Site readiness checklist before contractor mobilisation
What a plant should have ready before a contractor's crew arrives at the gate — and what it costs when these are missing.
A 20-point checklist before you shift a heavy machine
The twenty things worth confirming before a heavy machine moves inside an operating plant — most of which have nothing to do with the crane.
Machine shifting goes wrong in predictable ways. In almost every case the failure was visible during the survey and nobody wrote it down. Work through these twenty points before the movement is scheduled.
The route
- Door and shutter heights measured, not estimated, including the highest point of the machine on its transport arrangement.
- Aisle widths and turning radii checked at every corner, with the machine’s diagonal dimension rather than its width.
- Overhead obstructions identified along the whole route — sprinkler lines, cable trays, ducting, lighting, existing crane rails.
- Floor loading on every span crossed, compared against the point load of the machine plus the moving equipment beneath it.
- Expansion joints, drains and pits on the route noted, with plating arranged where needed.
- Whether the route crosses live production, and what has to stop while it does.
The machine
- Confirmed weight, from the nameplate or OEM document rather than from memory.
- Centre of gravity identified, particularly on machines that are heavier at one end.
- Designated lifting points taken from the OEM manual. A machine lifted from the wrong point can be damaged invisibly.
- Loose and projecting parts removed or secured before movement.
- Fluids drained where the machine will be tilted or transported.
Disconnection
- Utilities isolated and tagged under the plant’s permit system.
- Cables and pipes marked at both ends so reconnection matches the original.
- Small parts boxed against a written list, not swept into a crate.
- Photographs taken of every connection before it is broken. This takes ten minutes and settles most later arguments.
Equipment and people
- Lifting equipment selected against load, headroom and available floor capacity, with certificates current.
- Slings, shackles and spreaders rated and inspected, with sling angles calculated rather than assumed.
- Trained crew and a named supervisor on site for the whole movement.
Closing out
- Gate pass raised where the machine leaves the premises, so the outward movement is documented.
- Reinstallation acceptance defined — what is levelled, what is recorded, who signs, and what constitutes handover.
The one that is usually missed
Point 6. A route that works perfectly at 2 a.m. on Sunday may be impossible at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Confirm when the movement happens before you confirm how.