CPA Best Practice in Climbing of Tower Cranes
This Best Practice Guide provides essential guidance for the safe climbing (height-adjustment) of tower cranes — a critical reference for crane owners, operators, hirers and main contractors involved in high-rise construction or congested sites. It helps ensure tower-crane climbing operations are planned, executed and supervised to minimise risks and comply with safety regulations.
Climbing a tower crane is a complex, high-risk procedure that — if not managed properly — can lead to catastrophic failure, structural collapse, accidents or severe downtime. Including this guide in the Knowledge Centre ensures all parties have a standard reference for safe climbing procedures, personnel competence and methodical planning.
Summary of the Guide
Key points from the guide include:
- The climbing process is used to extend or reduce the height of a tower crane when use of a large mobile crane is impractical (e.g. very tall cranes or congested urban sites).
- There are two main climbing methods: external climbing (where additional tower sections are added by jacking the tower) and internal climbing (the crane tower rises along with the building, using building floors for support).
- All climbing operations require detailed planning, including a site survey, definition of task sequence, lift/climb procedure, hazard identification and method statement.
- Only competent and authorised personnel, familiar with the specific crane make/model, should carry out climbing operations. The “appointed person” (by crane owner/supplier) is responsible for overall control.
- The climbing guide also emphasises inspection, maintenance, and thorough examination of climbing-related equipment (jacks, climbing frames, tower links, stability elements) before and after climbing.
- Environmental and external factors (wind, site constraints, proximity to structures or neighbouring cranes) must be considered — climbing under pressure or in adverse conditions significantly increases risk.
Practical Relevance for Projects with Tower Cranes
Applying this guide in practice helps you:
- Plan crane height adjustments in advance, ensuring adequate time, sequence planning and safe execution rather than improvising under time pressure
- Ensure climbing is only done by competent, authorised teams with proper method statements and risk assessments — reducing the chance of structural failure or accidents
- Maintain crane stability and structural integrity by correctly using climbing equipment and conducting inspections before/after climbing
- Manage external factors (wind, site layout, obstacles, nearby cranes/structures) to prevent hazards during climbing
- Provide clarity to all stakeholders (crane owner, contractor, site management) on roles, responsibilities and safety procedures — improving accountability and oversight
Especially relevant for high-rise construction, constrained urban sites, phased building with rising floors, or frequent tower-crane re-heighting.
Official Source / Reference
The guide is published by Construction Plant‑hire Association (CPA), under reference “TCIG 1101 – Climbing of Tower Cranes”.
This document is the industry standard for managing erection, alteration, climbing and dismantling of tower cranes in the UK — and provides best-practice guidance for planning, competent execution, inspection and maintenance.
Related Knowledge Articles
- Safe Use of Top-Slew Tower Cranes — general operation, maintenance and inspection
- Maintenance, Inspection & Thorough Examination of Tower Cranes
- Safe Use of Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
- Guidance on Lifting Operations Using Excavators)
Ready to Improve Safety and Efficiency?
Climbing a tower crane is more than a structural adjustment — it’s a coordinated, high-risk operation requiring planning, competence, inspection and safety management.
Download the CPA guide and integrate its procedures into your lifting and project planning workflows to ensure every climbing operation is safe, controlled and compliant.
