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Crane inspection checklist
For crane operators and people reviewing reported defects. Record crane and operator, pre-use checks and defects and handover. Try the form below, see every question or download a blank PDF or Word copy.
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Does a pre-use check replace a crane examination?
No. HSE distinguishes operator pre-use checks from maintenance, formal inspection and thorough examination. Inspection arrangements must reflect the crane, its use and manufacturer instructions. Lifting operations also need suitable planning and competent people.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 6 October 2026 against HSE lifting operations in construction and HSE inspection of work equipment.
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Want to see one filled in? See a completed crane pre-use inspection report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
Fill it in on a phone or tablet
Your team completes the crane pre-use inspection on site in the SiteSurvey app on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. The project name and address fill in for them, it works without signal, and it syncs when the device is back online with photos kept against the question they answer.
Customers and subcontractors do not need the app: send them a link and they can fill it in from any browser.
Every question in the crane pre-use inspection template
A crane operator pre-use record covering machine identification, manufacturer checks, visible condition, safety devices, defects and handover. 5 sections and 41 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site or premises address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisation: the project's customer
Record details and scope
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site or premises addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Client or organisationShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Record date*Date
- Person completing the record*Short answer
- CheckThis is a pre-use evidence record for a trained operator. It is not a lift plan, proof-load test, thorough examination report or certification that a crane is safe for every lift.
- CheckNo. HSE distinguishes operator pre-use checks from maintenance, formal inspection and thorough examination. Inspection arrangements must reflect the crane, its use and manufacturer instructions. Lifting operations also need suitable planning and competent people.
Crane and operator
- Crane asset ID and location*Short answer
- Make, model and crane type*Short answer
- Scan the crane data plateScan a label: serial number, model number, asset number
Optional. Scan the label or data plate to capture the serial and other numbers.
- Operator and authorisation reference*Short answer
- Manufacturer pre-use checklist reference*Short answer
- Latest examination report reference and dateShort answer
- Configuration, boom and attachmentsShort answer
Identify the configuration checked and the instruction used. A check of one configuration should not be presented as covering another setup.
Pre-use checks
- Required examination and maintenance information available*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Visible structure, ropes, hook and connections checked to instructions*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Leaks, tyres or tracks and access checked where applicable*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Controls, stops, indicators and limiting devices checked to instructions*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Outriggers or supports and operating area considered*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Outstanding defects and operating restrictions reviewed*Choose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
- Action, limitation or reason not applicable*NotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Supporting photosPhotos
Defects and handover
- Defects, restrictions and action takenNotes
- Person receiving defect reportShort answer
- How use was prevented where a defect makes operation unsafeNotes
- Separate lift plan referenceShort answer
- Information passed to the supervisor or next operatorNotes
Actions and review
- Are further actions required?*Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Further actionRepeat for each further action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions required?” is “Yes”
- Action and evidence reference*Notes
- Person responsible*Short answer
- Target dateDate
- Action status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Completion evidence*NotesShown when “Action status” is “Completed”
- Outstanding limitations and information to pass onNotes
- Record status*Choose one
- Ready for review
- Further work needed
- Work or use stopped
- Reviewed byShort answer
- Review dateDate
- Author signature*Signature
- CheckSigning records the information entered. It does not itself certify legal compliance, remove a limitation or authorise unsafe work.
Scope and responsibility
This is a pre-use evidence record for a trained operator. It is not a lift plan, proof-load test, thorough examination report or certification that a crane is safe for every lift.
What a useful entry looks like
Configuration, boom and attachments
Identify the configuration checked and the instruction used. A check of one configuration should not be presented as covering another setup.
Crane CR-04, configuration recorded on setup sheet CS-12. This record covers the checks listed in the current operator instructions only.
Fictional example of record wording. Use the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job; this is not a completed report or an instruction to carry out the work.
See it filled in
A completed crane pre-use inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Crane Pre-use Inspection FAQs
How should I record “Configuration, boom and attachments”?
Identify the configuration checked and the instruction used. A check of one configuration should not be presented as covering another setup.
Can one checklist suit every crane?
No. Identify the crane and its configuration, then use the manufacturer instructions and site arrangements. Explain any item marked not applicable or not checked.
Does the form contain a lift plan?
No. It records a separate lift-plan reference. Load, radius, configuration, ground conditions and lifting supervision require their own competent planning.
What should be recorded for a defect?
Describe the defect and evidence, who received the report, any restrictions, and how unsafe use was prevented. A completed form does not authorise continued use.
What are the limits of this template?
This is a pre-use evidence record for a trained operator. It is not a lift plan, proof-load test, thorough examination report or certification that a crane is safe for every lift.
Can I complete this form on site and share the record?
In the SiteSurvey app the form works offline, with photos and signatures recorded against the questions. Share the completed record as a PDF or a link. Dates and action owners are recorded fields; this form does not send reminders or update other systems.
Related
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Templates that go with the crane pre-use inspection form
A lifting accessory pre-use record with identification, capacity markings, examination references, condition findings, quarantine and handover details.
A MEWP pre-use record with machine and operator details, visual and functional checks, operating-area constraints, rescue arrangements and defects.
A construction hoist pre-use record covering equipment identity, landing protection, visible condition, authorised function checks and defect handover.
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