A lift has been planned, the pre-lift meeting is complete, the crane is properly configured, and the load is in the air.

Halfway through the lift, conditions begin to change.

The wind is picking up. The load is becoming harder to control. The operator is still within the crane manufacturer's allowable limits, but the signal person notices the load beginning to move more than it did at the start of the lift.

Production is waiting, the crew believes they can finish the lift, and nobody wants to be the person who unnecessarily stops the operation.

Here's the question:

👉 Who should make the call to STOP the lift—and at what point should they make it?

• The operator?
• The signal person?
• The lift director?
• The safety professional?
• Anyone who recognizes the changing risk?

And here's the part I'm really interested in:

Do you wait until a specific limit is exceeded, or should the lift be stopped when conditions begin reducing your ability to maintain positive control—even if you're technically still within the allowable limits?

There may be a difference between "within the limit" and "safe for the conditions."

What would you do?

👇 I'd like to hear from operators, riggers, signal persons, lift directors, and safety professionals.

#CraneSafety #CraneOperator #Rigging #LiftPlanning #StopWorkAuthority #SafetyCulture #ConstructionSafety

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