Tower Crane & Mobile Rigging

The crane is on hire. The crew is standing by. The one thing that can stop every lift on site from happening safely and on time is below-the-hook equipment that isn't specified, isn't certified, or isn't there.

A tower crane or mobile crane on a construction site is an expensive asset that earns its keep by turning over lifts. The crane operator, the appointed person, and the lifting supervisor are focused on the crane - radius, capacity, duty cycle, ground conditions. What's often underspecified is everything that hangs below the hook. Sling sets, lifting beams, shackles, hooks, and connecting hardware that have to handle a wide variety of load types across a full working shift, in all weathers, operated by different people every day. Below-the-hook equipment that isn't correctly specified, regularly examined, and matched to the actual loads being lifted is where crane operations fail.

Challenges

Enormous Variety of loads across a single shift

A tower crane on a busy construction site might lift structural steel, precast concrete, formwork panels, concrete skips, materials hoists, and welfare facilities in the course of a single working day. Each load type has different geometry, different attachment requirements, and potentially different WLL demands. A single sling set won't cover all of it safely. The appointed person needs a specified and certified equipment inventory that covers the actual lift schedule - not a collection of whatever was available when the crane was mobilised.

Equipment must match crane SWL at every radius

Below-the-hook equipment is often specified to the maximum crane SWL at minimum radius - and then used at every radius without adjustment. That's not how crane capacity works. At maximum radius, the crane's SWL may be a fraction of its close-in capacity, and every piece of below-the-hook equipment needs to be rated for the loads that will actually be applied at the radii where lifts actually happen. The weakest link in the lifting train sets the WLL for the whole operation.

Certification and marking visible to the crane operator

The crane operator cannot see the SWL stamped on a shackle pin from the cab. Below-the-hook equipment on crane operations needs to be visually identifiable - colour-coded by year of examination, clearly tagged, and immediately distinguishable from equipment that is out of service or overdue for examination. On a busy site with multiple contractors, equipment that isn't clearly marked creates the conditions for an overloaded lift that nobody intended.

Super Fast rig and de-rig between multiple lifts

Crane productivity depends on the speed of the rigging cycle as much as the crane's own cycle time. Sling assemblies that are slow to connect, shackles with damaged threads that are hard to close, or lifting beams that require two people to handle all add dead time to every lift. Below-the-hook equipment that's well-maintained, logically assembled, and right for the load type keeps the crane working. Equipment that slows the crew down gets worked around - and that's when shortcuts happen.

What the regulations require

Crane operations are among the most tightly regulated lifting activities on a construction site. The below-the-hook equipment is as subject to those requirements as the crane itself.

Key standards and guidance for tower crane and mobile rigging:

■ LOLER 1998: all lifting accessories, including slings, shackles, hooks, and lifting beams, must be thoroughly examined at six-monthly intervals; records must be kept and made available for inspection

■ BS EN 13414-1: specification and WLL ratings for wire rope slings; the standard that crane sling sets should be procured and examined against

■ BS EN 1492-1 and -2: specification for flat web slings and round slings respectively; WLL ratings must account for the sling angle and configuration in use

■ BS EN 1677: components for slings including shackles, hooks, rings, and master links; all connecting hardware should meet this standard

■ LEEA 025: the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association guidance on thorough examination of lifting accessories; the recognised competence standard for examination providers in the UK

■ HSE CIS60: HSE Construction Information Sheet covering the selection and use of lifting equipment on construction sites

■ CDM 2015: crane operations must be addressed in the construction phase plan; the appointed person responsible for lifting operations must be named and their competence demonstrated

The appointed person is legally responsible for ensuring that all equipment used in lifting operations is suitable, rated, and within its examination period. That responsibility extends to below-the-hook equipment sourced by subcontractors. If it hangs from your crane, it's your responsibility.

Lifting Shackles

Chain Slings

Lifting & Spreader Beams

Load Weighing Equipment

Swivels

Putting together a below-the-hook equipment inventory for a crane operation?

Tell us about the crane, the lift schedule, and the load types and we'll specify a complete certified equipment set. We can supply with current thorough examination certificates so your appointed person has the documentation before the crane is erected.

Request a below-the-hook equipment quote