Insights
What is an Appointed Person, and when do you need one?
The Appointed Person is the single most important role in any lifting operation. If you are hiring a crane and nobody has told you who the Appointed Person is, that is a problem worth resolving before anything leaves the ground.
The role
Under BS 7121 — the code of practice for the safe use of cranes — the Appointed Person has overall control of the lifting operation. They are the person with the competence and the authority to plan the lift and to stop it.
Their responsibilities include assessing the load and the site, selecting the crane and the lifting accessories, producing the lift plan, method statement and risk assessment, defining the roles of everyone involved, and ensuring the operation is properly supervised.
When you need one
Every lifting operation requires planning by a competent person under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). For anything involving a mobile crane, that competent person is an Appointed Person.
There is no size threshold below which the requirement disappears. A small, straightforward lift needs planning by a competent person just as an industrial installation does — the plan is simply proportionate to the risk.
Who provides one
Under a contract lift, the crane company provides the Appointed Person. Under CPA crane hire, the hirer must provide their own.
Liftec supplies a fully qualified Appointed Person as part of a contract lift, and can also be engaged to supply one to produce a lift plan for a project we are not carrying out ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the crane operator the Appointed Person?
- No. The operator drives the crane. The Appointed Person plans and takes overall control of the lifting operation. They are separate roles with separate competences.
- Can I use my site manager as the Appointed Person?
- Only if they hold the relevant Appointed Person qualification and experience for the type of lift. Site management experience alone is not sufficient.
- Can you supply an Appointed Person without supplying the crane?
- Yes. Liftec can supply a fully qualified Appointed Person to attend site, survey the job and produce a documented lift plan for a project we are not lifting on.