Case Study 56: Tower Crane Lifting Loose Plywood Then Told to Bring It Back
Incident Overview Loose plywood was lifted without securing and later instructed to be returned mid-lift. What Went Wrong Poor securing and changing decisions mid-lift increased risk. Key Lessons Learned - Once airborne, safest option is to land - Mid-lift changes increase risk Safety Recommendations Loads must be secured and landed safely if lift is already underway. ●LOLER 1998 – Regulation 4 (Stability/secured load); Regulation 8 (Organisation, supervision, communication) ●PUWER 1998 – Regulation 4 (Suitability); Regulation 8 (Information/instructions); Regulation 9 (Training) ●BS 7121-1 – Securing loads; decision-making during live lifts; minimising time under suspended loads ●BS 7121-3 – Tower crane operations, especially where loads are out of view and require structured comms/supervision Wolf Lifting Dynamics Limited – Safety HUB | Case Study 56