, download CPCS CPD Mastery today and put the same discipline into your revision that a good Appointed Person puts into a lift plan. Plan it, supervise it, carry it out safely.