Personnel Hoist Permit - Cal/OSHA

A personnel hoist — the construction elevator that runs up the outside of a building — is the one piece of equipment on a high-rise job where the whole crew rides at once. Federal OSHA and California both require it to be inspected and tested before it goes into service and at least every three months after. California adds a step at the front: a new personnel hoist is inspected by an authorized representative of Cal/OSHA, and a permit to operate is issued and posted in the car. The hoist carries no one before that inspection, and it runs before the permit is issued only if the inspector judges it safe while the permit is processed. This Cal/OSHA Personnel Hoist Permit Toolbox Talk covers the permit, the inspections behind it, and what the people who ride the hoist every day can check for themselves.

Where the boundary of this talk sits#

This talk covers California's permit and inspection rules for construction personnel hoists. Material hoists, winches, cranes, and fall protection at landings belong to their own talks.

The anchor#

Here is the distinction that carries this whole talk: in California the proof that a personnel hoist has been cleared to carry people is hanging in the car you are standing in — a permit to operate, issued after a Cal/OSHA representative inspects the new hoist and posted in a conspicuous location in the car — so every rider can check the one thing federal rules never put in front of them; a hoist with no permit in the car is either one the state hasn't cleared, or one whose paperwork nobody can find, and neither is a hoist to ride without asking.

The permit to operate#

Section 1604.29(a) says that after an authorized representative of the Division inspects each new personnel hoist, a permit to operate shall be issued before the device is placed in service. There is one exception: the hoist may be placed in service while the permit is being processed if, in the opinion of the inspecting Division representative, the hoist is safe to operate.

Under Section 1604.29(c), after the employer completes whatever the Division requires to comply and pays the inspection fee, the permit is issued and shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the car. The permit is in effect for one year or for the length of time the personnel hoist is at the same location, and it may be revoked if periodic inspections and tests show the hoist to be in an unsafe condition. The section is direct about the consequence: no personnel hoist shall be operated without a valid permit, except as allowed in subsection (a).

Section 1604.29(b) sets a small inspection fee by the number of landings. The inspection behind it is the point.

The acceptance inspection#

Section 1604.26 describes what happens before a new hoist goes into service. On completion and before being placed in service, the hoist is subjected to an acceptance inspection and tests in the field to determine that all parts of the installation conform to the applicable requirements and that all safety equipment functions as required. The tests include testing the car safeties with rated load in the car, measuring the governor tripping speed and checking the operation of the governor overspeed switch, and testing oil buffers under the car with rated load at rated speed.

A similar inspection and test is made following a major alteration of an existing installation and any time the hoist is moved to a new location. The crew riding it should know when the last one was done.

Every three months, on the record#

Section 1604.26 requires all existing installations, and all new installations after being placed in service, to be subjected to periodic inspections and tests at regular intervals of not more than 3 months for construction hoists, and not more than one week for bridge construction elevators, to determine that the equipment is in safe operating condition and has not been altered. The periodic inspections and tests recommended by the hoist manufacturer are performed by a person designated by the employer and qualified to perform the service.

The employer prepares a certification record for each inspection and test showing the date the inspection and test of all functions and safety devices was performed, the signature of the person who performed it, and a serial number or other identifier for the hoist. The most recent certification record is kept on file at the job site.

California versus federal#

The federal rule, 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(15), requires an inspection and test of all functions and safety devices after the hoist is assembled and erected and before it is put in service, under the supervision of a competent person; inspection and testing at not more than 3-month intervals; and records showing the date, the signature of the person who performed the inspection, and the hoist identifier, with the most recent record kept on file. On inspections, the two rules are closely aligned.

The difference is who clears the hoist to carry people. Federally, the employer's competent person does. In California, an authorized representative of Cal/OSHA inspects each new personnel hoist, and a permit to operate — valid for one year or the time at that location, and revocable — must be issued and posted in the car before normal operation.

