A crane does not warn you before it tips. On Indian highway, metro, and EPC sites, lifting operations — cranes, hydras, tower cranes, slings and shackles — are responsible for some of the most severe accidents in the industry. The Samruddhi Expressway crane collapse in August 2023 killed 20 workers. Almost every investigation after a lifting accident finds the same thing: no lift plan, wrong SWL, uninspected slings. A lifting plan and lift inspection checklist does not slow the job down. It is what makes the job possible — safely, legally, and without a crisis call to the site manager at 2 am. This page gives you a complete, ready-to-use lifting plan and lift inspection checklist for Indian EPC, highway, mining, and infrastructure sites. Start free with HVI to run every critical lift digitally.
Lifting Plan & Lift Inspection Checklist for Indian Sites
A complete lifting plan format and rigging inspection checklist for cranes, hydras, and lifting tackles on Indian EPC, highway, and mining sites. Covers SWL, slings, banksman, exclusion zone, and critical lift approval.
Samruddhi Expressway crane collapse, Maharashtra, August 2023 — no pre-lift plan in place
NDRF incident report, IndiaOf all crane accidents are caused by human error — not equipment failure
Crane Inspection & Certification BureauStandard Indian EPC practice: never load a crane beyond 75% of rated SWL during a lift
EPC site SOPs, IndiaLift plans required under Factories Act 1948, BOCW Rules, and DGMS mine safety regulations
Indian regulatory frameworkWhen Is a Formal Lifting Plan Required on Indian Sites?
Not every crane lift needs a full critical lift plan. But if any one of these conditions is present, a formal plan is non-negotiable — legally and practically.
Load > 75% of Crane SWL
Any lift where the load weight — including rigging, spreader beam, and attachments — exceeds 75% of the crane's rated capacity at the working radius.
Lift Over Occupied Areas
Any lift where the load path passes over workers, moving vehicles, occupied structures, or live highway lanes.
Tandem / Multi-Crane Lift
Any lift requiring two or more cranes to share the load simultaneously. Load distribution calculation is mandatory.
Within 6 m of Power Lines
Boom tip or load path coming within 6 metres of any energised overhead line. Clearance certificate and spotters mandatory.
Soft Ground / Unknown Bearing
Site where outrigger pad ground bearing capacity has not been confirmed. Mat or cribbing calculation required before setup.
Any Routine Crane / Hydra Lift
All crane and hydra lifts on Indian EPC, highway, and mining sites require at minimum a standard lift permit with SWL confirmation and rigging check.
HVI's lift plan module auto-classifies every lift as Critical, High Risk, or Standard the moment the load weight and crane data are entered. Book a 30-minute demo to see the classification live.
Sample Lifting Plan Format — Critical Lift
This is the standard lifting plan format used on Indian EPC, bridge, and infrastructure sites. Every section must be completed before the crane hook is attached to the load.
Get the HVI digital lift plan free — fill on mobile, sign off in the app, close with photo proof.
Lift Inspection Checklist — Pre-Lift, During & Post-Lift
A lift inspection is not a single event. It has three distinct phases. Every phase must be signed off before moving to the next.
Pre-Lift Inspection
- Crane test certificate valid and on site
- Operator licence verified and current
- Load weight confirmed — scale ticket or engineer calculation
- SWL check done: load ≤ 75% of crane capacity at working radius
- All slings inspected — no broken wires, kinking, or tag damage
- Shackles inspected — pin straight, correct rating, cotter pin fitted
- Spreader beam / lifting beam certified, SWL label visible
- Ground bearing capacity confirmed, outrigger pads / mats in place
- Exclusion zone barricaded and signed
- Banksman / signaller assigned and positioned
- Overhead power line clearance confirmed ≥ 6 m
- Pre-lift toolbox talk conducted, all crew briefed
During-Lift Checks
- Test lift: raise 300 mm, hold 5 min, check balance and brake
- No personnel under or within swing radius of suspended load
- Banksman maintaining visual contact with operator at all times
- Tag lines in use to control load swing
- Wind speed within permitted limit (typically ≤ 28 km/h)
- No sudden movements, jerking, or side-loading
- All non-essential personnel outside exclusion zone
- Load never left suspended unattended
Post-Lift Closure
- Load secured and dunnage / support confirmed stable
- All lifting tackles removed, inspected, and returned to store
- Damaged slings / shackles tagged out of service immediately
- Exclusion zone barricades removed or maintained as required
- Lift record completed with photo proof of set-down
- Supervisor sign-off on lift closure
Sling & Rigging Inspection — Discard Criteria
A sling that should have been removed two months ago is not a cost saving. It is a lawsuit and a fatality waiting to happen. These are the discard criteria that every rigging supervisor on an Indian site must know.
| Rigging Item | Inspect For | Discard If |
|---|---|---|
| Wire Rope Sling | Broken wires, kinking, birdcaging, corrosion, end ferrule | ≥ 6 broken wires in one rope lay, or any kink / birdcage |
| Synthetic Web Sling | Cuts, abrasion, UV discolouration, chemical damage, label legibility | Any cut or burn, label missing, red core threads exposed |
| Chain Sling | Chain link wear at crown, gouges, nicks, weld integrity | Crown wear > 10% of original diameter |
| Shackle | Body deformation, pin straightness, cotter pin, SWL marking | Any bend, crack, or pin that will not fully seat |
| Hook | Throat opening, twist, safety latch spring tension | Throat opening > 15% of original, or latch not snapping |
| Spreader Beam | Structural weld condition, end fittings, certification tag date | Any crack in weld, end fitting deformation, or expired cert |
HVI's rigging register gives every sling and shackle its own digital record — photo, cert date, inspection history, and auto-alert when it is due for re-inspection. Book a HVI demo to see a live rigging register on real fleet data.
