Contractor working group publishes good practice guide for plant attachments

A working group of Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors has published a free good practice guide for selecting and using plant attachments, the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has announced.

The CPA said there had until now been no single, focused good practice guide for choosing and using common plant attachments, and the document had been produced to fill that gap.

According to the CPA, the guide initially covers attachments for excavators, forklifts including telehandlers, and cranes. The working group's own website describes the scope as crane, excavator and forklift attachments.

The document, titled Good Practice Guide and Standards for Plant Attachments, can be downloaded free of charge from the working group's website, the CPA said.

The working group

The CPA said the group was formed in 2025 and is made up of senior representatives from a number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors, including QHSE leaders and lifting operations leaders. Several of the contractors are CPA members, it said.

What the guide covers

The CPA said the sections cover considerations when planning and operating an attachment, operational good practice and training requirements, and the minimum selection and specification criteria.

The association said the guide is intended primarily for health and safety leaders, appointed persons, procurement leaders and works planners, and can also act as a reference for plant operators, site operatives and supervisors. The working group's site lists its audiences as health and safety leaders, lead appointed persons, procurement leaders and, as a reference, site operatives.

According to the CPA, the working group intends the guidance to help contractors select and specify the attachments a project needs, and to support the correct hire or purchase and use of compliant equipment.

The focus, the CPA said, is on reducing and avoiding risk by checking equipment before it is used. The association said the guide should also better inform buying and procurement practices. The working group said this would aid the delivery, quality and performance of lifting operations and teams when selecting fully compliant attachments.

Link to CPA publications

The CPA said the new guide supports other safe use and health and safety publications, including those produced by its Construction Industry Plant Safety Group and its Mobile and Tower Crane Interest Groups. The content will be used as a reference for future updates of those CPA-led publications, it said.

Regulatory background

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), lifting equipment includes lifting accessories and attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting the equipment, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The regulator says all lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person.

Enquiries about the guide go to Info@goodpracticeplantattachments.co.uk, according to the working group's website.