A daily mobile crane inspection checklist is required by OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1412, which mandates a shift inspection by a competent person before every use, plus an annual comprehensive inspection. Crane failures are catastrophic — overturns, dropped loads, and boom collapses can cause multiple fatalities at once, which is why a documented pre-shift check is non-negotiable on every lift.
Our free mobile crane inspection checklist PDF walks the competent person through twenty-five critical items: operator certification, crane logbook, load chart match, structural walk-around for cracks and deformation, wire rope per ASME B30 wear limits, hook and safety latch, load block and sheaves, hoist drum minimum wraps, hydraulic system leaks and fluid level, outrigger pads and leveling, engine and fluid levels, tires or tracks, lights and alarms, anti-two-block and load moment indicator, brakes, mirrors and signal-person coordination, ground conditions, power-line clearance, wind limits, rigging inspection, and tag-line readiness.
Each item is rated Pass / Fail / N-A with a notes column, and the record is signed by both competent person and operator before the first lift. Download the mobile crane inspection checklist below in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Turkish and start every shift compliant. Also you can check our Crane and Lifting Operations Safety Toolbox Talk.
This inspection list was prepared by Mustafa Tok, CSP, ASP, CHST — OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer with 14+ years of international construction safety experience.