How to Move Concrete Beams: The CDM 2015 Compliant Guide for Narrow Sites

Here’s something every groundworker dreads: The lorry turns up with 40 concrete T-beams, but the driver drops them at the kerbside because the site access is too narrow for the crane. The oversite is 50 metres away, down a muddy alleyway that’s barely a metre wide.

Your telehandler won’t fit. Your micro-digger is busy elsewhere (or too unstable for swinging loads).

In the past, the only option was to grab lifting tongs, round up four lads, and spend the next two days manually carrying 150kg beams over uneven ground. It’s back-breaking, slow, and dangerous.

It is also likely a breach of CDM 2015 Regulations.

Here is how to handle this common site problem safely, efficiently, and legally.

The “Manual Handling” Trap

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM), you must follow the “Principles of Prevention.” This hierarchy states clearly that you must avoid manual handling if a mechanical alternative is reasonably practicable.

Carrying a 4.5m beam (approx. 150kg) requires a 4-man team to stay within safe lifting limits. But even with 4 men, the risk of a slip, trip, or crushed foot on a muddy site is high.

If you choose to carry manually simply because “the telehandler wouldn’t fit,” you aren’t reducing risk; you are ignoring it.

The Compliant Solution: Mechanical Assistance

To comply with CDM on a narrow site, you need a method that removes the weight from the operative’s spine. Since large plant machinery is out of the question, the Sturdyhaul CBM180 is the industry-standard solution.

Here is the step-by-step guide to moving beams the compliant way.

Step 1: Preparation (The Setup)

Compliance starts with the route. You cannot safely move heavy loads through a swamp.

• Clear the path: Ensure the route is at least 750mm wide.
• Ground conditions: If the site is deep mud, lay scaffold boards or plywood sheets. The CBM180 has pneumatic tyres, but a solid track makes the job 50% faster.

Step 2: Loading (The “Bearer” Technique)

Crucial Safety Note: Never lift the beam by hand to slide straps underneath. This defeats the object of the tool.

• Use a pinch bar (crowbar) to lever one end of the beam up.
• Slide a timber block or bearer underneath. Repeat for the other end.
• Now that the beam is raised off the stack/ground, roll the CBM180 over the beam with the wheels astride the beam slightly back from the centre point of the beam’s length and raise the handles of the CBM180 so its frame is in the vertical position. 
• Pass the supplied lifting straps under the beam and hook them onto the spreader bar.

Step 3: The Lift (Leverage, Not Muscle)

• Pull back on the CBM180’s lever handle and bring the frame of the CBM180 to the horizontal position.
• The geometry of the trolley does the work, raising the 150kg beam off the bearers, securely holding it in a suspended position.
• Compliance Check: The load is now mechanically supported. The operative is not bearing the weight.

Step 4: The Transit (Single-Person Operation)

• You can now move the beam to the installation point.
• Tip: If the ground is rough, walk forward and “trail” the unit (pulling it with one hand to the side) so you have full visibility of the path ahead.
• Because the CBM180 balances the load, one person can move what usually takes four people. This instantly reduces the number of people at risk in the work zone.

Step 5: Unloading

• Position the beam at the oversite.
• Raise the handles, bringing the frame to the vertical position, to place the beam onto pre-positioned bearers on the wall.
• Unhook the straps and roll away.
• Use your pinch bar for the final adjustments to the correct spacing.

Why This Method Satisfies the HSE

If a safety inspector visits your site, this method ticks the boxes that manual carrying does not:

1. Risk Reduction: You have substituted high-risk manual lifting for lower-risk mechanical rolling.
2. Efficiency: You aren’t rushing and cutting corners because the job is physically exhausting.
3. Planning: Using a specific tool implies you have planned the method statement, rather than just reacting to a delivery.

The Bottom Line

CDM regulations aren’t there to stop you working; they are there to stop you breaking your workforce.

On narrow sites, the “old way” of manual lifting is no longer the only way. By switching to the CBM180 method, you protect your back, your bank balance (by saving labour), and your business reputation.