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Guide

Scaffold hoists: types, ties and rules

A hoist saves thousands of carries up the ladder, but it also changes the scaffold it stands beside. This guide sorts the hoist types by what they may carry, shows how their masts are tied, and sets out what UK and US law expects before anyone loads a platform.

By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·

HAKI Universal scaffolding (2.5 m bays, 1.01 m deep) around a house of 11.4 × 5.3 m with a gabled roof (eaves 4.5 m, ridge 6 m), drawn by the ScaFix 3D model
HAKI Universal (2.5 m bays, 1.01 m deep) around the example house, as ScaFix draws it in 3D.

What is a scaffold hoist, and how is it tied?

A scaffold hoist lifts materials, and on some machines people, to the lifts of a scaffold. Gin wheels and small rope hoists hang on the scaffold itself; rack and pinion hoists run on their own mast, tied at the spacing in the maker’s manual. Tying a mast to the scaffold needs the scaffold designer’s confirmation first.

Which kinds of scaffold hoist are there?

The useful split is not size but what the machine may carry. Goods-only machines never carry riders in service; transport platforms carry an operator and a few authorised passengers; passenger and goods hoists are built around a closed cage.

TypeTypical examplesPeople on board?Product standard
Gin wheel or rope hoist hung on the scaffoldJamax gin wheel, GEDA Mini 60 S and Maxi 120 S / 150 SNoCovered by the maker’s manual
Builders’ hoist for goods (rack and pinion)GEDA 200 ZNoEN 12158-1:2021
Transport platformGEDA 500 Z/ZP, GEDA 1500 Z/ZP, Alimak TPL rangeOperator and authorised passengersEN 16719:2018
Passenger and goods construction hoistAlimak Scando rangeYes, in the cageEN 12159:2024

The figures behind the examples come from the makers. The Jamax user guide limits its gin wheel to 50 kg (Jamax user guide, section 8.4). GEDA’s scaffold rope hoists lift 60, 120 or 150 kg, to 40 m with the winch at the foot of the scaffold or 76 m with the winch set higher (GEDA Mini/Maxi brochure, 09/15). The GEDA 200 Z is listed as a material hoist for 200 kg and 35 m of lift (GEDA). The GEDA 500 Z/ZP carries 500 kg in person mode and 850 kg as a goods hoist, up to 100 m (GEDA 500 Z/ZP brochure, 03/16). Alimak’s TPL 2000 sheet lists 2,000 kg, seven persons in transport-platform mode and none in material-hoist mode (Alimak TPL 2000, August 2020).

Which standards apply, and what changes in 2027?

  • EN 12158-1:2021, Builders’ hoists for goods, Part 1: hoists with accessible platforms. It covers temporarily installed, power-operated hoists that carry goods only and serve landings on construction sites. SIS lists it as valid and replacing the 2010 edition (SIS).
  • EN 16719:2018, Transport platforms. Rack and pinion platforms driven by an operator with hold-to-run controls, carrying authorised passengers and materials at no more than 0.2 m/s (Standard Norge). The CPA notes that machines to this standard are limited to seven persons (CPA CHIG 0201).
  • EN 12159:2024, Builders’ hoists for persons and materials with vertically guided cages. It has been valid since 1 August 2024, replaced the withdrawn 2012 edition, and includes the design of mast ties but not the anchor bolts into the supporting structure (EVS; SIS on the 2012 edition).

For machines sold in the EU, the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027; until then the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC governs (European Commission). The UK applies its own Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, which the CPA names as the route for EN 16719 conformity.

HAKI Universal scaffolding with a stair tower around a 16.5 m building, eight lifts high, in the ScaFix 3D model
HAKI Universal with a stair tower, eight lifts.

How is a hoist mast tied?

Ties to the building

A rack and pinion mast can only stand a short height before it needs its first tie, and the platform may only travel a limited distance above the top tie, the oversail. Both numbers come from the manufacturer for each model and configuration. CPA CHIG 1901 gives an example for a 500 kg goods hoist: first tie no more than 4 m above the base, no more than 6 m between ties, and no more than 3 m of mast above the top tie in operation, or 5.5 m while erecting (CPA CHIG 1901, section 1.4). A larger machine spaces its ties further apart: the Alimak TPL 2000 sheet allows 7.5 m between ties, 4.5 m of overhang and a first tie up to 6 m.

Ties to the scaffold

This is where hoist and scaffold collide. CPA CHIG 1901 puts the typical axial load from a large passenger and goods hoist tie at 70 kN, against a slip resistance of 6.1 kN for a Class A right-angle coupler and 9.1 kN for a Class B coupler, which is why large hoists are hard to tie to tube and fitting scaffolds at all. Its advice: tell the hoist supplier early that you intend to tie to the scaffold, so the tie forces reach the scaffold designer in time. The joint CPA and NASC guide adds that if the hoist is tied to the scaffold, the scaffold must be designed to take those loads even while it is still incomplete (CPA/NASC CHIG 0501, section 3.1). Our wall tie entry covers the scaffold’s own ties, and scaffold ties and anchoring explains how tie patterns are set.

