ASME B30.5 splits mobile crane inspection into an initial inspection before first use, frequent inspections at daily to monthly intervals by a designated person, and periodic inspections every 1 to 12 months by a qualified person, with separate rules for cranes that have been sitting idle. The current edition is B30.5-2025. OSHA enforces older versions of the same structure. 1910.180 covers general industry and points back to the 1968 edition of B30.5. 1926.1412 covers construction work and turns the bands into every shift, every month and at least every 12 months.
What B30.5 covers, and the current edition
ASME B30.5 is the B30 volume for crawler cranes, locomotive cranes and wheel-mounted cranes, plus variations that keep the same basic characteristics. The current edition's figures show commercial truck-mounted telescoping boom cranes (boom trucks), lattice and telescoping crawler cranes, lattice locomotive cranes, and wheel-mounted telescoping cranes with one or two control stations. OSHA's construction rule names the same family by trade name: wheel-mounted, rough-terrain, all-terrain, commercial truck-mounted and boom truck cranes.
The 2004 text limits the volume to cranes powered by internal combustion engines or electric motors. It excludes side boom tractors, railway and automobile wreck cranes, digger derricks, cranes built for or used on energized electrical line work, knuckle boom and trolley boom cranes, and cranes rated at one ton or less. Two of those have their own volumes: articulating (knuckle) boom cranes are ASME B30.22 and side boom tractors are ASME B30.14. A covered machine used for something other than lifting still falls under the inspection chapter.
The current edition is B30.5-2025, issued December 30, 2025. It revises B30.5-2021, takes effect one year after issue, and ASME has scheduled the next edition for 2028.
B30.5 is a paid standard, so the clause-level detail in this guide comes from the 2004 edition, which OSHA incorporates by reference for crane design in 1926.1433 and which is free to read for that reason. The inspection chapter has kept the same four sections through 2021 and 2025: 5-2.1 Inspection, 5-2.2 Testing, 5-2.3 Maintenance, and 5-2.4 Rope Inspection, Replacement, and Maintenance. The 2021 change list presented at the NCCCO Foundation's 2021 forum has one line for Chapter 5-2, which adds inspecting items as the manufacturer or a qualified person recommends. ASME hasn't published what changed in 2025. Before an interval goes into a client contract, check it against a licensed copy of B30.5-2025.
The inspection classes
| Class | When | Who (2004 text) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | Before first use of a new or altered crane | Qualified person |
| Frequent | Daily to monthly. Controls, operational aids and hydraulic oil level every day the crane is used | Designated person |
| Periodic | Every 1 to 12 months, set by the crane's activity, severity of service and environment, or as the manufacturer or a qualified person recommends | Qualified person |
| Idle 1 to 6 months | Before it goes back to work: the frequent inspection plus the frequent rope inspection | Qualified person |
| Idle over 6 months | Before it goes back to work: a complete inspection, covering frequent and periodic items and the full rope inspection | Qualified person |
| Standby crane | At least every six months: frequent items plus the frequent rope inspection, more often in adverse environments | Qualified person |
A standby crane is one that isn't in regular service and gets used occasionally or intermittently.
Unlike ASME B30.2 and B30.16, which tie their intervals to normal, heavy and severe service, the 2004 B30.5 text has no service-class table. The periodic interval depends on the crane's activity, severity of service and environment, and on what the manufacturer or a qualified person recommends. That makes the interval a judgement, so write its basis on the report (hours run, duty, site conditions, the manufacturer's schedule). The interval you quoted then holds up when a client or an auditor asks why it is six months and not twelve.
What the frequent inspection covers
The designated person checks these items at the frequent interval, or as the manufacturer specifies, and watches for problems during operation between inspections. Any deficiency gets a closer look and a decision on whether it is a hazard.
- Control mechanisms for maladjustment that interferes with operation, every day the crane is used.
- Control mechanisms for excessive wear and for contamination by lubricant or other foreign matter.
- Operational aids for malfunction, every day the crane is used. These are devices such as anti-two-block systems and load indicators or rated capacity limiters, checked to the device or crane manufacturer's procedure before the day's work.
- Hydraulic hoses, especially the ones that flex in normal operation, looked over every working day.
- Hooks and latches for deformation, chemical damage, cracks and wear, judged against ASME B30.10.
- Rope reeving against the crane manufacturer's specification.
- Electrical apparatus for malfunction, deterioration, dirt and moisture.
- Hydraulic oil level, every day the crane is used.
