Cranes are among the hardest working assets on any industrial site. However, when a crane fails, the serious consequences can include injured workers, damaged goods, halted production and enforcement action from the HSE.
The Metreel team is here to explain the 8 most common causes of crane failure.
We’ll also briefly touch on the recent crane load failure at Hinkley Point and explain what you can do to keep your lifting operations safe.
The Crane Load Failure at Hinkley: What Happened?
In November 2025, video footage of a crane load failure at the Hinkley Point C nuclear construction site in Somerset spread quickly across social media and industry news. A tower crane was lifting two assembled formwork shutters that had been stacked and raised together. During the lift, the lower shutter broke apart and the upper shutter fell onto scaffolding below.
Crucially, an exclusion zone had been set up for the lift, so nobody was hurt. Main contractor Bylor, a joint venture between Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke, paused similar lifts while it investigated. Industry commentary at the time suggested the forces applied through the chain sling set were greater than the connections on the lower panel could withstand.
It was not the first crane issue at the site. Earlier in 2025, the Office for Nuclear Regulation served an improvement notice on the site operator after an operator’s pre-use checks found a failed pin between two tower crane mast sections and cracking in another section.
The lessons apply to every site, from a nuclear new build to a small workshop: the load and its rigging are part of the lifting system, exclusion zones save lives and routine checks catch defects early.
8 Common Causes of Crane Failure
Moving on to crane failures across the board and most safety incidents are not random. They follow predictable patterns that good planning, regular inspection and the right equipment can control.
The following dangerous practices are some of the main reasons why crane failures occur:
1. Overloading the Crane
Exceeding a crane’s rated capacity is one of the most frequent causes of structural damage, hoist failure and dropped loads. Overloading is not always obvious. Unknown load weights, side pulling, sudden starts and stops and shock loading can all push forces beyond what the crane was designed for. Every operator and slinger should understand the difference between working load limit and safe working load and never lift a load without confirming its weight first.
2. Poor Rigging and Unsecured Loads
As the Hinkley incident shows, a crane can be in perfect condition and a lift can still fail. Incorrectly rated slings, poor sling angles, damaged shackles and loads that are not structurally suitable to be lifted as a single unit are all common culprits. Hooks matter too: a missing or damaged safety latch can allow a sling to slip free. Our guide to crane hook types and safety latches covers what to check.
3. Missed Inspections and Poor Maintenance
Under LOLER, lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every 12 months, or every 6 months for lifting accessories and equipment used to lift people. Daily pre-use checks fill the gaps between those examinations. When inspections slip or defects are logged but never fixed, small problems grow into major failures. PUWER adds a wider duty to keep work equipment maintained and suitable for its purpose, so it is worth reviewing how you ensure compliance with PUWER for lifting equipment.
4. Structural Fatigue and Component Wear
Over thousands of lift cycles, wire ropes fray, pins wear, welds crack and wheels and bearings deteriorate. The failed mast pin found at Hinkley in early 2025 is a textbook example of fatigue being caught before it caused a collapse. The supporting structure is just as important as the crane itself, so make sure your crane runway beams are correctly specified, aligned and inspected.
5. Operator Error and Inadequate Training
Rushed lifts, poor communication between operator and slinger, misjudged swing and travelling loads over people are all avoidable with proper training and supervision. LOLER requires that lifting operations are carried out by competent people, and our article on material handling equipment training under LOLER explains what that means in practice.
6. Electrical and Control System Faults
Many crane failures start with the electrics rather than the steelwork. Faulty or bypassed limit switches can allow a hook to over hoist or a crane to overrun its travel limits. Intermittent power supply caused by worn collectors or damaged festoon cables can cause erratic movement or sudden stops mid-lift. Jerky acceleration and braking also increase shock loading, which is why many sites fit frequency inverters for smoother, more controlled motion.
7. Poor Lift Planning
Every lifting operation should be planned by a competent person, with complex lifts following the guidance in BS 7121. Without a lift plan, risks such as unknown load weights, obstructions, unsuitable ground conditions and personnel in the drop zone go unmanaged. Simple controls such as exclusion zones, clear signalling and a named person in charge of the lift are often what separate a near miss from a serious injury.
8. Environmental Conditions
Wind is a major factor for outdoor cranes, as large loads with a big surface area can swing out of control in gusts well below the crane’s in service wind limit. Indoors and out, corrosion, moisture, dust and extreme temperatures all accelerate wear on structural members, electrical components and wire ropes. Choosing equipment rated for its environment and increasing inspection frequency in harsh conditions both reduce the risk of failure.
How to Reduce the Risk of Crane Failure
Pictured above: A Metreel workstation crane which has been properly designed and installed to meet all required safety standards.
It is a simple fact that the risk of crane failure can be reduced when the proper measures are put in place. Most of the causes above share the same solution: the right crane, specified correctly for the job and maintained properly throughout its working life.
In practice, this means applying the following steps to avoid potential problems as much as is feasibly possible:
✅ – Confirming load weights and never exceeding rated capacity
✅ – Using correctly rated, inspected lifting accessories
✅ – Keeping on top of LOLER thorough examinations and daily pre-use checks
✅ – Planning every lift and enforcing exclusion zones
✅ – Training operators and slingers to a competent standard
✅ – Maintaining electrical systems, limit switches and power supply
Need further help on any of the above points? Please contact the Metreel team for advice.
Crane Failure FAQs
What is the most common cause of crane failure?
Overloading and poor rigging are among the most common, followed by missed inspections and poor maintenance. Most failures involve more than one factor.
What happened in the crane load failure at Hinkley?
In November 2025, two stacked formwork shutters were lifted together at Hinkley Point C. The lower shutter broke apart and the upper one fell onto scaffolding inside an exclusion zone. Nobody was injured and similar lifts were paused while the contractor investigated.
How often should a crane be inspected?
LOLER requires a thorough examination at least every 12 months for cranes, or every 6 months for lifting accessories and equipment that lifts people, alongside daily pre-use checks by the operator.
Safe Crane Solutions from Metreel
Metreel has designed and manufactured lifting and powerfeed systems for UK industry for decades, and safety is built into every solution we supply. Whether you need overhead cranes for heavy duty production lines, jib cranes for individual workstations or modular workstation cranes for smooth, ergonomic handling, our team can help you specify equipment that is correctly rated for your loads, your building and your working environment.
We also advise on the electrical side of lifting, from limit switches to conductor systems. If you are concerned about an existing crane or planning a new installation, get in touch with the Metreel team for expert, practical advice.