BS 7121 Hand Signals: UK Crane Signals + Free Poster

Every lift plan names a slinger/signaller — but the signals themselves are where communication lives or dies. The UK's standard hand signals for lifting come from the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 and are carried into crane practice by BS 7121, which requires an agreed, understood signalling system for every lifting operation. This guide covers the standard signals, the rules that make signalling work under pressure, and a free printable poster for the site cabin wall.

The Ground Rules Before Any Signal

• One signaller. The operator takes signals from one identified person only — except an emergency stop, which anyone can give and the operator must obey.
• Agreed before the lift. The signalling method — hand signals, radio, or both — is set in the lift plan and confirmed at the briefing.
• Visible or audible at all times. Lose contact and the lift stops. For blind lifts, radio procedure with continuous transmission or acknowledged commands replaces line-of-sight signals.
• Distinct dress. The signaller must be identifiable — the reason slinger/signallers traditionally wear something that stands out from the rest of the gang.

The Standard Signals

Control signals

• Start / attention (follow my instructions) — both arms extended horizontally, palms facing forwards.
• Stop — right arm raised, palm facing forwards.
• Emergency stop — both arms raised, palms facing forwards. Given by anyone, obeyed instantly.
• End of operation — both hands clasped at chest height.

Vertical movement

• Raise / hoist — right arm raised, palm forward, hand making slow circles.
• Lower — right arm extended downwards, palm inwards, hand making slow circles.
• Vertical distance — hands held apart indicating the remaining distance.

Horizontal movement

• Move forwards — both arms bent, palms up, forearms beckoning slowly towards the body.
• Move backwards — both arms bent, palms down, forearms pushing slowly away.
• Right (from the signaller's view) — right arm extended horizontally, palm down, making small slow movements to the right.
• Left (from the signaller's view) — left arm extended horizontally, palm down, making small slow movements to the left.
• Horizontal distance — hands held apart indicating the gap remaining.

Danger zone rule: left and right are always given from the signaller's point of view — one of the standing causes of confusion when the signaller repositions mid-lift, and exactly why the briefing confirms positions before the hook moves.

Radio vs Hand Signals

On congested sites and blind lifts, radio has largely replaced hands — but it does not replace discipline. BS 7121 practice expects a dedicated channel, a communication check before the lift, standard phrases ("hoist… hoist… hoist" repeated while movement is required, silence meaning stop), and a fallback agreed in the plan for radio failure. Hand signals remain the universal backup every crane operator and slinger/signaller is trained to read — which is why the chart still belongs on the cabin wall.

Free Printable Poster

We have put the standard signals onto an A4 poster you can print and pin up in the site cabin, welfare unit or crane cab: download the BS 7121 crane hand signals poster (PDF) — free, no sign-up, same as our lift plan templates.

Signalling is one line of a competent lift plan — the machine, the rigging, the ground and the exclusion zones are the rest. If you need the whole document done properly, we write site-specific lift plans from £200 with 24–48 hour turnaround.