- Tire inflation pressure.
The daily running-rope check sits in the rope section of the standard and is covered below.
What the periodic inspection adds
The periodic inspection is a complete inspection by a qualified person. It covers every frequent item, plus these:
| Area | What the qualified person looks for |
|---|---|
| Structure | Deformed, cracked or corroded members in the crane structure and the whole boom; loose bolts or rivets |
| Sheaves and drums | Cracks and wear |
| Drive parts | Worn, cracked or distorted pins, bearings, shafts, gears, rollers and locking devices; worn chain drive sprockets and chain stretch |
| Brakes and clutches | Excessive wear on parts, linings, pawls and ratchets |
| Operational aids | Inspected and tested to the device or crane manufacturer's procedure for significant inaccuracy |
| Power plant | Performance and safety compliance of the gasoline, diesel or electric power plant |
| Hooks | Cracks |
| Carrier | Travel steering, braking and locking devices; worn or damaged tires |
| Hoses, fittings and tubing | Leaks at the hose or its couplings, blistered or deformed covers, leaks that tightening won't stop, abrasion |
| Pumps and motors | Loose bolts, leaks, unusual noise or vibration, lost speed or pressure, overheating fluid |
| Valves | Cracked housings, sticking spools or spools that don't return to neutral, leaks, relief valves that don't reach the specified pressure |
| Cylinders | Drift from fluid leaking across the piston, rod seal and weld leaks, scored or dented rods, dented barrels, loose or deformed rod eyes |
| Filters | Rubber particles, which point to hose or seal wear; metal chips, which point to a failing pump, motor or cylinder |
Any hazardous condition is corrected before the crane works again, and only designated personnel make adjustments and repairs. For hooks, the 2004 text says repairs by welding or reshaping are not recommended.
Wire rope
On a mobile crane, sheave diameters, drum diameters and rope design factors are limited by the need to keep the machine mobile. B30.5 gives that as the reason daily rope checks, periodic inspection and timely replacement matter so much on these cranes.
Every working day, all running rope expected to be in use that day should get a visual check for kinking, crushing, unstranding, birdcaging, strand displacement or core protrusion, corrosion, broken or cut strands, broken wires, and core failure in rotation-resistant rope. Look hardest at flange points, crossover points and repetitive pickup points on drums, and at rotation-resistant and boom hoist ropes. No record is required for this check.
The periodic rope inspection is done by a qualified person at an interval they set from rope life, environment, the share of lifts near capacity, rate of operation and shock loading, and at least once a year. It covers the entire length of the rope, looking at the surface wires without opening the rope. A dated report of rope condition goes on file at each periodic inspection, so you can judge when replacement is due.
| Condition (2004 text) | Remove the rope when |
|---|---|
| Broken wires, running rope | 6 randomly distributed in one lay, or 3 in one strand in one lay |
| Broken wires, rotation-resistant rope | 2 randomly distributed in 6 rope diameters, or 4 in 30 rope diameters |
| Broken wires, standing rope | More than 2 in one lay beyond the end connections, or more than 1 at an end connection |
| Wire broken at the core | One outer wire broken where it touches the core and looping out of the rope (inspect that section further) |
| Outer wire wear | One-third of the original wire diameter |
| Distortion | Kinking, crushing, birdcaging or other damage that distorts the rope |
| Heat | Any heat damage, from any cause |
| Diameter loss | More than 1/64 in. on rope up to 5/16 in.; 1/32 in. on 3/8 to 1/2 in.; 3/64 in. on 9/16 to 3/4 in.; 1/16 in. on 7/8 to 1-1/8 in.; 3/32 in. on 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 in. |
Once a rope meets any criterion, a qualified person can let it finish the work shift, and it is replaced before the next shift uses the crane. The broken-wire counts assume steel sheaves and drums; for other materials, ask the sheave, drum or crane manufacturer or a qualified person. Rope that has been idle for a month or more gets a periodic-level inspection before it goes back into use.
For the 2025 criteria, check ASME B30.30 as well. ASME has been moving rope criteria out of the crane volumes and into B30.30, Ropes. B30.22 made that change in 2021, and the B30.5 committee listed the same move as under consideration for its next edition. The 2025 table of contents shows the rope inspection section cut from about three pages to one. Treat the table above as the long-standing B30.5 criteria and confirm current numbers against B30.30 and B30.5-2025.
