CRANE SAFETY

SLINGS SAFETY
 Rigging Equipment Slings
Types of slings include alloy steel chain, wire rope,
metal mesh, natural or synthetic fiber rope, and
synthetic web.

Chain Wire rope Metal mesh Synthetic

OSHA Office of Training & Education 2

 Sling Inspection
Inspect slings:
 Each day before use
 Where service conditions
warrant
Remove them from service if
damaged or defective

OSHA Office of Training & Education 3

 Alloy Steel Chains
•Adapts to shape of the load
•Can damage by sudden
shocks
•Best choice for hoisting very
hot materials
•When one link in a chain fails,
the load will come down.
•Must have an affixed tag
stating size, grade, rated
capacity, and sling
manufacturer

OSHA Office of Training & Education 4

OSHA Office of Training & Education 5
 Markings
Alloy Steel Chain

It must be marked with grade or manufacturer's mark

OSHA Office of Training & Education 6
 Inspection of Chain
• Must be visually inspected prior to use.
• Pay special attention to any stretching
(any elongation from the original length.
• The diameter of the worn chain link should
be measured at the point of the greatest
wear and compare with minimum
allowable diameters in tables.

OSHA Office of Training & Education 7

 Chain Sling Wear Chart
Chain Size Minimum Chain Size Minimum
(inches) Allowable (inches) Allowable
Chain Size Chain Size
(Inches) (Inches)

¼ 15/64 1 13/16
3/8 19/64 1 1/8 29/32
½ 25/64 1¼ 1
5/8 31/64 1 3/8 1 3/32
¾ 19/32 1½ 1 3/16
7/8 45/64 1¾ 1 13/32

OSHA Office of Training & Education 8

 Wire Rope Slings
•Used to hoist materials
Wire
Core

•Selection considerations: Center

 strength
 ability to bend without
cracking Strand

 ability to withstand abrasive Wire

wear rope
 ability to withstand abuse
OSHA Office of Training & Education 9
 Inspections
Each day before use, the sling, all
fastenings and attachments must be
inspected by a competent person

Additional inspections performed during

use, where conditions warrant

Damaged slings must be removed from

service OSHA Office of Training & Education 10
 Wire Rope Clips

When using U-bolt

wire rope clips to
form eyes, ensure
the "U" section is in
contact with the
dead end of the
Dead End
rope
This is the correct method

OSHA Office of Training & Education 11

OSHA Office of Training & Education 12
OSHA Office of Training & Education 13
OSHA Office of Training & Education 14
 Lubrication

Regularly lubricate ropes and chains

OSHA Office of Training & Education 15
 Wire Rope Slings
Remove From Service
If these happen, remove the wire rope sling from service

Bird Caging Kinking

Crushing
OSHA Office of Training & Education 16
Remove From Service

Immediately remove damaged or

defective slings from service
OSHA Office of Training & Education 17
Type of Wire Wire Rope Sling
Damage

Birdcage damage
OSHA Office of Training & Education 18
Remove From Service When
• 6 broken wires in 1 lay
• 3 in one strand
• Outer wire diameter worn 1/3
original diameter
• Bird caged , crushed, kinked

OSHA Office of Training & Education 19

One complete wrap of a strand around the core

Rope
RopeLay
Lay

OSHA Office of Training & Education 20

 Synthetic Web Sling
Markings

• Mark or code to
show:
Name or trademark
of manufacturer
Rated capacities for
the type of hitch
Type of material

OSHA Office of Training & Education 21

 Synthetic Web Sling
Stitching

Stitching

• Stitching is the only method allowed to attach

end fittings to webbing, or to form eyes

OSHA Office of Training & Education 22

 Synthetic Web Slings -
Remove from Service
• Remove from service if
any of these are present:
Acid or caustic burns
Melting or charring of
any part
Snags, punctures, tears
or cuts
Broken or worn stitches
Distortion of fittings Heat Damage

OSHA Office of Training & Education 23

OSHA Office of Training & Education 24
OSHA Office of Training & Education 25
 500 LBS
500 LBS

S
57
LB 1000 LBS 1000 LBS

7L

70
S
LB
7

7
BS
57

LB
90 60° 45° 30°

7
70

S
1000 LBS 1000 LBS 1000 LBS 1000 LBS

Note: A good operating practice is to keep sling angles

from going below 60 OSHA Office of Training & Education
degrees 26
OSHA Office of Training & Education 27
OSHA Office of Training & Education 28
OSHA Office of Training & Education 29