Weekly Safety Meeting – Rigging Safety

Rigging Safety

Rigging is a critical part of construction work. Rigging is used to lift heavy materials to heights with cranes and other devices. Riggers also act as signalmen. Improper rigging of a load or a rigging failure can expose riggers and other workers nearby to a variety of potential hazards.

Annually about 50 riggers are killed when loads have slipped from the rigging or when the rigging has failed. To protect workers against accident, OSHA has a series of strict rigging requirements. These requirements call for maintaining rigging equipment, properly training employees, and more.

Rigging and slinging should be considered a system, each component (hook, shackle, cable or chain) making up the system. Riggers should take care when using rigging and slings. The rating of the shackles utilized should be equal to or greater than the rating of the slings. Each shackle and sling should be individually load-stamped and certified. Only shackles and sling hooks that are load rated by their manufacturer, with a rating appropriate for the load, should be used.

Each day before being used, all slings, fastenings, and attachments should be inspected for damage or defects. Damaged or defective slings should be removed from service. A system of periodic inspection should be established to assure that any deformation or elongation in the shackles and sling hooks does not exceed the manufacturers’ recommendations.

The functions of rigging are to move and support material. When rigging loads, employees must be able to recognize hazardous conditions, such as:

• Improper sling or attachments for the type of load to be lifted and the environment in which it is being lifted;

• Worn slings and attachments, or those with damage such as cracks, kinks, bends, cuts, gouges, and frayed fibers; and

• Improper storage of slings and misuses such as resting of loads on the sling or dragging of slings across abrasive floors.

Employees need to identify and avoid hazardous work practices, such as:

• Riding slings or walking under suspended loads.

• Using improperly repaired or reconditioned slings and attachments, or slings and attachments that must be removed from service.

Inspection:

Inspections of slings and related rigging hardware are to be done before each use. Any sling that is found unfit for use shall be “red tagged” and returned to the shop.

Some of the things to look for when inspecting slings:

• Missing or illegible sling identification;

• Melting or charring on any part of the sling;

• Holes, tears, cuts, snags, or elongation of the sling;

• Broken or worn stitching in load-bearing splices;

• Excessive abrasive wear;

• Knots in any part of the sling;

• Excessive pitting or corrosion, or cracked, distorted or broken fittings;

• Distortion of chain links;

• Visible indications that cause doubt as to the strength of the sling, such as loss of color that may indicate the potential for ultraviolet light damage; and

• Distortion, kinking, bird caging, or other evidence of damage to the wire rope structure.

o Wire rope shall not be used if, in any length of eight diameters, the total number of visible broken wires exceeds 10 percent of the total number of wires.

Lift:

During the lift, avoid shock loading by taking up the slack in the sling slowly. Apply
power cautiously to prevent jerking at the beginning of the lift, and accelerate or decelerate slowly. Use taglines that are long enough to control the load, but that still keeps people out of the swing of the load.

When using a sling, there are several key points to keep in mind: Is the sling free of kinks or any other damage?
Is the sling rated for the lift?
Is the load balanced to prevent slipping?

Is the sling securely attached to the load?
Are the sling and the load protected from damage during the lift?
Is there a clear path for the movement of the load?
Are employees and other persons kept clear of the “danger zone” during the lift?

Summary:

There are good practices to follow to protect yourself and others while using slings to move materials. First, learn as much as you can about the materials with which you will be working. Slings come in many different types, one of which is right for your purpose. Second, analyze the load to be moved – in terms of size, weight, shape, temperature, and sensitivity – then choose the sling which best meets those needs. Third, always inspect all the equipment before and after a move. Fourth, use safe lifting practices. Use the proper lifting technique for the type of sling and the type of load.

“Get ‘Hitched’ To Safety… Know How to Rig Loads Properly”