Gin wheels and small rope hoists

These hang on the scaffold, so their load goes straight into one frame or standard. Jamax asks for one extra wall tie on the frame inside the gin wheel, fitted before the wheel is used. GEDA’s manual for the Mini and Maxi asks for the vertical frame carrying the swing arm to be anchored to the building at the top and bottom with ties that resist tension and compression, and braced diagonally (GEDA BL068, page 55).

How do you plan the scaffold around a hoist?

  1. Position. Put the hoist where lorries can unload at the base and where the mast can be tied into sound structure on every tie level. Check overhead hazards and power lines.
  2. Landings. Decide which lifts get a landing, and fit the landing bays as the scaffold is erected (how to erect scaffolding covers the order of work). The CPA/NASC guide warns that a hoist adapted for carrying scaffold up during erection may run without some landing gates and interlocks, and must be thoroughly examined again once they are fitted.
  3. Gates and the gap. EN 16719 sets the landing gate interface; CHIG 0201 illustrates a reduced-height landing gate of 1.1 to 1.2 m. CHIG 0501 asks for edge protection on the unloading ramp wherever the gap between hoist and scaffold exceeds 150 mm, and barriers at landings not in use set back 0.5 m, or 0.85 m above 0.7 m/s.
  4. The landing deck. A full platform load arrives in one place. Compare the hoist’s rated load with the load class of the deck that receives it.
  5. Gate width against bay length. The TPL 2000 platform is 3.2 m by 1.5 m; the landing opening and the bay that frames it have to suit it.
  6. Base and ground. CHIG 1901 says to use the maker’s base loads and to ask an engineer competent to assess the ground or supporting structure.
  7. Access and exclusion zone. Fence the base enclosure and set an exclusion zone sized for the materials and the fall height.
  8. Long parts. Scaffold tubes and boards must be racked so nothing projects on the scaffold side of the platform.

What does UK law require?

  • PUWER 1998, regulation 4: the equipment must be suitable for the purpose. CHIG 0501 turns this into a selection list: the length, weight and quantity of materials, the programme, the power supply and the tying constraints.
  • LOLER 1998, regulation 9: a thorough examination by a competent person before first use and after assembly at each location. HSE’s default intervals are six months for equipment that lifts people and twelve months for other lifting equipment, unless an examination scheme sets others (HSE). CHIG 0201 confirms six months for transport platforms, because they lift people.
  • Goods-only hoists: CHIG 0501 prohibits persons on the platform except the hoist erectors during erection, dismantling and maintenance.

The UK scaffold side, TG20 and the inspection regime, is in our UK regulations guide.

What does OSHA require in the US?

29 CFR 1926.552 covers material hoists, personnel hoists and elevators (eCFR):

  • No one rides a material hoist except for inspection and maintenance, and the car carries the words “No Riders Allowed”.
  • Hoistway entrances are guarded across their full width; bars sit 36 to 42 inches above the floor, and material hoist towers are designed by a licensed professional engineer.
  • Personnel hoist towers are anchored to the structure at intervals not exceeding 25 feet, and hoistway doors are at least 6 feet 6 inches high.
  • Personnel hoists are inspected and tested after erection, after major alteration and at intervals of no more than three months, with a signed certification record.

The scaffold itself falls under Subpart L, summarised in our OSHA scaffolding guide.

Before the hoist goes into service

Handover is the moment both machines are judged together: the hoist examined as installed, the scaffold inspected with the landings, gates and extra ties in place. Our inspection checklist covers the scaffold side; where a mobile tower is the work platform instead, see mobile tower safety.

In ScaFix Pro (in the browser) a hoist can be placed on a wall from the maker’s published data; the app flags when the landing deck’s load class, the tie levels or the bay width do not match, and adds the extra ties to the parts list but not the hoist itself. A mast tied to the scaffold still needs the supplier’s or an engineer’s confirmation.

This is planning information, not structural approval. The hoist maker’s installation manual, the scaffold manufacturer’s instructions or the scaffold design, and the law where you work decide. In the UK HSE enforces LOLER and PUWER, in the US OSHA enforces 1926.552, and a competent person must examine the hoist and inspect the scaffold before use.

Frequently asked questions

Can you ride on a goods hoist?

No. A goods-only hoist to EN 12158-1 carries no riders in service; CPA guidance allows only the hoist erectors on the platform during erection, dismantling and maintenance, and OSHA allows riding only for inspection and maintenance.

How far apart are hoist mast ties?

It depends on the model and configuration in the maker’s manual. A CPA example for a 500 kg goods hoist uses at most 6 m between ties, while Alimak’s TPL 2000 sheet allows 7.5 m.

Can a hoist be tied to the scaffold?

Sometimes, for smaller machines. The scaffold must be designed for the hoist’s tie forces, even while incomplete, so the hoist supplier has to give those forces to the scaffold designer before the ties are fitted.

How often is a construction hoist examined in the UK?

Under LOLER, equipment that lifts people defaults to a thorough examination every six months, and goods-only lifting equipment to every twelve, plus an examination after each installation unless an examination scheme sets other intervals.

What is the difference between a transport platform and a passenger hoist?

A transport platform is an open platform the operator drives with hold-to-run controls at no more than 0.2 m/s; a passenger and goods hoist has an enclosed cage and falls under EN 12159.

Sources

Primary sources used for this article, with the date each was read.