Free Download — Editable Word Document
Free Lift Plan Template (UK)
A generic lift plan template (also called a lifting plan template) for UK lifting operations — aligned with LOLER 1998 and BS 7121, and usable with any lifting appliance. Prepared by a CPCS Appointed Person with 35+ years of construction experience. Need one written for you instead? Our lift plan writing service starts from £200 with 24-48 hour turnaround.
Is There a Standard UK Lift Plan Template?
No — the HSE does not publish an official lift plan template. The legal duty comes from LOLER 1998 Regulation 8: every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out safely. The regulation tells you what planning must achieve, not what the document looks like.
In practice, the UK industry works to BS 7121, the Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Cranes, which categorises every lift as Basic, Standard or Complex and scales the planning detail accordingly. This free template follows that structure, so a completed copy stands up to scrutiny from a principal contractor's Appointed Person. If you are new to the topic, start with our guides to what a lift plan is and when you need one.
Download the Template
Provided as an editable Word document (.docx) you can customise with your company details and reuse across projects. Fifteen sections take you from lift categorisation through capacity verification to a signed briefing record.
Lift Plan Template — LOLER 1998 & BS 7121 Aligned
One systematic planning document for routine lifting operations with any appliance — mobile crane, excavator, telehandler or lorry loader. Built around the same structure we use for professional plans.
What's Included:
- ✓ Lift categorisation (Basic / Standard / Complex)
- ✓ Appliance details and thorough examination check
- ✓ Load details and gross load calculation
- ✓ Lifting accessories schedule with WLLs
- ✓ Radius & capacity verification (% utilisation)
- ✓ Ground conditions and proximity hazards
- ✓ Personnel, competencies and communications
- ✓ Step-by-step lifting procedure
- ✓ Briefing / sign-off record
Suitable For:
- • Routine, repetitive lifting operations
- • Basic-category lifts under BS 7121
- • Documenting a safe system of work
- • Subcontractor plan submissions
- • Toolbox talks and lift briefings
- • Any equipment make or model
Need an Equipment-Specific Template Instead?
The generic template covers the planning fundamentals. If your operation centres on one machine type, the equipment-specific versions capture the details a generic form cannot — load chart configurations, stabiliser deployment, attachment derating and machine-specific checks.
Mobile Crane Lift Plan Template →
Outrigger loading, ground bearing, duty chart verification and slew clearances per BS 7121-3.
Telehandler Lift Plan Templates →
Suspended load and fork-carried operations, with load chart configuration fields.
Excavator Lift Plan Template →
180° and 360° machines, ISO 10567 capacity verification and RCI checks.
Lorry Loader (HIAB) Lift Plan Template →
BS 7121-4 and ALLMI-aligned, with outrigger loading and delivery zone planning.
Overhead & Gantry Crane Lift Plan Template →
BS 7121-7 EOT, gantry and jib cranes — travel routes and loads-over-people fields.
When Is a Generic Template Enough?
BS 7121 scales planning with risk. Match the lift category to the right level of planning — and if in doubt, categorise upward.
| Lift Category (BS 7121) | Typical Examples | Right Level of Planning |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Routine lifts, well within capacity, no significant hazards — repeat pallet or materials movements | This template |
| Standard | Significant hazards present — proximity to structures or services, awkward loads, higher utilisation | Site-specific plan by a competent person |
| Complex | Tandem lifts, personnel lifting, exceptional loads, lifts over occupied areas or live infrastructure | CPCS Appointed Person — professional plan |
Important Notes
Templates Are a Starting Point
A template provides the framework — it does not make the plan adequate. The person completing it must be competent to assess the specific load, equipment, ground and site conditions, and to verify the capacity calculation. For complex lifts, near-capacity operations or anything non-routine, use our professional lift planning service.
Regulatory Compliance
This template is designed to satisfy the planning requirements of LOLER 1998 and align with BS 7121-1:2016. Compliance ultimately depends on the competence of the person completing the plan, the accuracy of the information entered, and the adequacy of the control measures for the specific operation. Plans submitted to principal contractors are commonly checked by an independent Appointed Person before lifting is approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official HSE lift plan template?
No. The HSE does not publish an official lift plan template. The legal requirement comes from LOLER 1998 Regulation 8, which requires every lifting operation to be properly planned by a competent person — the format is not prescribed. In practice the industry works to BS 7121 (Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Cranes), and this free template follows that structure: lift categorisation, load and capacity verification, ground conditions, proximity hazards, personnel competencies, and a briefed sign-off record.
What should a lift plan template include?
A thorough lift plan template covers: lift categorisation (Basic, Standard or Complex under BS 7121), the supporting risk assessment and method statement references, the lifting appliance and its thorough examination status, load details including gross load with accessories, a lifting accessories schedule, radius and capacity verification with percentage utilisation, ground conditions, proximity hazards and exclusion zones, personnel and competencies, communications, weather limits, the step-by-step lifting procedure, emergency arrangements, change management, and a briefing record signed by everyone involved.
Can I use a generic lift plan template for any equipment?
A generic template works for straightforward, routine lifts with any lifting appliance — crane, excavator, telehandler or lorry loader — because the planning logic (load, capacity at radius, ground, hazards, personnel) is the same. However, each equipment type has specific considerations a generic form cannot fully capture, such as load chart configuration for telehandlers or outrigger loadings for lorry loaders. For those, use our free equipment-specific templates, and for complex or near-capacity lifts have the plan written by a CPCS Appointed Person.
Who can complete a lift plan template?
Under LOLER 1998 the plan must be prepared by a competent person — someone with adequate training, knowledge and practical experience of the equipment and the operation. For Basic lifts a competent site supervisor may complete the template. For Standard and Complex lifts, UK industry practice (and most principal contractors) require a CPCS A61 Appointed Person to prepare or approve the plan.
When is a generic lift plan not enough?
A generic plan is not sufficient when the lift is Standard or Complex under BS 7121: lifts near capacity (above roughly 80% utilisation), tandem lifts, personnel lifting, loads over occupied areas or live infrastructure, poor ground, restricted sites, or unusual loads with offset centres of gravity. Those operations need a site-specific lift plan prepared by an Appointed Person — typically delivered in 24 to 48 hours from £200.
Want this written for your site instead? Plans from £200, 24-48h turnaround
07803 8080933 fields, 30 seconds. We reply within 24 hours.
Need a Professional Lift Plan?
This template works well for routine, Basic-category operations. For Standard and Complex lifts — or when a principal contractor requires an Appointed Person's plan — we write site-specific lift plans for every equipment type, UK-wide.
From £200. 24-48 hour turnaround.