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Crane Inspection Checklist
The inspections, site checks and records to cover before a crane lifts, from shift checks to annual reviews.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
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Easy to miss: the shift inspection is not the only one. OSHA standard 1926.1412, as Nationwide Crane Training summarises it, calls for inspections after assembly, each shift, monthly, every three months, annually, and whenever equipment is modified, repaired or adjusted. A daily checklist does not have to be documented, but the inspection itself must happen. This list covers mobile crane checks and the lift-site checks around them. It is a starting point to customise for your operation. State rules may differ, and your industry may add requirements.
Why these items are on the list
- Inspect after assembly. Post-assembly is one of the listed triggers for a required inspection.
- Inspect at every shift. Required even though documenting a daily checklist is not.
- Complete the monthly inspection record. Monthly inspection documentation must be provided, so file the record each month.
- Keep three months of documentation. Documentation for the past three months is required for the quarterly inspection.
- Schedule the annual inspection. Nationwide Crane Training quotes OSHA 1926.1412: at least every 12 months, a qualified person must inspect the equipment.
- Reinspect after repair or adjustment. Inspection is required whenever equipment is repaired or adjusted, not only after a repair.
- Reinspect after any modification. A modified crane needs its own inspection, separate from the routine schedule.
- Confirm a competent person is assigned. That person must spot hazards and have authority to take prompt corrective action.
- Verify operator training and licence. Pre-task lift checklists include confirming required training and operator licences.
- Level the crane. An unlevel crane can fall over lifting heavy loads, or even just running the boom out.
- Check ground conditions. Unstable ground is a common hazard, especially in poor weather or near excavation edges.
- Check outriggers and mats. Pre-task checklists pair these with ground conditions before the first lift.
- Examine boom and mast. A crane not inspected before use may have boom or mast structural damage that can cause buckling.
- Test controls and safety devices. Daily checklists cover controls, safety devices, and the pendant and remote.
- Inspect chains, slings and rigging. Rigging failure can drop or swing a load onto people nearby.
- Match rigging to capacity tags. Select rigging by its capacity tag, and check the condition of chains and slings.
- Review load charts and maintenance records. Review these before lifting, and record the planned lift's radius and boom length.
- Check wind and weather limits. Pre-task checklists include weather and wind shutdown thresholds.
- Keep minimum 10-foot power line clearance. Mitti's checklist sets that minimum. Contact can charge a boom even if the line is not live.
- Barricade the swing radius. Swing accidents hurt people under a hanging load. Use barricade tape and signage.
- Use tag lines on loads. Mitti's crane checklist lists tag line use with rigging selection, proper hitching, and center of gravity.
- Assign a designated spotter. Hand signaling for the lift is handled by the designated spotter, so assign one before lifting.
- Check state and industry rules. Federal checklists may not match state standards, and your industry may add rules.
- Record defects and sign off. Note findings, corrective actions, dates and signatures on the form.
Work through it on your phone at the machine, one section at a time. Anything left unticked stays visible until it is dealt with.
When to use it
Use it before the first lift of a shift, and again after assembly, repair or modification.