ASME B30.23-2022 Guide: On-Site Personnel Lifting Platform Safety & Inspection Rules

What is ASME B30.23-2022 and Why Do You Need It On Site?

On a complex construction or maintenance project, you often need to get personnel and their tools to elevated work areas. While cranes are common, using them to lift people in platforms is a high-risk activity with zero margin for error. ASME B30.23-2022, “Personnel Lifting Systems,” is the critical standard that provides the enforceable rules for doing this work safely. Its core purpose is to establish a complete safety management system—from equipment design and inspection to operational protocols and personnel training—specifically for crane- or derrick-suspended personnel platforms.

As a field engineer, construction manager, or inspector, you will encounter B30.23 when planning any non-standard access operation. This could be for steel erection, wind turbine maintenance, bridge inspection, or internal work in a high-bay industrial facility. It moves beyond general crane safety (covered in other B30 standards) to address the unique and severe hazards of lifting personnel. You use it to validate that the lift plan is compliant, the platform is certified, the crew is qualified, and the entire operation meets a legally defensible standard of care. Ignoring it doesn’t just risk a safety incident; it risks catastrophic failure, regulatory shutdowns, and severe liability.

Core Problems Solved: Preventing Catastrophic On-Site Failures

This standard directly addresses critical gaps in on-site safety management:

1. Preventing Platform Structural Failure: It mandates specific design criteria, fabrication standards (often referencing ASME BTH-1), and proof testing requirements for the platform itself, ensuring it can handle dynamic loads and side forces encountered during a lift.
2. Eliminating Rigging & Attachment Failures: It provides strict rules for rigging configuration, connection hardware (like shackles and hooks), and the critical interface between the platform and the crane hook, requiring positive, foolproof connections.
3. Mitigating Human Error in Operations: It requires documented, site-specific lift plans, pre-lift meetings, and designated roles (competent person, signal person, crane operator), creating a procedural barrier against unsafe acts.
4. Ensuring Reliable Communication & Control: It mandates clear communication protocols (often requiring two-way radios) and defines controlled environments, minimizing the risk of miscommunication that could lead to a collision or sudden movement.

On-Site Application: Step-by-Step Implementation Workflow

Implementing B30.23 is not a single task but a phased workflow. Here is how to apply it on your project:

Phase 1: Pre-Mobilization & Planning (Before the Platform Arrives)
* Develop a Site-Specific Personnel Lift Plan: This is the cornerstone document. It must include:
* Engineering drawings of the approved platform and its rigging.
* Crane specifications and load charts for the exact configuration to be used.
* Site diagram showing lift path, obstacles, and setup location.
* Risk assessment for environmental factors (wind, temperature, electrical hazards).
* Fall protection plan for personnel on the platform.
* Emergency descent and rescue procedures.
* Verify Platform Certification: Obtain and review the manufacturer’s documentation proving the platform was designed per BTH-1 and has undergone a documented proof test to 125% of its rated capacity.
* Qualify Personnel: Ensure the crane operator is certified, the signal person is qualified, and a designated “competent person” (as defined by the standard) is assigned to oversee the inspection and lift operations.

Phase 2: Pre-Use Inspection & Setup (Daily/Pre-Shift)
The assigned competent person must perform a hands-on inspection:
* Platform Inspection: Check for structural damage, weld integrity, floor condition, and gate functionality.
* Rigging Inspection: Examine all wire ropes, slings, shackles, and master links for wear, deformation, or damage. This follows the more rigorous criteria of ASME B30.10 (Hooks) and B30.26 (Rigging Hardware).
* Connection Verification: Physically verify the platform is connected to the crane hook with a positive, secondary latch or locking mechanism. The use of slings choked in a basket hitch is a common, compliant method.
* Crane Function Test: Perform a functional test with the unoccupied platform to check all crane controls, brakes, and safety devices.

Phase 3: Operational Execution (During the Lift)
* Conduct Pre-Lift Meeting: Review the lift plan, communication signals, emergency procedures, and assigned roles with every crew member involved.
* Perform Trial Lift: Lift the occupied platform a few inches, hold, and check all systems. This verifies balance, rigging security, and brake function.
* Maintain Continuous Control: The crane operator must remain at the controls at all times. The signal person must maintain continuous visual or radio contact with the operator and the platform occupants.
* Monitor Environment: Suspend operations if wind exceeds the limit stated in the lift plan (typically 20 mph or less).

Key On-Site Verification Points & Common Pitfalls

Critical Verification Checklist (For Inspectors & Competent Persons):
– [ ] Documentation: Is the site-specific lift plan complete, signed, and on-site?
– [ ] Platform Tag: Is the manufacturer’s data plate with rated capacity legible and intact?
– [ ] Proof Test Records: Are the platform’s proof test certificates available and current?
– [ ] Rigging Configuration: Is the platform attached with a minimum of two separate attachment points? Are slings properly protected from sharp edges?
– [ ] Hook Block: Does the crane hook have a functioning safety latch?
– [ ] Communication: Are tested two-way radios available for all personnel (operator, signaler, platform)?
– [ ] Fall Protection: Are all platform occupants wearing a full-body harness tied off to a designated anchor point inside the platform?

Common On-Site Misconceptions & Risks:
* Misconception: “A material basket can be used for personnel if we add a plywood floor.” Reality: Absolutely not. Personnel platforms require specific design, guarding, and proof testing. Using unrated equipment is a major violation.
Misconception: “Our crane operator is experienced, so we don’t need a detailed written plan.” Reality: B30.23 explicitly requires a written, site-specific* plan. Experience does not replace this mandatory documentation.
* Risk of Non-Compliance: Beyond the obvious risk of death or serious injury, non-compliance leads to immediate OSHA (or local equivalent) stop-work orders, massive fines, project delays, and civil or criminal liability for managers and the company.

Regulatory Context & Real-World Scenario

In the United States and many other jurisdictions, ASME B30.23 is incorporated by reference into OSHA regulations (29 CFR 1926.1431). This means compliance with B30.23 is a legal requirement for most construction work. Third-party inspectors and insurance auditors will use it as the benchmark for evaluating your personnel lifting operations.

Real-World On-Site Scenario:
A maintenance foreman at a combined-cycle power plant needs to inspect welds on a high-pressure steam line 80 feet in the air. Using a mobile crane and a B30.23-compliant personnel platform, the team:
1. Develops a lift plan accounting for the tight space, overhead piping, and plant traffic.
2. Inspects the certified platform and rigging, noting the logbook entry.
3. Conducts a pre-lift meeting, emphasizing the “stop” signal for anyone on the ground.
4. Executes a trial lift, confirming stability.
5. The inspector completes the work efficiently, with the platform providing a stable, guarded workspace that a ladder or scaffold could not. The documented process satisfies the plant owner’s safety audit and prevents a potential citation.

Conclusion:
ASME B30.23-2022 is not just a technical document; it is an operational safety system for one of the highest-risk activities on site. Its value lies in its comprehensive, step-by-step approach that bridges the gap between engineering design and field execution. By integrating its requirements into your daily workflows—through rigorous planning, disciplined inspection, and controlled operations—you protect your crew, your project, and your company. Always ensure you are working from the latest edition, as standards are periodically updated to incorporate new safety learnings and technological advancements.