Guidance on planning and executing lifting operations using excavators.
This guidance was produced due to the prolific use of excavators used for lifting operations in construction and sets out the precautions and procedures that should be taken into account when planning and carrying out lifting operations with 360-degree as well as 180-degree excavators/backhoe loaders.
The precautions and procedures specified in the publication identify how lifting operations should be done safely and in accordance with the requisite legal duties laid out in a seventy-two page document.
A core message that the document conveys is that excavators are primarily designed for excavating and handling loose material rather than lifting suspended loads. Therefore, an excavator should not be the first or only choice for lifting, even if it is already on site.
