Crane Hand Signals Poster: 19 Signals, Placement, and Penalties

A compliant crane hand signals poster shows all 19 standardized signals listed in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, and it has to be displayed either on the crane itself or conspicuously in the area where hoisting takes place.1eCFR. 29 CFR 1926.1422 – Signals – Hand Signal Chart Any commercially produced chart that matches the descriptions in Appendix A meets the federal requirement. There is no mandated size, color, font, or language.

The 19 Signals Your Poster Must Show

Appendix A spells out each signal by name and physical description. A poster that leaves any of them off is not a compliant chart. The signals fall into three practical groups.

Load and Boom Control

  • Hoist: upper arm extended to the side, forearm and index finger pointing straight up, making small circles.
  • Lower: arm and index finger pointing down, making small circles.
  • Raise Boom: arm extended horizontally, thumb pointing up, other fingers closed.
  • Lower Boom: arm extended horizontally, thumb pointing down, other fingers closed.
  • Raise Boom and Lower Load: arm extended horizontally with thumb up, fingers open and close while load movement is desired.
  • Lower Boom and Raise Load: arm extended horizontally with thumb down, fingers open and close while load movement is desired.
  • Extend Telescoping Boom: hands at waist level, thumbs pointing outward, other fingers closed.
  • Retract Telescoping Boom: hands at waist level, thumbs pointing toward each other, other fingers closed.
  • Swing: arm extended horizontally, index finger pointing in the direction the boom should rotate.

Equipment Travel

  • Travel / Tower Travel: all fingers pointing up, arm extended horizontally and pushed back and forth in the direction of travel.
  • Crawler Crane Travel, Both Tracks: fists rotated around each other in front of the body. Rotating away from the body means forward; rotating toward the body means backward.
  • Crawler Crane Travel, One Track: raise a fist on the side of the track to be locked; the other track travels in the direction the raised fist faces.
  • Trolley Travel: palm up, fingers closed, thumb pointing in the direction of motion, hand jerked horizontally in that direction.

Hoist Selection, Speed, and Stops

  • Use Main Hoist: tap the top of your head, then give the regular signal for the desired action.
  • Use Auxiliary Hoist (Whipline): arm bent at elbow with forearm vertical, tap elbow with the other hand, then give the regular signal.
  • Move Slowly: place one hand in front of the hand giving the action signal.
  • Dog Everything: hands held together at waist level, telling the operator to pause all functions.
  • Stop: arm extended horizontally to the side, palm down, swung back and forth.
  • Emergency Stop: both arms extended horizontally, palms down, swung back and forth.

The descriptions above are drawn directly from the federal standard.2Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC Appendix A – Standard Hand Signals A poster that pictures each of the 19 accurately, with the correct name, is compliant. Cheap laminated versions typically run between $9 and $20.

Where the Poster Has to Go

Section 1926.1422 gives the employer two acceptable locations: on the crane itself, or conspicuously posted in the area where the hoisting operations take place.1eCFR. 29 CFR 1926.1422 – Signals – Hand Signal Chart Either satisfies the rule. Many contractors mount the chart inside the cab in addition to a ground-level location; that is good practice but not specifically required for standard signals.

The regulation is silent on physical specifications. There is no minimum size, no required color scheme, no font requirement. The only functional test is that the chart be visible and legible to the people who need it. OSHA also does not require the chart to be posted in any language other than English, though the agency encourages employers to provide materials in workers’ primary languages when a significant portion of the crew does not read English.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Posting Requirements for Notices in Other Languages

One signal in particular is worth making sure everyone on the site recognizes. Under 29 CFR 1926.1417(y), a crane operator must obey a stop or emergency stop signal no matter who gives it. A laborer, a visitor, an inspector walking through — if any of them throws a stop signal, the crane stops.4GovInfo. 29 CFR 1926.1417 – Operation That is one reason the poster belongs somewhere the whole crew can see it, not tucked away in the cab.

When Custom Signals Replace the Standard Chart

Some lifts involve equipment configurations or site conditions that the 19 standard signals do not cover. When a crew agrees to use non-standard signals for a lift, a separate posting rule applies: the custom signals must be conspicuously posted near the hoisting operations or inside the cab or at the operator’s station.1eCFR. 29 CFR 1926.1422 – Signals – Hand Signal Chart The signal person, operator, and lift director (if one is assigned) must contact each other before the lift and agree on the signals. Any custom signal must not mimic or contradict a standard one.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1926.1419 – Signals – General Requirements

The regulation does not require the custom signals to be written down or formally rehearsed. It requires only that the parties agree beforehand. Writing them down is sensible practice, but the posting of an agreed set is the piece OSHA can cite.

What a Missing or Wrong Poster Costs

Failing to post the hand signal chart is a citable violation. As of 2025, OSHA maximum penalties remain unchanged for 2026: up to $16,550 per serious violation and up to $165,514 for a willful or repeated violation.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties A missing chart is generally treated as a serious or other-than-serious citation on its own. It moves up the scale quickly when paired with other signaling failures or a repeat history.

Given the price of a compliant poster against the price of a citation, the chart is one of the cheapest compliance items on a crane job site. Buy one that pictures all 19 signals from Appendix A, mount it where the operator or the ground crew can see it, and post any agreed non-standard signals alongside it when the lift calls for them.