Expert View from the Field
We were doing 6 to 8 lifts a day on our viaduct package. The lift plans were being done in a paper register at the site office. Half the time the register was not at the lift location. Slings were being used past discard criteria because nobody was tracking the inspection dates.
After we moved to HVI, every operator scans the sling tag before it goes on the hook. If the inspection date has lapsed, the app flags it and the lift cannot proceed. We caught three condemned slings in the first month that would have been used. That is not a near-miss story — that is three fatalities that did not happen.
Pradeep Rao, Rigging and Lifting Superintendent, GR Infraprojects, Rajasthan — NH-48 package, 14 cranes
Paper Lift Plan vs HVI Digital Lifting Plan
- ×Lift plan register not at the lift location half the time
- ×Sling inspection dates tracked manually — or not at all
- ×SWL check done verbally — no written confirmation
- ×Approvals collected face-to-face — can take hours
- ×Post-lift closure forgotten, no photo evidence of set-down
- ×Audit pack impossible to produce after an incident
- ✓Lift plan raised on mobile at the lift location
- ✓Rigging register — every sling tagged, inspection auto-alerted
- ✓SWL check enforced: lift cannot proceed if load % exceeded
- ✓Multi-level digital approvals in minutes
- ✓Photo-verified closure with GPS and timestamp
- ✓Complete audit trail, one-click PDF for DGMS or client
For Indian EPC, highway, and metro sites running more than 5 lifts per day, digital lift plan management is the difference between a controlled operation and a criminal investigation. Sign up free with HVI and put every lift on one traceable platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a lift a "critical lift" on Indian construction sites?
A critical lift is any lifting operation that meets one or more of these conditions: the hook load exceeds 75% of the crane's rated SWL at the working radius, the load path passes over occupied areas or live traffic, the lift requires two or more cranes simultaneously, the crane boom operates within 6 metres of energised power lines, or the ground bearing conditions are unconfirmed. For DGMS-regulated mining sites in India, any lift involving HEMM components exceeding 10 MT also qualifies as a critical lift requiring formal sign-off.
How often should slings and rigging tackle be inspected in India?
All slings and rigging tackle must receive a pre-use visual inspection by the rigger before every single lift. In addition, a thorough inspection by a competent person is required every 6 months for rigging used in regular service and every 3 months for rigging used in severe conditions such as chemical environments, heat exposure, or high-frequency lifting. Any rigging exposed to shock loading, overloading, or unusual stress must be taken out of service and formally inspected before reuse. Under the Factories Act 1948 and applicable state rules, a register of all lifting gear with inspection dates must be maintained on site.
Who can be a banksman on an Indian construction site?
A banksman, also called a signaller or dogman, must be a trained and competent person who has been formally designated for the role on that specific lift. Under Indian EPC site practice and the BOCW Rules, the banksman must have undergone rigging and slinging training, must have a clear and unobstructed line of sight to both the crane operator and the load at all times, and must be the only person giving signals to the crane operator during the lift. The banksman's name must appear on the lift plan. If the banksman loses sight of the load at any point, the lift must stop immediately.
What should the exclusion zone radius be for a crane lift?
The exclusion zone must cover the full swing radius of the boom plus an additional buffer for the load's horizontal dimension and a drop zone below the full lift path. As a practical starting point, Indian EPC site SOPs typically set the exclusion zone radius at the working radius plus 3 to 5 metres, with a minimum of 10 metres for any lift above 5 MT. For lifts over occupied roads or railways, the exclusion zone must be formally approved by the competent authority and may require temporary lane closures or possession of the track. The exclusion zone must be physically barricaded and signed, not just marked on paper.
Can HVI generate a lift audit report for DGMS or client submission?
Yes. HVI's lifting plan module generates a complete, timestamped PDF lift record for any completed lift. The document includes the crane details, load weight and SWL check, rigging configuration, exclusion zone confirmation, banksman details, multi-level approval signatures with timestamps, pre-lift checklist with photo evidence, and the post-lift closure sign-off. The document is GPS-stamped at the site location and can be exported immediately for submission to DGMS, NHAI, NHIDCL, client EHS teams, or insurance bodies after any incident or routine audit.
Sign Every Critical Lift Digitally with HVI
HVI gives Indian sites a complete digital lifting system. Lift plan on mobile, SWL enforcement, rigging register with auto-alerts, multi-level approvals, photo-verified closure, and a one-click audit PDF. Built for cranes, hydras, and tower cranes on EPC, highway, and mining packages.
No credit card. No hardware. Live on your site in under 10 minutes.