What riders can check#

Most of this is the employer's and the hoist contractor's job. Riders can still check three things every day:

• The permit in the car. It should be posted where you can see it. If it's missing, ask.
• The last periodic inspection. Ask where the most recent certification record is kept on site and when the next one is due. Three months passes quickly on a long job.
• After the hoist is moved or altered. Ask whether the inspection and test was done before the hoist went back into service.

And the normal rules still apply: don't ride a hoist that makes new noises, stops unevenly, or has gates that don't close and latch the way they should. Report it and get off.

Where the duty sits#

8 CCR 1604.29 requires the Division inspection and permit to operate for each new personnel hoist, posted in the car, valid for one year or the time at the location, and revocable; no operation without a valid permit except as allowed in (a). 8 CCR 1604.26 requires the acceptance inspection and tests, re-inspection after major alteration or relocation, periodic inspections at not more than 3 months for construction hoists, and the certification record at the job site. For contrast, federal 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(15).

What can go wrong?#

• A hoist is erected on a new building and starts carrying crews before the Division inspection.
• The permit was posted in the car at the last job and never replaced after the hoist moved.
• The hoist gets a major alteration and goes back into service without the required inspection and test.
• The last periodic inspection was four months ago.
• The certification record is at the hoist company's office, not the job site.

How do we manage this properly?#

• Division inspection first — no permit, no normal operation.
• Post the permit in the car — conspicuous, current, for this location.
• Re-inspect after moves and major alterations — before the hoist carries people again.
• Inspect every 3 months or sooner — by a qualified person designated by the employer.
• Keep the latest certification record on site — date, signature, hoist identifier.
• Riders speak up — no permit, odd noises, or bad gates means ask before you ride.

Before you start#

On the first ride of the day, look for the permit in the car. Ask the hoist operator or superintendent when the last periodic inspection was, and whether the hoist has been moved or altered since.

Talk it over#

• Where is the permit posted in our hoist car?
• When was the hoist last inspected, and who did it?
• What would make you refuse to ride the hoist?

The bottom line#

In California, a new personnel hoist is inspected by Cal/OSHA and gets a permit to operate before it carries workers, and that permit is posted in the car for everyone to see. It is good for one year or the time at that location, and it can be revoked. The hoist is inspected and tested after major alterations and moves, and at least every three months, with the latest record kept on site.

Frequently asked questions about Cal/OSHA personnel hoists#

Does a construction personnel hoist need a Cal/OSHA permit?

Yes. Under Section 1604.29, after an authorized Division representative inspects each new personnel hoist, a permit to operate is issued before it is placed in service and posted in a conspicuous location in the car. The hoist may run while the permit is being processed only if the inspecting representative considers it safe to operate.

Download the Cal/OSHA personnel hoist permit toolbox talk PDF#

Download this Cal/OSHA Personnel Hoist Permit Toolbox Talk as a printable PDF in English and Spanish, and read it at the hoist landing before the first ride of the job.

Related toolbox talks#

• Hoist and Winch Safety
• Fall Protection
• Dropped Objects
• Crane Lifting

Sources#

• Cal/OSHA, Title 8 CCR §1604.29 — Permit to Operate ((a) permit issued after inspection of each new personnel hoist by an authorized Division representative before service, with operation during processing only if the representative considers it safe; (b) inspection fees by number of landings, $25.00 to $40.00; (c) permit posted in a conspicuous location in the car, in effect one year or the time at the same location, revocable; no operation without a valid permit): https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/1604_29.html
• Cal/OSHA, Title 8 CCR §1604.26 — Inspection and Tests of Personnel Hoists (acceptance inspection and tests before service, including car safeties with rated load, governor tripping speed and overspeed switch, oil buffers; similar inspection after major alteration or relocation; periodic inspections at not more than 3 months for construction hoists and one week for bridge construction elevators by a qualified person designated by the employer; certification record kept at the job site): https://dir.ca.gov/title8/1604_26.html
• OSHA, 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(15) (federal: inspection and test after assembly and erection under a competent person; not more than 3-month intervals; records kept on file): https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.552

Written by FieldSafetyTalk's safety professional — a CSP, ASP, CHST and OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer with 14+ years of international construction safety experience across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects.

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