Contract lift or crane hire with operator?
The crane may be the same. What changes is who plans and manages the lift, and who is responsible if it goes wrong.
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The short answer
On a contract lift the crane hire company plans and manages the lift. On crane hire with operator, often called CPA hire, the hire company supplies the crane and operator, and you plan and manage the lift.
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), every lifting operation has to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. BS 7121, the British Standard code of practice for the safe use of cranes, sets out how that is usually done. The question is who does that. BS 7121 describes both arrangements, and the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) publishes standard conditions for each, which most UK crane hire firms use or adapt.
| Contract lift | Crane hire with operator (CPA hire) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who plans the lift | The crane hire company | You, the hirer |
| Appointed person (has overall control and writes the lift plan) | Provided by the crane hire company | Provided by you |
| Crane and operator | Supplied by the crane hire company | Supplied by the crane hire company; the operator works under your direction |
| Slinging and signalling | Usually provided by the crane hire company | Usually your responsibility, unless agreed otherwise |
| Responsibility for the lift | Largely with the crane hire company, under its contract lift conditions | Largely with you, under the hire conditions |
| Typically suits | Homeowners, small builders and anyone without their own lifting team | Contractors with their own trained appointed person and lifting team |
A general summary. The conditions you are offered set out the actual responsibilities, including insurance, and can differ from firm to firm.
What does a contract lift include?
The crane hire company takes on the lifting operation as a whole.
That normally means a site visit or survey where needed, a lift plan prepared under the hire company's appointed person, the crane and operator, the slingers and signallers, and supervision of the lift on the day. You give accurate information about the load, the site and the ground, and provide safe access.
What does crane hire with operator include?
The crane and a trained operator, and very little else.
Under the CPA's model conditions for hiring plant, the operator works under your direction, and planning and supervising the lift is your job. That means appointing a competent appointed person to plan the lift and write the lift plan, a crane supervisor on site, and slingers and signallers. It also matters for insurance: under hire conditions the hirer usually takes on responsibility for the crane while it is working for them, so check what cover the hire company expects you to have.
How to tell which one you are booking
Ask the hire company directly, and check the conditions on the quote. The words to look for are "contract lift" or "contract lifting", against "hire" or "CPA hire". If it is not clear, ask for it in writing before the day.
This page is a general explanation, not legal or safety advice. For the detail, see BS 7121 (Code of practice for the safe use of cranes), the CPA's published conditions, and the Health and Safety Executive's guidance on LOLER.
Questions people ask
What is a contract lift?
A contract lift is where the crane hire company takes on the whole lifting operation for you: planning the lift, providing the crane, operator and lifting team, and supervising the lift. You tell them what needs lifting and where.
What is CPA hire?
CPA hire is crane hire with operator under the Construction Plant-hire Association's model conditions for hiring plant. The hire company supplies the crane and a trained operator, but you, the hirer, are responsible for planning and supervising the lift.
Which is right for a one-off job?
If you do not have your own trained appointed person to plan the lift, a contract lift is usually the simpler choice, because the hire company takes on the planning and management. Ask the hire company to confirm in writing which arrangement you are booking.
Is the operator responsible on CPA hire?
The operator is responsible for operating the crane safely, but on CPA hire the operator works under the hirer's direction, and responsibility for the lift as a whole sits with the hirer. Read the conditions you are offered, because they set out who is responsible for what.
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