Banksman and slinger-signaller
The trained people who direct plant movements (banksman or vehicle marshal) and attach and signal loads for lifting operations (slinger-signaller).
A banksman, or vehicle marshal, directs the movement of vehicles and plant where the driver's view is restricted: reversing, tipping, manoeuvring in a tight compound. They stand where the driver can see them, use the standard signals, keep others clear, and stop the movement if they lose sight of the driver or the driver of them. Being struck by a moving vehicle is the second largest killer in construction, and most of those deaths involve reversing plant and a person who should not have been there. A banksman who is also the person who should not have been there is not a control.
A slinger-signaller attaches the load to the lifting equipment (selecting and checking slings and accessories, assessing the weight and centre of gravity), directs the crane or excavator operator with standard signals or radio, and controls the load's landing. They hold a recognised card (CPCS A40 or NPORS equivalent) and work within the lift plan under the crane supervisor. The operator only moves the load on the slinger-signaller's instruction, and stops on anyone's.
Where it comes from
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 reg.27: traffic routes and the safe movement of vehicles.
- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 reg.8: supervision of lifting operations.
- BS 7121-1: roles in a lifting operation.
Questions people ask
Does every reversing vehicle need a banksman?
The first answer is to design out reversing: one-way routes, turning heads, drive-through deliveries. Where reversing is unavoidable and the driver's view is restricted, either a banksman or an engineered control (cameras and sensors with a segregated area) is needed.
Can the same person be banksman and slinger?
For the same operation, the slinger-signaller is directing the lift and cannot also be marshalling traffic. One job at a time.
Banksman and slinger-signaller, handled on a phone
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