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Using an excavator as a crane: what makes it legal

Excavators lift pipes, kerbs and manhole rings on sites every day. Once an excavator is used to lift a load on a chain or sling, it is lifting equipment, and a second set of regulations applies on top of the ones that cover earthmoving.12

The short answer

Using an excavator as a crane is legal when the machine is suitable for the lift and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) are met.13 HSE says that if an excavator is used for lifting, it must be thoroughly examined and fitted with additional safety devices, such as check valves and an audible warning device.1 The machine must show its safe working load for each configuration, and every lift must be planned by a competent person, supervised and carried out safely.53 HSE also says that in most cases an excavator will not be the most suitable machine for lifting.1

When an excavator counts as lifting equipment

HSE’s code of practice on LOLER lists an excavator adapted for lifting, with attachments such as forks, grabs or lifting magnets, as lifting equipment.2 It says LOLER does not apply when the same machine is used for normal earthmoving.2

That distinction decides what the machine needs. HSE says only excavators used for lifting operations are subject to thorough examination under LOLER.1 A machine used only for earthmoving falls under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), which call for a suitable maintenance regime, including inspection at intervals set by a competent person.1

Is an excavator the right machine?

HSE says that in most instances an excavator will not be the most suitable equipment for lifting, because it is primarily designed for earthmoving.1 PUWER requires work equipment to be suitable for its purpose, and HSE says a suitable and sufficient risk assessment must inform the choice of machine.61

What the machine needs before it lifts

HSE says that if you plan to use an excavator for lifting, even occasionally, it must be thoroughly examined by a competent person.1 It adds that additional safety devices must be fitted, such as check valves and an audible warning device.1

HSE’s code of practice explains what those devices are for:2

  • check valves on hydraulic systems are one of the ways to stop a load falling out of control
  • where there is a significant risk of overturning or overloading, rated capacity indicators and limiters should give an audible or visible warning as the safe lifting limit is approached
  • the code lists an excavator used as a crane as a machine whose safe working load changes with its configuration
  • the safe working load information can be an indicator, plate, chart or certificate, provided it is readily available to the operator

On the excavators Ray tests, this is usually a lifting chart fixed inside the cab, often on the window, showing the most the machine can lift at different heights and distances.

What LOLER asks of every lift

LOLER sets duties that apply whatever the machine. In summary:3

  • Strength and stability (regulation 4). The equipment must be strong and stable enough for each load, and every part of the load and anything used to lift it must be strong enough.
  • Positioning (regulation 6). The equipment must be positioned to reduce, as low as is reasonably practicable, the risk of the machine or load striking a person, or of the load drifting, falling freely or being released unintentionally.
  • Marking (regulation 7). Machinery and accessories must be clearly marked with their safe working loads. Where the safe working load depends on configuration, the machine must be marked for each configuration or the information kept with it.
  • Organising the lift (regulation 8). Every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
  • Thorough examination (regulation 9). Lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined at set intervals, and inspected between examinations where needed.

HSE’s code of practice adds that planning should take account of the load’s weight, shape, centre of gravity and lifting points.2 The chains, slings and shackles used to attach the load are lifting accessories, and LOLER requires accessories to be examined at least every six months.4

Where NPORS N100 fits

NPORS has a category for this work: N100 Excavator as a Crane. It is not included in the learning outcomes NPORS published in 2019, so Ray will confirm what the test covers. For the machine itself, see the N202 360 excavator page, and for the attachment that holds the bucket or lifting eye in place, the guide to quick hitch safety.

N100 testing on your site

Ray Walters is an NPORS assessor. He carries out tests at customers’ premises, on their own machines, anywhere in the UK.

Ask Ray about excavator as a crane testing

Call Ray on 07984 357997 or email ray@walterstraining.com.

Sources

  1. Health and Safety Executive, Construction: excavators and LOLER. hse.gov.uk
  2. Health and Safety Executive, Safe use of lifting equipment: LOLER Approved Code of Practice and guidance (L113, second edition), paragraphs 28, 117, 169 to 171, 187 to 193 and 218. hse.gov.uk
  3. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulations 4 to 9. legislation.gov.uk
  4. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 9. legislation.gov.uk
  5. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 7. legislation.gov.uk
  6. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 4. legislation.gov.uk

Sources checked on 30 September 2026.