When you are operating any kind of crane, or you are supervising others whilst they are using a crane, you need to adhere closely to the load capacity set out for that crane and the specific hoist that is being used.

Why is this so important? Because:

• It can cause serious damage to the crane and the sling, and these are expensive pieces of lifting equipment
• It can cause serious injury. It might not seem like too big an issue to overload a lifting sling just a little, but when a load is too heavy, it will be unstable and can act unpredictably. This might mean that it will swing unsteadily, or even fall, with the potential to cause injury to people in the vicinity.

Consult the manual when using any kind of crane for the first time to make absolutely sure of the load capacity – never, ever make assumptions about the weight a crane can take.