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Construction (29 CFR 1926)
Hoisting Personnel
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
29 CFR 1926.1431
29 CFR 1926.1431 governs hoisting employees with a crane. It is prohibited except where the employer demonstrates that conventional means of reaching the worksite (a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold) would be more hazardous or are not possible because of the project's design or worksite conditions. When personnel hoisting is allowed, it requires a proper personnel platform and a long list of strict safety controls.
29 CFR 1926.1431 at a glance
Default
Hoisting personnel with a crane is prohibited
The exception
Allowed only when conventional access is more hazardous or not possible
The platform
An engineered personnel platform meeting the standard's design criteria
Before the lift
Trial lift, proof test, inspection, and a pre-lift meeting
During
Strict controls: no free fall, restricted operations, fall protection
Max penalty (2026)
$16,550 per serious violation; $165,514 per willful
What 29 CFR 1926.1431 requires (plain English)
29 CFR 1926.1431 sets the conditions for hoisting employees with equipment covered by Subpart CC. The governing principle is that this is a last resort. The use of equipment to hoist employees is prohibited except where the employer demonstrates that the erection, use, and dismantling of conventional means of reaching the worksite (such as a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold) would be more hazardous, or is not possible because of the project's structural design or worksite conditions.
When personnel hoisting is justified, the standard imposes extensive requirements: the workers must ride in a personnel platform that meets specific design and load criteria (with a factor of safety and guardrails), the equipment and rigging must meet capacity and configuration rules, and free fall is prohibited. Before lifting people, a trial lift, a proof test, and a thorough inspection are required, along with a pre-lift meeting to review the procedures with everyone involved.
During the lift, tight operating controls apply: the operator stays at the controls, movements are slow and controlled, occupants keep all body parts inside and use fall protection as required, and operations near power lines and in high wind are restricted. 1926.1431 is one of the most prescriptive sections in Subpart CC precisely because suspending workers from a crane converts every rigging or control failure into a potential fatality.
The regulatory text
“The use of equipment to hoist employees is prohibited except where the employer demonstrates that the erection, use, and dismantling of conventional means of reaching the work area, such as a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold, would be more hazardous, or is not possible because of the project's structural design or worksite conditions.”
29 CFR 1926.1431(a)
Key facts about 29 CFR 1926.1431
Hoisting employees with a crane is prohibited except as a last resort (1926.1431(a)).
It is allowed only when conventional access would be more hazardous or is not possible.
Workers must ride in an engineered personnel platform meeting design and load criteria.
Free fall is prohibited when hoisting personnel.
A trial lift, proof test, and inspection are required before hoisting people.
A pre-lift meeting must review the procedures with all involved.
Tight operating controls apply during the lift (operator at controls, restricted operations).
Scope: who 29 CFR 1926.1431 applies to
Regulatory framework
Construction (29 CFR 1926)
Citation reference
29 CFR 1926.1431
Enforcement status
In force and enforced
Jurisdiction
Federal OSHA (29 State-Plan jurisdictions may be stricter)
State-Plan states (e.g. California, Washington, Michigan) operate OSHA-approved programs that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and frequently impose higher penalties or additional requirements. Confirm the rule as adopted in your state.
Key requirements of 29 CFR 1926.1431
#
Employer obligation
1
Only when no less hazardous means available
2
Use a personnel platform meeting specific criteria
3
Trial lift and proof test required
4
Limit load to 50% of rated capacity
5
Provide personal fall arrest for each worker
6
Maintain continuous visual or voice communication
Summarized from the text of 29 CFR 1926.1431. Always read the full regulation for the binding language.
Common Personnel Hoisting violations
Deficiencies OSHA cites under 29 CFR 1926.1431 include the ones below, in no particular order. Distinct deficiencies can be cited as separate items, and each serious item carries up to $16,550 (2026). Broader per-instance stacking exists but is a discretionary, case-by-case OSHA enforcement policy, not an automatic multiplier.
Hoisting personnel without demonstrating conventional access was more hazardous or impossible (1926.1431(a)).
Using a non-compliant or makeshift platform instead of an engineered personnel platform (1926.1431(e)).
No trial lift, proof test, or inspection before hoisting people (1926.1431(g)/(h)).
No pre-lift meeting to review procedures (1926.1431(k)).
Free fall used, or operating controls not maintained, during personnel hoisting (1926.1431(d)/(o)).
Personnel hoisting is a LAST RESORT: "it's faster" is never a justification
The most common and dangerous misunderstanding is treating a crane as a convenient way to lift workers up to a spot. 1926.1431 flatly prohibits hoisting personnel EXCEPT where the employer can demonstrate that conventional means (a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold) would be MORE HAZARDOUS or are NOT POSSIBLE given the project's design or worksite conditions. Speed, cost, or convenience are never valid justifications. And even when justified, it requires an engineered personnel platform, a trial lift and proof test, a pre-lift meeting, no free fall, and strict operating controls, not a fabricated box on a hook. A makeshift man-basket lift to save time is exactly what the standard is written to stop.
