Crane lift plan generator
A lift plan is the one-page agreement on how a specific load gets picked: what it weighs with the rigging, how close it is to the crane’s chart capacity at the working radius, who signals, where people stay out, and how far the boom stays from power lines. OSHA’s crane rules (29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC) require the load to stay within rated capacity, a signal person when the operator can’t see, and power-line clearances — and most GCs require a written plan for every crane lift, with extra review once a pick nears capacity.
What you get
A ready-to-use PDF with your company filled in, version and effective date, a management signature block and an annual review line. Blank lines are left where only your site can answer.
- Lift details, crane and configuration
- Load calculation: load + rigging + hook block + deductions, % of chart capacity
- Warning at more than 75%, critical-lift flag at more than 90%, stop at more than 100%
- Rigging components table and qualified rigger
- Signal person and communication method
- Swing radius barricade, fall zone and exclusion zone
- Power lines: 20 ft rule and the 1926.1408 Table A clearance for the voltage you enter
- Weather limits, pre-lift checklist and sign-off for the lift team
Fill in and download
What the document is built on
- 29 CFR 1926.1417(o) — rated capacity and load weight
- 29 CFR 1926.1408 and Table A — power line clearances
- 29 CFR 1926.1419 and 1926.1428 — signals and signal person
- 29 CFR 1926.1424 and 1926.1425 — swing radius and keeping clear of the load
- 29 CFR 1926.1412(d) and 1926.1417(n) — shift inspection, wind
When the job needs documented training, not just a talk — certificate issued the same day.
Questions safety managers ask
When is a lift a critical lift?
OSHA’s construction crane standard does not define one. Companies and GCs do, most often by percentage of chart capacity — many start extra review at 75% and treat anything over 90% as critical — plus lifts over people, near power lines, with two cranes, or of personnel. Use your company’s or the GC’s definition; this template flags 75% and 90% by default.
Where does 75% come from?
OSHA uses 75% in one place: when the load weight is not known from a reliable source, the operator may start the lift and check the load indicator — and must stop and verify the weight if it exceeds 75% of the rated capacity at the longest radius (1926.1417(o)(3)). Industry lift-planning practice uses the same line as the point where planning gets stricter.
How close can the crane get to a power line?
If any part of the crane, load line or load could come within 20 ft of a line up to 350 kV, OSHA 1926.1408 requires either de-energizing and grounding, keeping 20 ft, or keeping the Table A distance for the actual voltage with encroachment precautions. Over 350 kV, 1926.1409 replaces the 20 ft with 50 ft. Table A runs from 10 ft for lines up to 50 kV to 45 ft for 750–1,000 kV. Enter the voltage and the plan prints the right line.
Can this replace an engineered lift plan?
No. It organizes the information and does the arithmetic you enter. Capacity always comes from the manufacturer’s chart for the exact configuration, and critical lifts need review by a qualified person or engineer under your company’s procedure.
Other program generators
A template, not legal advice. It gives you the structure and the regulatory elements; it becomes your program when you fill in the blanks, adapt it to your work, train your people on it and keep it current. Check the current standards and any state OSHA plan that applies to you. The lift plan does not replace the manufacturer’s load chart or review by a qualified person or engineer.