On construction work, 1926.1413 puts rope inspection into law: a competent person's shift inspection, a documented monthly inspection, and an annual inspection of the full length by a qualified person. Its diameter limit is a flat 5% below nominal. If the annual rope inspection can't be done because of the crane's set-up or the site, it can slip by up to six months for running rope, and to the next disassembly for standing rope.
Load tests: capped at 110%
The 2004 text recommends a rated load test before a crane goes back to work after load-sustaining parts are altered, replaced or repaired, carried out by or under the direction of a qualified person. Replacing the rope alone doesn't call for one, but the crane should get a functional test under a normal operating load before it returns to service. Test loads must not exceed 110% of the manufacturer's load rating, and an appointed or authorized person furnishes a written report of the test procedure that confirms the repair or alteration is adequate. Where a regulator requires a rated load test, it follows the same rules.
OSHA 1910.180 sets the same ceiling: test loads may not exceed 110% of the rated load at any selected working radius, and written reports must be available. Overhead cranes run higher, because 1910.179 and ASME B30.2 allow up to 125%. A load test certificate copied from an overhead crane job with 125% on it is wrong for a truck crane. Our free load test certificate template records the standard applied and the test load as a percentage of the rated load.
Each new production crane is also function-tested by its manufacturer (hoisting, boom, telescoping, swing, travel, safety devices and operational aids), with the results made available. On construction work, 1926.1412 builds functional testing into the post-repair, post-modification and annual inspections.
Who inspects
In the 2004 text the frequent inspection belongs to a designated person, someone the employer selects or assigns as competent for the duty. The initial inspection, periodic inspection, idle-crane inspections and periodic rope inspection all need a qualified person, someone with a recognized degree or certificate of professional standing, or extensive knowledge, training and experience, who has shown they can solve problems in the subject. Operational aids are inspected and tested by the qualified person as part of the periodic inspection.
OSHA's construction rule uses different labels for a similar split. Under 1926.1412 a competent person does the shift and monthly inspections, and a qualified person does the annual/comprehensive inspection and the inspections after assembly, modification, repair, severe service or three months idle. 1910.180 names no inspector for the crane itself; its rope inspections need an appointed or authorized person.
For a third-party inspection company, that usually means field technicians at the designated or competent person level for frequent and monthly work, and a senior inspector or engineer at the qualified person level who signs the periodic and annual reports.
How OSHA lines up with B30.5
Which OSHA rule applies depends on the work. 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC covers the crane when it is used in construction. A crawler, locomotive or truck crane working in a plant or yard outside construction falls under 1910.180.
| ASME B30.5 (2004 text) | OSHA 1910.180 (general industry) | OSHA 1926.1412 and 1926.1413 (construction) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before first use | New and altered cranes, qualified person | New and altered cranes | After assembly, modification or repair, qualified person |
| Short interval | Frequent, daily to monthly, designated person | Frequent, daily to monthly | Every shift, competent person |
| Monthly | Inside the frequent band | Certification records on brakes, hooks and ropes; thorough rope inspection | Shift items repeated and documented, kept 3 months |
| Periodic | 1 to 12 months, qualified person | 1 to 12 months | At least every 12 months, qualified person, kept 12 months |
| Idle cranes | 1 to 6 months: frequent level. Over 6 months: complete. Standby: every 6 months | Same bands, no inspector named | 3 months or more: monthly-level inspection by a qualified person |
| Load test | Up to 110% after load-sustaining repairs (recommended) | Up to 110%, written reports | Functional testing inside the inspections |
1910.180 has not kept up with ASME. Its design clause points to ANSI B30.5-1968 for cranes built on or after August 31, 1971, and its hook rule still reads more than 15% throat spread or more than 10° of twist. ASME B30.10 now removes a hook at a throat opening more than 5% over the original or any visible bend or twist, so judge hooks against B30.10 with our crane hook inspection checklist.
On construction work, cranes manufactured on or after November 8, 2010 must meet a list of design sections from ASME B30.5-2004: load ratings, stability, hoist mechanisms, controls, booms, outriggers and similar. None of the listed sections comes from the inspection chapter, so the inspection duties on construction work come from 1926.1412 and 1926.1413 themselves. 1926.1412(j) adds a link back to the manufacturer: where the manufacturer's inspection procedure is more thorough or more frequent than the rule, it must be followed. Our OSHA crane inspection guide covers the shift, monthly and annual lists in full.
In Canada, mobile cranes come under CSA Z150 and provincial OH&S rules, and British Columbia requires a professional engineer to certify mobile cranes every year. Our Canadian crane inspection guide covers each province.
