Magic Glasses: Hooking Containers Without Climbing

At first glance, a container lift can look organised and under control. Put on the Magic Glasses, and you start to notice when someone is being placed in a position where risk cannot be reduced, even before the lift itself has started.

Quick Scene-Setter

A Hiab is set up to lift a shipping container.

The container is rigged from the top using short strops.

A worker climbs onto the container roof to connect the rigging and operate the Hiab by remote.

The container is not lifted while the worker is on top.

From a distance, it still looks routine.

What Most People See

• The container is not being lifted while the worker is on top.

• The worker is experienced and appears confident.

• The remote gives good control.

• The task looks calm and deliberate.

Because the lift has not started, the risk feels low.

What the Magic Glasses Show You

The worker is already in an unsafe operating position

Even without lifting the container, the worker is:

• At height

• On an unprotected surface

• Without edge protection or fall restraint

• With no safe place to move to

The risk exists before the lift

No ability to move to a safe position

From the top of the container:

• There is nowhere safer to step back to

• There is no protected stance to operate from

• If footing is lost, there is no recovery option

Once up there, exposure is fixed.

Remote operation adds risk during rigging and movement

While rigging and operating the Hiab by remote from the container roof:

• Attention is split between balance and crane control

• Focus is on footing rather than the task

• There is no separation from the load or hook block

This is not a stable or controlled operating environment.

Access and egress are high-risk moments

Getting onto and off the container introduces additional hazards:

• No designed access system

• Increased slip and misstep risk

• Elevated likelihood of a fall during transition, not during the lift

These moments are often where incidents occur.

Risk of unintended crane movement

With a live remote at height:

• Buttons can be bumped

• Controls can be activated unintentionally

• Crane movement can occur when the worker is least stable

This risk exists even if the lift is not underway.

Wide sling angles still matter

Short rigging attached at the top of the container creates wide sling angles.

In the image, the included angle exceeds 120 degrees, increasing rigging tension and reducing effective working load limits.

This is a separate issue, but it reinforces the idea that poor lift geometry is accepted as normal. When the chains are clearly overloaded, they may fail on a future lift, if not this one.

The common thread: unnecessary exposure

None of these risks are required to rig a container:

• Rigging can be done from the ground

• Sling angles can be controlled with longer gear

• Container lifters can remove the need for climbing entirely

The worker is exposed because of the method, not the task.

The Controls That Matter

• Complete all rigging from ground level using long gear.

• Use container lifters or rated container hooks designed for container handling.

• Control the sling geometry so that the included angles remain within the rated limits.

• Operate Hiab remotes from a stable, safe position on the ground.

• Ensure remotes are isolated during access and egress.

• Establish the exclusion zone before rigging begins.

• Ask early whether a side loader or swing lift would eliminate rigging and height exposure altogether.

• Stop the job if climbing onto the container is being treated as normal.

Magic Glasses Checklist – Container Rigging

• Is anyone required to climb onto the container?

• Can all rigging be completed from ground level?

• Does the operator have a safe, stable operating position?

• Are sling angles within rated limits?

• Is the remote isolated during access and movement?

• Is a Hiab the right tool for this container move?

• Would a side loader or a swing lift reduce the risk more? (While these tools don't always fit, we need to consider them as they reduce the risk.)

The container does not need to be lifted for the risk to exist. Once someone is on top of a container with a live remote, they have no safe place to go and no margin for error.

The Magic Glasses help you see that this is not about whether a lift is happening yet. It is about placing someone in a position where risk cannot be reduced.

Stay on the ground, control the geometry, and choose methods that remove the hazard entirely.

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Magic Glasses:  The magic glasses come from the reality of - when I look at my books, I don't see a problem. But when my accountant looks at the books, it's a whole different story. He must have a special set of glasses.

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As PCBU's, Officers and Workers, we have an obligation to learn what we are up to and the risks. Our actions and the standards we accept also affect those around us. This magic glasses post is made to help others see what we see.