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Crane Forks Cage vs Goods Cage: Which Cage Suits Your Construction Site?

13th, October 2025

crane lifted goods cage by conquip

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When you’re planning to lift and transport materials around any kind of construction site, selecting the right cage is crucial for safety and efficiency. Two popular options are the Crane Forks Cage and the Goods Cage. While both serve the purpose of lifting and transporting materials, which one suits you?

Crane Forks Cage

The Crane Forks Cage is a purpose-built, steel enclosure designed for the safe transport of brick pallets using Conquip Crane Forks. It provides a fail-safe, fully contained lifting solution, eliminating the risks associated with unsecured loads.

Conquip has recently reinforced the critical importance of using compliant cages as a safer method than forks and safety restraint nets. Nets can easily snag or tear and if not fitted correctly, they can allow the load to shift during a lift. If materials become loose mid-lift, they can fall straight through a loose net, seriously endangering any personnel below.

Advantages:

  • Best-Practice Design: Specifically created for transporting brick pallets safely and securely with Conquip Crane Forks.
  • Enhanced Safety: Provides a fail-safe method for lifting materials, eliminating the risk of dropped loads.
  • Durability: Constructed from robust steel to keep materials contained within the cage walls and withstand the demands of active construction sites.
  • Regulatory Compliance: LOLER-compliant with full technical documentation, including safe working load limits (WLL), internal and external dimensions, illustrated usage instructions, and a pre-use visual inspection list.
  • Easy Unload: The ramp on the opposite end allows the cage to be unloaded with a pallet truck without needing to remove the Crane Forks.

Limitations:

  • Single-size design: Intended solely for crane use of lifting pallets.

Recommended Applications:

  • Transporting brick pallets or similar palletised loads in projects requiring strict safety protocols.
  • Sites seeking compliance with Tier 1 contractor safety standards.

Critical Safety Reminder: Restraint Nets are intended solely to restrain loads and are not engineered for lifting, creating the potential for dropped loads, injury and regulatory non-compliance. Crane Forks Cages are a safer, best-practice method.

Goods Cage

goods lifting cage for cranes

The Goods Cage is a versatile and highly adaptable solution for safely transporting a variety of materials on-site. Available in multiple sizes and loading configurations, it accommodates both crane and forklift operations.

Advantages:

  • Versatility: Capable of transporting a wide range of loose or palletised materials.
  • New Compact Model: Ideal for lighter loads and smaller site footprints.
  • Flexible Usage: Compatible with both crane and forklift handling, allowing for efficient material movement around site.
  • Safety & Compliance: All lifting points are fully tested to meet LOLER and PUWER requirements.
  • Operational Efficiency: Each cage supports a single lift plan (1 cage = 1 lift plan), simplifying planning and enhancing site safety.
  • Size Options: Multiple sizes are available to suit different material volumes and site conditions.
  • Easy Unload: Choose between models with gated access or with ramps, ideal for use loading with pallet trucks.

Limitations:

  • Larger sizes may require additional on-site storage space.

Recommended Applications:

  • Sites transporting diverse materials where operational flexibility is required.
  • Projects aiming to standardise lifting operations, lift plans and minimise risk across multiple lifts.

Choosing the Right Solution

Both the Crane Forks Cage and the Goods Cage offer engineered, compliant solutions, but their suitability depends on specific operational needs:

  • Crane Forks Cage: Optimal for brick pallets and loads requiring a fully enclosed, fail-safe lifting method.
  • Goods Cage: Best for lifting a variety of load types, where a need to  lift a variety of loads during a project, with a single lift plan, is a priority.

Safety Guidance: Lessons from Recent Industry Incidents

Following a near-miss involving a Crane Forks and Restraint Net earlier in 2025, Conquip emphasises the following best practice considerations:

  • Do not use Restraint Nets as primary lifting containment. Nets can sag, tear, or fail under load. They can also provide a false sense of security.
  • All lifting equipment and accessories must have valid LOLER report and product tagging to prove they have had and passed regular inspections.
  • Loads must be fully contained within a cage to prevent movement, slippage, or accidental drop.
  • Each lifting operation should be governed by a dedicated lift plan (1 cage = 1 lift plan).
  • Operators and supervisors must consult the manufacturer’s technical guidance for safe operation, inspection, and maintenance procedures.

By adhering to these principles, sites can maintain regulatory compliance, prevent incidents, and ensure the highest standards of safety for all personnel.

FAQ’s

  1. What is the difference between a Crane Forks Cage and a Goods Cage?
    The Crane Forks Cage is a dedicated, fully enclosed cage for lifting brick pallets via crane forks, while the Goods Cage offers versatility for mixed materials and can be used with both cranes and forklifts.
  2. Are Conquip lifting cages compliant?
    Yes. All Conquip lifting cages are LOLER and PUWER compliant, designed to Eurocodes, BSI, ISO and Machinery Directive standards and supplied with technical documentation including specification, WLL (Working Load Limit) data and pre-use checks guidance. Conquip offer a range of after-sales services, including on-site inspections for ongoing LOLER and PUWER reports.
  3. Can I use a Restraint Net instead of a lifting cage?
    Although there is no regulation preventing sites using a safety restraint net, Conquip highly advises against the use of them instead of lifting cages. Restraint nets are not engineered for lifting and can fail under load. Only compliant cages should be used for lifting operations.
  4. Which lifting cage is a fail-safe method for brick pallets?
    The Crane Forks Cage provides the most secure method for brick pallet transport, thanks to its fully enclosed and fail-safe design.
  5. Which option is best for smaller or mixed-material sites?
    The Goods Cage, especially the Compact Goods Cage model, is ideal for projects requiring flexibility and space efficiency.

If you’d like a bit of guidance on lift planning or selecting the right certified cage, our team is always happy to help.