Mobile crane inspection checklist
This list combines B30.5's frequent and periodic items (2004 text) with the 1926.1412 shift and annual lists. Adapt it to the crane manufacturer's manual, which B30.5 and 1926.1412(j) both expect you to follow where it asks for more.
Every shift or day the crane is used
- Check controls for maladjustment, wear and contamination.
- Check operational aids and safety devices to the manufacturer's procedure before work starts.
- Check the hydraulic oil level, and look over hoses (especially the ones that flex) and air and hydraulic lines for leaks.
- Check hooks and latches for deformation, cracks, wear and chemical or heat damage.
- Check rope reeving against the manufacturer's specification, and running rope for distortion, corrosion, broken wires and broken strands.
- Check electrical apparatus for malfunction, deterioration, dirt and moisture.
- Check tire inflation and condition.
- On construction work, also check the ground under outriggers and stabilizers, the crane's level after each move and setup, and cab windows.
Monthly
- Repeat the shift list and record it: items checked, results, name, signature and date. Keep it at least three months on construction work.
- In general industry, make the 1910.180 monthly certification records for brakes, hooks and ropes (date, signature, crane identifier) and the monthly rope inspection record.
- Recheck anything the last annual inspection flagged for monitoring.
Periodic or annual, by a qualified person
- Inspect the structure and the whole boom (and jib, if fitted) for deformed, cracked or corroded members, cracked welds, and loose bolts or rivets.
- Inspect sheaves, drums, pins, bearings, shafts, gears, rollers, locking devices, brake and clutch parts, and chain drives.
- Test operational aids to the manufacturer's procedure and record any inaccuracy.
- Check the power plant, travel steering, brakes and locks, and tires.
- Inspect hydraulic and pneumatic hoses, fittings, pumps, motors, valves (including relief pressures), cylinders and filters.
- On construction work, also inspect outrigger and stabilizer pads or floats, slider pads, electrical wiring, warning labels, the operator seat, and steps, ladders, handrails and guards.
- Inspect the full length of every rope in use and file a dated rope condition report.
- Function-test the crane as configured.
- Sort each deficiency: a hazard takes the crane out of service until it is corrected; anything to monitor goes on the monthly list.
- Date and sign the record, covering at least brakes, hooks, ropes, cylinders and relief valves. Keep it at least 12 months on construction work.
Before an idle or standby crane goes back to work
- Idle 1 to 6 months: frequent inspection plus frequent rope inspection, by a qualified person.
- Idle over 6 months: a complete inspection, including the full rope inspection.
- Standby cranes: a qualified person's inspection at least every six months.
- On construction work: idle 3 months or more means a monthly-level inspection by a qualified person.
- Rope idle a month or more: a periodic-level rope inspection.
After repairs, modifications or overload
- After a repair or alteration to load-sustaining parts: a rated load test at no more than 110% of the load rating, with a written report (a recommendation in the 2004 text). After a rope change alone, a functional test under a normal operating load.
- On construction work: a qualified person's inspection with functional testing before use, and after possible overload, shock loading or prolonged corrosive exposure, stop using the crane until a qualified person has inspected it.
Our free crane inspection checklist gives you daily, monthly and annual sheets in PDF and Excel to record the work.
Where Core fits
For an inspection company, B30.5 work is spread across client yards and job sites. Each crane carries frequent, monthly and periodic clocks, rope reports on their own interval, idle and standby rules that call for an inspection before the machine works again, and for construction clients, 1926.1412 records kept for set periods. Core tracks due dates per asset, enforces inspector competency at scheduling so a periodic inspection that needs a qualified person can't be booked to someone who isn't one, and gives every customer a portal with their own crane register, inspection history and load test reports. See how Core works as crane inspection software for inspection companies, read the US crane and rigging inspection software workflow page, or see it on your own workflow.
Sources
- ASME B30.5-2025, Mobile and Locomotive Cranes: front matter and table of contents (PDF)
- ASME B30.5-2021: table of contents (PDF)
- ASME B30.5, Mobile and Locomotive Cranes (standard page)
- ASME B30.5-2004, as incorporated by reference in 29 CFR 1926.1433 (Public.Resource.Org)
- ASME B30.22, Articulating Boom Cranes (standard page)
- ASME B30.14, Side Boom Tractors (standard page)
- Stephanie Wood (Terex), ASME B30 Safety Standards: What's bubbling under for lifting equipment?, NCCCO Foundation, November 11, 2021 (PDF)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.180, Crawler locomotive and truck cranes
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1400, Scope
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1412, Inspections
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1413, Wire rope inspection
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1415, Safety devices
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1433, Design, construction and testing
- WorkSafeBC, Annual certification and inspection
Put this guide to work
Free daily, monthly and annual crane inspection sheets you can adapt to B30.5 and OSHA 1926.1412. PDF and Excel. Or see the whole program running (scheduling, mobile inspections, certificates) in an interactive demo. No signup, about 3 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How often does ASME B30.5 require mobile crane inspections?
