Free checklist
Overhead crane and hoist annual maintenance checklist
The annual overhead crane service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against ASME B30 crane and hoist standards, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo evidence it needs
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.
Inspector coordination
Qualified inspector's periodic inspection confirmed on file
Current periodic inspection and any rated-load test report from the qualified or certified inspector located and logged; this walk references it and records observations, it does not certify.
Load test scheduled only through the qualified inspector
Where the crane was repaired, altered or re-rated, the qualified inspector's load test with rated test weights is on file; the site never improvises a test load.
No photo
Access and lockout
Floor below barricaded for work at height
Area under the bridge and runway sections being walked barricaded, people cleared, and a spotter or sign keeping traffic out while anyone is aloft.
Runway conductors and crane disconnect locked and tagged
Each person going aloft locks the runway and crane disconnects; powered checks run with people down, tools clear, locks off by whoever hung them, then re-locked before anyone climbs.
Fall protection in use on the bridge and runway
Harness tied off to an anchor rated for it, or the lift's guardrails used, per the site's fall protection plan, with the rescue plan known before anyone climbs.
Structure and runway
Bridge, girder and end trucks visually inspected
Bridge girder, end trucks and connections observed for cracks, deformation and loose or missing fasteners; anything suspect flagged for the qualified inspector.
Runway rail and stops visually inspected
Runway rail, splices, clips and end stops observed along their length for alignment, loosened hardware and wear; observations recorded for the inspector's follow-up.
Runway girders, brackets and hangers observed
Runway beams, column brackets or ceiling hangers and their bolts observed up close for cracked welds, loose nuts and elongated holes; findings flagged for the inspector.
Festoon cable or conductor bar and collectors inspected while dead
With runway power locked and verified dead, festoon trolleys, cable jacket and strain relief, or bar joints, hangers and collector shoes, checked against the manufacturer's limits.
Mechanism observations
Hoist, sheaves and drum observed
Sheaves, drum and rope anchorage or chain sprocket observed for wear and proper seating; lubrication condition noted; unusual noise or play reported.
Brake and limit observations recorded for the inspector
Hoist and travel brake holding and all limit and e-stop responses observed and logged; rated-load brake testing left to the qualified inspector, its result taken from the inspection report.
Hook throat opening measured against the baseline
Throat opening measured between the baseline marks or against the manufacturer's dimension on record, beyond the quarterly look; any increase, twist or latch gap referred.
Rope diameter or chain wear measured against the baseline
Rope diameter at its worst section, or chain gauged over the manufacturer's link span, compared with the new or last recorded value; results sent to the inspector.
Return to service
Crane run through every motion and barricades removed
People and tools down, covers back on, any remaining locks removed by whoever hung them, each motion run from the floor, barricades down and the operator told.
No photoSite observations filed with the inspector's report
Site's observation record filed with the qualified inspector's periodic report, open findings sent to the inspector and owner, nothing in it recorded as certification.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Site record treated as the annual certification, so the qualified inspector's periodic inspection is skipped and the crane runs uncertified.
- Structural and rail items only viewed from the floor, so cracked welds or loosened rail clips high on the runway go unrecorded until the inspector finds them.
- Brake and limit behavior logged from the quarterly light-load habit, while the actual rated-load testing that would catch fade is left to no one.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this overhead crane and hoist annual checklist cover?
- 15 items across 5 sections, covering inspector coordination, access and lockout, structure and runway, mechanism observations, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- Building maintenance recording a fuller observational pass; the periodic inspection and any rated-load test are performed and certified by a qualified or certified crane inspector, whose report governs.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Once a year, coordinated with the qualified inspector's periodic inspection. The site documents its own observations and confirms the inspector's findings are on file; it does not certify the crane.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails an overhead crane and hoist annual inspection?
- Site record treated as the annual certification, so the qualified inspector's periodic inspection is skipped and the crane runs uncertified. Structural and rail items only viewed from the floor, so cracked welds or loosened rail clips high on the runway go unrecorded until the inspector finds them. Brake and limit behavior logged from the quarterly light-load habit, while the actual rated-load testing that would catch fade is left to no one.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 14 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.