What OSHA inspectors look for
A compliance officer first asks whether personnel hoisting was justified at all, whether conventional access really was more hazardous or impossible, and then checks the platform design, the pre-lift meeting, the proof and operational tests, and the controls (no free fall, restricted operations). Hoisting workers for convenience, or in a makeshift box, are the classic findings.
Example: how a violation is cited
A crew hoists workers to a rooftop in a fabricated box slung from a crane hook because it was faster than setting up a lift, with no engineered personnel platform or pre-lift procedures. OSHA cites 1926.1431 for hoisting personnel without justification and without a compliant platform and controls, with penalties from $16,550.
Illustrative example, not a specific OSHA case.
Personnel Hoisting compliance checklist
Use this to evaluate your compliance with 29 CFR 1926.1431. Each item is a key requirement OSHA may verify during an inspection.
Confirm personnel hoisting is justified: conventional access is more hazardous or not possible.
Use an engineered personnel platform meeting the design, load, and guardrail criteria.
Perform the trial lift, proof test, and inspection before hoisting people.
Hold a pre-lift meeting to review procedures with the operator, riggers, and occupants.
Prohibit free fall and keep the operator at the controls throughout.
Provide fall protection and keep occupants' body parts inside the platform.
Restrict operations near power lines and in high wind.
2026 penalties for 29 CFR 1926.1431
Maximums set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d). 2026 amounts unchanged from 2025 (no CPI adjustment; OMB M-26-11). Not an increase. The 2025 OSHA penalty levels remain in effect for 2026; OSHA made no inflation adjustment for 2026. 29 CFR 1903.15 identifies January 15, 2025 as the effective reference for these amounts, while OSHA's public penalties page currently references penalties assessed after Jan. 15, 2026.
Violation type
Minimum
Maximum
When it applies
Serious
$1,085
$16,550
Substantial probability of death or serious physical harm.
Other-Than-Serious
$0
$16,550
Relates to safety/health but unlikely to cause death or serious harm.
Willful
$11,823
$165,514
Intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard of the requirement.
Repeated
$4,256
$165,514
A substantially similar violation cited within the last 5 years.
Failure to Abate
None
$16,550/day
up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6)
Personnel-hoisting violations are treated seriously given the fatality potential. Serious violations reach $16,550 and willful or repeat violations $165,514; unjustified or makeshift personnel hoisting draws heavy citations.
Maximums and the willful minimum are set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d); the serious and repeated minimums are OSHA policy floors from its annual penalty adjustment memo. OSHA applies gravity-based and size, good-faith and history reductions (FOM CPL 02-00-164 Ch.6). Estimates only, not legal advice.
The business case for Personnel Hoisting compliance
Hanging workers from a crane is inherently dangerous: a dropped load becomes dropped people. OSHA therefore treats personnel hoisting as a last resort, permitted only when the normal ways up are actually more dangerous or impossible, and then only with an engineered platform, proof testing, a pre-lift meeting, and tight operating controls. 1926.1431 is what stops crews from casually turning a material crane into a people-lifter.
Only as a last resort. Under 1926.1431, hoisting employees with a crane is prohibited unless the employer demonstrates that conventional means of reaching the worksite (a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold) would be more hazardous or are not possible because of the project's design or worksite conditions. When justified, it requires an engineered personnel platform and strict controls.
What is required before hoisting personnel with a crane?
Under 1926.1431, before lifting people you must justify that conventional access is more hazardous or impossible, use an engineered personnel platform, and perform a trial lift, a proof test, and a thorough inspection. A pre-lift meeting must review the procedures with the operator, riggers, and occupants. Free fall is prohibited and specific operating controls apply during the lift.
Is a makeshift man-basket allowed?
No. 1926.1431 requires a personnel platform that meets specific engineering, load, and guardrail criteria with a defined factor of safety, not a fabricated box or improvised basket on a hook. Using a non-compliant platform is a common and serious violation, because the platform is what protects the workers riding in it if something goes wrong.
Why is hoisting personnel treated so strictly?
Because suspending workers from a crane turns every rigging, control, or stability failure into a potential fatality: a dropped load becomes dropped people. That is why 1926.1431 makes it a last resort, allowed only when the normal ways up are more dangerous or impossible, and then only with an engineered platform, proof testing, a pre-lift meeting, no free fall, and tight operating controls.
Regulatory history of 29 CFR 1926.1431
The personnel-hoisting requirements in 1926.1431 took effect with Subpart CC on November 8, 2010 (75 FR 47906), carrying forward and modernizing the earlier personnel-platform rule (former 1926.550(g)). The last-resort principle, only when conventional access is more hazardous or impossible, has long been the cornerstone of OSHA's approach to suspending workers from cranes.
Related glossary terms
Key terms that appear in 29 CFR 1926.1431, each with a full plain-English explainer.
OSHA figures on this page are imported from HazComFast's verified regulatory module (verified 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register).
This page is an educational summary, not legal advice. OSHA standards and penalty amounts change; confirm requirements against the current regulation and your applicable State-Plan before acting.
Get the Binder in Order Before the Inspector Arrives. Are You Ready?
OSHA does not give advance notice of inspections (29 CFR 1903.6). Get the binder in order before the opening conference, not during it.