B30.5 sets two regular classes. Frequent inspections run at daily to monthly intervals, and some items (controls, operational aids, the hydraulic oil level) are checked every day the crane is used. Periodic inspections run every 1 to 12 months, depending on the crane's activity, severity of service and environment, or as the manufacturer or a qualified person recommends. New and altered cranes get an initial inspection before first use. Those intervals are from the 2004 edition text; the 2021 revision added inspecting items as the manufacturer or a qualified person recommends. On construction work, OSHA 1926.1412 turns the bands into fixed points: every shift, every month and at least every 12 months.
Does a mobile crane need an annual inspection?
Yes, in practice. On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.1412(f) requires an annual/comprehensive inspection by a qualified person at least every 12 months, documented and kept for at least 12 months. In general industry, 29 CFR 1910.180 requires periodic inspections at 1- to 12-month intervals, so at least once a year, and ASME B30.5 uses the same 1 to 12 month band with a qualified person doing the work. In British Columbia, a professional engineer must certify mobile cranes as safe for use every year.
Who can inspect a mobile crane under ASME B30.5?
In the 2004 edition text, frequent inspections are done by a designated person, someone the employer selects or assigns as competent for the duty. Initial inspections, periodic inspections, idle-crane inspections and periodic rope inspections need a qualified person, someone with a recognized degree or certificate of professional standing, or extensive knowledge, training and experience, who has shown they can solve problems in the subject. On construction work, 1926.1412 uses a competent person for shift and monthly inspections and a qualified person for the annual and post-repair inspections.
What inspection records does ASME B30.5 require?
The 2004 edition text requires dated records of periodic inspections on critical items such as brakes, crane hooks, ropes, hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, and hydraulic and pneumatic relief valves, plus a dated report of rope condition at each periodic rope inspection. Frequent inspections need no record. OSHA asks for more. In general industry, 1910.180 requires monthly certification records for brakes, hooks and ropes with the date, the inspector's signature and the crane identifier. On construction work, 1926.1412 requires monthly inspection records kept for three months and annual records kept for 12 months.
What load test does a mobile crane need after a repair?
The 2004 edition of B30.5 recommends a rated load test before first use when load-sustaining parts have been altered, replaced or repaired, done by or under the direction of a qualified person, with test loads not exceeding 110% of the manufacturer's load rating and a written report. Replacing the rope alone doesn't need a load test, but the crane should get a functional test under a normal operating load first. OSHA 1910.180 has the same 110% ceiling. Overhead cranes are different: OSHA 1910.179 and ASME B30.2 allow test loads up to 125%.
Does ASME B30.5 require shock-absorbing boom stops?
Not specifically. The 2004 edition requires boom stops that resist the boom falling backwards and lists three acceptable types: a fixed or telescoping bumper, a shock-absorbing bumper, or hydraulic boom elevation cylinders. It also requires a boom hoist disconnect, shutoff or hydraulic relief that stops the boom hoist automatically at a set high angle. On construction work, OSHA 1926.1415 requires boom stops on all covered equipment except derricks and hydraulic booms. Check the current wording in B30.5-2025 before quoting it.
What is the current edition of ASME B30.5?
ASME B30.5-2025, issued December 30, 2025, which revises B30.5-2021. It takes effect one year after issue, and ASME has scheduled the next edition for 2028. OSHA works from older editions: 1910.180 points to ANSI B30.5-1968 for cranes built on or after August 31, 1971, and 1926.1433 adopts design sections of ASME B30.5-2004 for mobile cranes manufactured on or after November 8, 2010.
Does ASME B30.5 cover boom trucks and knuckle boom cranes?
Boom trucks, yes. The 2025 edition's figures include commercial truck-mounted cranes with telescoping booms. Knuckle boom cranes, no. They have their own volume, ASME B30.22 Articulating Boom Cranes. Side boom tractors are also outside B30.5 and covered by ASME B30.14.