The Problem: You need an operator. They've got the right ticket. They're available. They're booked. Sorted. This is perhaps the most dangerous assumption in the lifting industry: that certification equals competence for any job. The Reality: A ticket proves someone passed a test. It doesn't prove they have experience with your specific equipment, in your type of environment, handling your type of loads. And it certainly doesn't prove they have the judgment to recognise when something isn't right. We've seen it repeatedly: qualified operators who are brilliant with their usual equipment but completely out of their depth on a different application. Competent slingers who don't understand the load characteristics of the materials you're handling. Banksmen who've worked on open sites but have never coordinated lifts in congested urban environments. The result? Inefficiency at best. Incidents at worst. What Competence Actually Means: Competence isn't just about technical ability—it's about matching skills and experience to the specific demands of your lift: Equipment-specific experience: A crawler crane operator isn't automatically qualified for tower crane work. Someone experienced on mobile cranes may struggle with the different operating characteristics and sight lines of a tower crane. Certification covers basic operation—experience covers the nuances that matter on site. Load-specific knowledge: Lifting structural steel requires different skills than lifting mechanical plant. Handling precast concrete panels isn't the same as lifting loose materials in skips. Someone competent in one doesn't automatically transfer that competence to the other. Environment-specific judgment: Operators experienced on open construction sites may lack the judgment required for lifts in congested areas, near live railways, or in proximity to existing structures. The technical operation is the same—the risk assessment and decision-making are completely different. Communication and coordination: The best operators we work with are exceptional communicators. They brief their teams clearly. They confirm understanding. They speak up when something doesn't feel right. These aren't technical skills—they're professional skills, and they're just as important. What Gets Missed: When you select personnel based solely on certification rather than genuine competence, you risk: Inefficiency: Operators unfamiliar with equipment take longer to complete lifts, require more instruction, and make more positioning adjustments. A competent operator completes in one hour what an inexperienced but certified operator takes three hours to achieve. That time costs money. Poor decision-making: The judgment to stop a lift that doesn't feel right—even when everything looks okay on paper—comes from experience, not a laminated card. Inexperienced operators press on when they should pause. That's when incidents happen. Communication breakdowns: Lifting operations require constant, clear communication between operator, slinger, banksman, and site personnel. If your operator doesn't have experience working in coordinated teams or complex environments, that communication often breaks down. Confusion leads to errors. Increased supervision requirements: Inexperienced personnel require more oversight, more instruction, and more intervention. That means your site management spends time supervising lifting operations instead of managing other aspects of your project. The Solution: Choose personnel based on relevant experience, not just certification: Ask specific questions: What experience do they have with this type of crane/equipment? Have they worked on similar projects or in similar environments? What's their experience handling this type of load? Can they provide references from similar work? Involve them in planning: The best operators we work with ask questions during the planning phase. They want to understand site constraints, load characteristics, coordination requirements. If an operator just shows up expecting to be told what to do without engaging with the planning, that's a concern. Value judgment over speed: The operators who admit when they're uncertain or when something doesn't feel right are worth ten times more than the operators who claim they can handle anything. Experience teaches you what you don't know. Overconfidence is dangerous. Invest in continuity: If you're running a project with ongoing lifting requirements, having the same competent personnel throughout provides enormous value. They learn your site, understand your materials, build relationships with your team. That familiarity translates to efficiency and safety. When Cambridge Lifting Services provides personnel for contract lifts, we're not just sending someone with the right tickets. We're sending people we'd trust to operate our own equipment. People with relevant experience. People who ask questions. People who'll tell you when something isn't right rather than pressing on regardless. That's what competence actually means. The Common Thread These three mistakes—inadequate lift planning, unsuitable equipment selection, and undervaluing genuine competence—share a common cause: treating lifting operations as a commodity service rather than a specialist discipline. The mindset that any crane, any operator, and any lift plan will do if it meets the basic requirements is exactly what causes avoidable delays, cost overruns, and incidents. Lifting operations aren't a checkbox on your project plan. They're often the critical path activity that determines whether your programme succeeds or fails. They deserve the same rigour, planning, and investment in quality that you apply to every other aspect of your project. The firms that understand this—that invest time in proper planning, select equipment based on suitability rather than availability, and value genuine competence over basic certification—consistently deliver projects on time, on budget, and without incidents. The firms that don't are the ones calling us to solve problems that shouldn't have existed in the first place. Which type of firm do you want to be? Cambridge Lifting Services provides crane hire, contract lift, lift planning, and LOLER inspection services across the UK. Our team has operated on major infrastructure projects including HS2, Crossrail, and Hinkley Point C. We understand what good lifting operations look like because we've delivered them on some of the most demanding projects in the country. If you're planning lifting operations and want to avoid the mistakes outlined in this article, let's talk.