Truck-Mounted Crane Operation SWMS
Operation of truck-mounted articulating crane (Hiab / Palfinger) for material delivery and lifting. HRWL CN or C0 licensing, outrigger deployment on suitable ground, swing radius exclusion, lift planning.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Truck-mounted articulating cranes (commonly Hiab, Palfinger or Effer units) are used across construction, landscaping, civil and materials supply sectors to load, transport and place palletised goods, precast elements, steel, plant and bulk bagged product. Operation of this plant constitutes High Risk Construction Work under Schedule 1 of the WHS Regulation 2025 because it involves powered mobile plant, lifting operations over or near workers, and frequently occurs adjacent to public roads or live traffic. Operators must hold the relevant HRWL (CN slewing or C0 non-slewing) class, and the PCBU must prepare, consult on and implement a Safe Work Method Statement before work commences. The SWMS must address ground-bearing capacity for outrigger deployment, exclusion zones within the swing radius, load chart compliance, rigging integrity and proximity to overhead electrical assets. This document provides a compliant, auditable SWMS aligned with WHS Reg 2025 s299–s306 duties.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crane overturn crushing operator, bystanders or property; fatal traumatic injury and total plant loss
Electrocution of operator and dogger via boom touch potential; arc flash burns and cardiac arrest
Crush fatality of workers below; structural damage; prosecution under WHS Reg 2025 s213–s216
Structural failure of boom or chassis tip-over; operator ejection and catastrophic plant loss
Crush injury between counterweight and fixed structure; impact fatality from swinging load
Load loss onto public roadway; third-party fatality; Chain of Responsibility prosecution under HVNL
Sudden load drop; high-pressure fluid injection injury to operator; struck-by injury to riggers below
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where practicable, use forklift or telehandler delivery direct to ground level to remove the need for crane lifting over personnel entirely.
- 2Elimination — Schedule lifts outside hours when other trades are on site, eliminating concurrent activity exposure within the crane swing radius and drop zone.
- 3Substitution — Substitute heavy single lifts with smaller pre-split loads to remain within 75% of rated capacity on the manufacturer's load chart at working radius.
- 4Engineering — Deploy outriggers fully onto engineered timber or composite pads sized to keep ground bearing pressure below tested soil capacity (refer AS 2550.1).
- 5Engineering — Fit and verify operation of load moment indicator (LMI), anti-two-block, and boom angle limit devices before each shift per AS 1418.11.
- 6Administrative — Complete documented lift study for loads exceeding 80% capacity, including exclusion zone plan, dogger position and communication protocol per AS 2550.1.
- 7Administrative — Verify operator holds current HRWL class CN or C0, dogger holds DG licence, and both are recorded on the SWMS sign-on register before commencement.
- 8Administrative — Maintain minimum approach distance from overhead powerlines per Code of Practice Working Near Overhead and Underground Electric Lines; use spotter where within 6.4 m.
- 9PPE — Wear AS/NZS 1801 hard hat, AS/NZS 1337.1 impact eyewear, AS/NZS 2210.3 steel-cap boots and AS/NZS 4602.1 Class D/N hi-vis during all lifting operations.
- 10PPE — Riggers and doggers to wear AS/NZS 2161.2 cut-resistant gloves when handling wire rope slings, chains and shackles to prevent laceration and pinch injury.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Specifies design, stability, load chart, and safety device requirements for articulating truck-mounted cranes; defines pre-operational inspection duties.
Establishes lift planning, outrigger setup, ground assessment and exclusion zone obligations referenced directly in WHS Reg 2025 s213 plant duties.
Codifies PCBU duty to assess, control and review powered mobile plant risks; mandates operator competency verification and isolation procedures.
Sets minimum approach distances, spotter requirements and permit conditions when operating crane booms in proximity to live overhead conductors.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Truck-mounted crane is powered mobile plant; doggers, riggers and ground crew work within metres of slewing boom and counterweight during every lift cycle.
Crane deployment zone overlaps with delivery vehicles, site traffic and pedestrian routes, creating concurrent powered mobile plant interaction requiring traffic management.
Boom extension and slew commonly occurs within proximity zones of overhead distribution lines on urban and roadside material delivery tasks.
PCBU must prepare SWMS, consult workers, and retain records for the project duration plus 2 years post-incident; penalties are substantial and indexed, current maximum follows the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Truck-mounted crane operators holding HRWL CN/C0
- →Transport and logistics PCBUs delivering building materials
- →Civil contractors performing precast and steel placement
- →Site supervisors coordinating lifts on construction projects
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
At a pre-start brief on a suburban townhouse civil works project, the truck-mounted crane operator and dogger open this SWMS on a tablet at the tailgate. The operator walks through the seven hazards with the site supervisor, focusing first on outrigger stability — the delivery point is on recently backfilled service trench, so the team selects the engineered composite outrigger pads listed in the engineering controls and increases pad footprint to keep bearing pressure below the geotech-tested 150 kPa limit. They identify a 22 kV overhead line running parallel to the kerb and apply the 6.4 m exclusion zone control from the Code of Practice, nominating a dedicated spotter and revising the lift sequence so the boom never slews north of the cab. Both workers sign the SWMS register, confirming HRWL currency. Mid-task, a plumber arrives unannounced and walks toward the swing radius. The dogger halts the lift using the agreed radio call sign, the operator parks the load, and the SWMS exclusion zone control is re-briefed with the plumber before resumption. The amendment, including the additional spotter position, is recorded in the SWMS variation log and re-signed by all workers, satisfying WHS Reg 2025 s301 review obligations.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- AS 2550 — Cranes, hoists and winches; AS 1418 series