Any type of lifting operation can be hazardous if it is not planned and carried out correctly. In Great Britain, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require every lifting operation involving lifting equipment to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.
LOLER does not require every lift to have someone with the formal title of “Appointed Person.” Under the BS 7121 series for the safe use of cranes, the competent person who plans lifting operations is referred to as the Appointed Person.
In this article, we look into the Appointed Person for lifting operations definition, explain what this individual does in crane operations and outline some other common roles involved in lifting operations.
LOLER applies to lifting equipment used at work, including equipment owned by an organisation and equipment provided by somebody else. Its aim is to make sure that lifting operations involving lifting equipment are conducted safely. It does not cover every act of lifting.
Manual lifting without lifting equipment is primarily governed by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Some types of work equipment fall outside LOLER but remain subject to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
LOLER works alongside the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and PUWER. Northern Ireland has separate but similar legislation: the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999.
Some important areas covered by LOLER include equipment for lifting people, positioning and installation, marking, and thorough examination of lifting equipment. It also explains how lifts must be planned. Regulation 8 requires lifting operations involving lifting equipment to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. The Regulations do not prescribe a universal list of named lifting roles.
In crane operations managed under BS 7121, the Appointed Person is the competent person nominated by the organisation requiring the lift. Appointed Persons plan the lifting operation and have overall control of the lifting-operation arrangements.
The title comes from the BS 7121 crane framework; it is not a role that LOLER requires by name for every lifting operation. HSE’s LOLER Approved Code of Practice and guidance explains that the competent person who plans crane lifting operations under BS 7121 is referred to as the Appointed Person.
The Appointed Person may delegate specific planning duties to other people who are competent to carry them out, where appropriate. However, they should ensure that those duties are carried out correctly and retain responsibility for the delegated duties within the scope of the Appointed Person role. Delegation does not transfer the statutory duties of the employer or any other dutyholder, nor does it remove the responsibilities of the Crane Supervisor, crane operator, slinger, signaller or anyone else involved in the operation.
When a crane is hired, responsibility for planning, supervising and carrying out the lift normally rests with the crane user. Under a contract lift, the crane hire company explicitly assumes those responsibilities. The parties still retain any other legal duties that apply to them. Organisations without the necessary competence should use an appropriate contract-lift arrangement rather than attempting to plan the operation themselves.
Anyone filling the Appointed Person role must be competent for the lifting operations they are asked to plan. LOLER does not prescribe a particular qualification, card or certificate for this purpose. Qualifications and training can provide evidence of competence, but the employer or other relevant dutyholder must assess whether the person has the knowledge, skills and experience needed for the actual equipment, task and level of risk.
The HSE describes competence as “the combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely.” Other factors, including attitude and physical ability, can also affect competence.
Knowledge, skills and experience are therefore useful elements of a competence model, but a simple “competency triangle” is only an illustration. A competent Appointed Person must also be able to apply those elements, recognise the limits of their competence and obtain specialist help where necessary. The competence required should be proportionate to the complexity and risk of the lift.
The competent person who plans a lift should not be confused with the competent person who conducts statutory thorough examinations under regulation 9 of LOLER. HSE guidance states that these descriptions do not have the same meaning and that the roles are unlikely to be carried out by the same person. A thorough examiner needs appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment being examined, together with sufficient independence and impartiality.
The organisation should define the Appointed Person’s authority and responsibilities clearly. For crane operations, the role will typically include:
- Assessing the proposed operation and preparing a lift plan that is proportionate to its risk and complexity
- Establishing the load’s weight, shape, centre of gravity and suitable lifting points
- Selecting suitable cranes, lifting accessories, configurations and operating limits
- Considering the site, ground or supporting structure, access and egress, load path, visibility, weather, overturning risks, and proximity hazards
- Defining the safe system of work, including exclusion zones, communications, signalling and emergency arrangements
- Identifying the competent people and level of supervision required, and ensuring that everyone involved receives and understands the relevant parts of the plan
- Confirming that the required equipment examinations, inspections, documentation and pre-use checks are in place
- Obtaining permits, licences or specialist advice where the location or operation requires them
- Reviewing and, where necessary, revising the plan if the equipment, load, personnel, site conditions or method changes
The Appointed Person may delegate suitable tasks to competent people but should verify that the resulting arrangements remain consistent with the lift plan. The Appointed Person is not the sole person responsible for safety: the employer and other dutyholders retain their legal duties, and each person involved remains responsible for carrying out their own role safely.
Lifting operations do not all require the same team structure. The roles needed depend on the equipment, the lift and the applicable industry guidance. In crane operations managed under BS 7121, common roles include:
- Appointed Person: Plans the lifting operation and has overall control of the planning arrangements
- Crane Supervisor: Directs and supervises the operation so it follows the lift plan and safe system of work, with authority to stop the lift if it becomes unsafe
- Crane Operator: Operates the crane in accordance with the lift plan, manufacturer’s instructions and authorised signals
- Slinger: Identifies and uses the correct lifting accessories in accordance with the lift plan, and attaches, secures and detaches the load
- Signaller: Gives clear, agreed signals to the operator when the operator cannot safely control the load’s movement without assistance
The slinger and signaller functions are often carried out by one competent person. For straightforward routine lifts, other roles may also be combined where this is suitable, and the person is competent. Complex or non-routine lifts normally require more detailed, lift-specific planning and may require roles to be separated, but there is no blanket rule that every role must always be filled by a different person. The lift plan should identify the allocation that is safe for the particular operation.
Competence is developed through an appropriate combination of instruction and training, supervised practical experience, equipment-specific knowledge and assessment. It must then be maintained through experience, refresher training and review when equipment, standards, methods or responsibilities change.
Human Focus Lifting Operations Training is an IIRSM-approved online awareness course for people involved in lifting operations. It covers common lifting risks, equipment and load checks, communication, authorisation and practical safe-working principles. The course can support awareness and refresher training as part of a broader competence-development programme.
Learners complete an online multiple-choice assessment and must score at least 80% to pass. Those who pass receive an IIRSM-approved digital certificate, which is valid for three years. The certificate records successful completion of an awareness-level course; it does not, by itself, demonstrate practical competence or qualify, authorise or appoint someone as an Appointed Person, Crane Supervisor, crane operator, slinger, signaller or competent person for statutory thorough examination.
Employers and other dutyholders must still identify role- and equipment-specific training needs, provide supervised practical experience where required, assess competence for the work to be undertaken and ensure that lifting operations are properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. Training can support compliance with LOLER, but it cannot replace these arrangements.
