Material & Personnel Hoists

Construction hoists (buck hoists, construction elevators) carry workers and materials up the outside of buildings. Material-only hoists must never carry people.

• Construction

Types of hoists

• Personnel hoists (construction elevators, buck hoists): an enclosed car that climbs a mast tied to the building. They carry people and materials.
• Material hoists: platforms or cars for material only. People may not ride, except for inspection and maintenance as allowed.
• Mast-climbing work platforms: wide work platforms that climb a mast, used for facade work. They follow different rules and the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Small rope hoists and gin wheels for lifting small loads to a scaffold or roof.

How people get hurt

• Falling into an open hoistway at a landing when the car isn’t there
• Being struck by the car or counterweight while leaning into the hoistway
• Riding a material hoist
• Overloaded cars, or loads that shift and jam
• Interlocks bypassed so the car moves with a gate open
• Falls and struck-by injuries while erecting or extending the mast

Material hoists

• Posted with a sign: “No Riders Allowed.”
• Rated load capacity posted on the car or platform.
• Hoistway entrances protected by gates or bars, and the hoistway enclosed.
• Operating rules posted at the operator’s station.

Personnel hoists

• Enclosed car with gates; landing gates interlocked so the car can’t move with a gate open.
• Tested and inspected after installation and at regular intervals, with records kept.
• Operated only by trained operators; capacity posted and followed.
• A safety device (overspeed brake) that stops and holds the car if it falls or overspeeds, tested as the manufacturer requires.
• Inspected and tested by a competent person after erection and before use, and at regular intervals (at least every 3 months), with records kept.
• Mast ties to the building installed at the spacing the manufacturer requires.

Daily operator check

• Car gates and landing gates close and interlocks stop the car when opened
• Controls, emergency stop and limit switches work
• Landing areas clear, lit and guarded
• Mast sections and ties secure
• Capacity and “No Riders” signs in place
• Communication method (phone, radio, buzzer) works at every landing

For riders and loaders

• Don’t overload, and secure material so it can’t shift or stick out of the car.
• Keep landings clear and gates closed when the car isn’t there.
• Never reach or lean into the hoistway.
• Never open a landing gate unless the car is at that landing.
• Load long material so it can’t stick out and catch on landings or the mast.
• Report gates that don’t latch, interlocks that don’t work, or strange noises.

Last updated: October 1, 2026