1926.

251 General

Rigging inspected prior to shift(s)

As necessary during use
Removed if defective
Remove rigging equipment when not in use

1926.251 Scope
Covers slings and hoisting material handling
equipment
Alloy steel chain,
Wire rope,
Metal mesh,
Natural or synthetic fiber rope (conventional
three strand construction), and
Synthetic web (nylon, polyester, and
polypropylene).

1926.251(a)
Rigging equipment for material
handling

Synthetic Fiber

Metal Mesh

Alloy Steel

Wire Rope

1926.251(b) Alloy Steel Chain

Permanently affixed durable
identification stating
Size,
Grade,
Rated capacity, and
Sling manufacturer.

All attachments
capacity at least
equal to chain

1926.251(b) Alloy Steel Chain

Job or shop hooks and links, or makeshift
fasteners, formed from bolts, rods, etc., or other
such attachments, shall not be used.

1926.251(b) Alloy Steel Chain

CP inspections made & based on:
(A) Frequency of sling use;
(B) Severity of service conditions;
(C) Nature of lifts being made; and
(D) Experience gained on the service life of
slings used in similar circumstances.

Such inspections at least once a year

Documented & available

1926.251(c) Wire Rope

Follow
manufacturers safe
working load
recommendations,
or Tables H - 3
through H - 14
No knots in wire
rope except where
permitted in (c)(3) &
(c)(4)(ii)

1926.251(c) Wire Rope

End strands covered or blunted

1926.251(c) Wire Rope

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, or if the rope shows other
signs of excessive wear, corrosion, or defect.

1926.251(c) Wire Rope

U-bolt applied so that
the "U" section is in
contact with the dead
end of the rope.
Use Table H - 20 to
determine number and
spacing of clips
Never shorten slings
with knots or bolts
Protect slings from
sharp edges

(Not for bridles, slings)

U-bolt wire rope clips

Never saddle a
dead horse

1926.251(c) Wire Rope

Never apply a
shock load when
lifting
Never place finger
between sling &
load when
tightening

1926.251(d) Natural & Synthetic

Rope
Tables H - 15 through H - 18 apply
Knots not used instead of splices
Remove from service if:
Abnormal wear.
Powdered fiber
strands.
Broken or cut fibers.
Discoloration
rotting.

between

or

1926.251(e) Synthetic Webbing

(e) Synthetic webbing
(nylon, polyester, and
polypropylene).
(1)Each synthetic web sling
marked or coded to show:
(i) Name or trademark of
manufacturer.
(ii) Rated capacities for the
type of hitch.
(iii) Type of material.

1926.251(e) Synthetic Webbing

Dont use around acids or
phenolics
Remove from service if:
Acid or caustic burns
Melting or charring of any
part of the sling surface;
Snags, punctures, tears or
cuts;
Broken or worn stitches; or
Distortion of fittings.

Dont put knots in slings to shorten them

1926.251 (f) Shackles and

hooks.

Use Table H - 19
Use manufacturers recommendations
Tested to twice the intended safe working load
before they are initially put into use. Maintain a
record of the dates and results of such tests.

Rigging Safety
Between the trolley hook and the load is
RIGGING
Ropes, Slings, Chains
OSHA-Slings inspected daily
Proper storage when not in use
Suitable protection of rigging when in
use (items with sharp corners, etc..)

Rules for Rigging Safety

1. Know the weight of the
load
2. Know the center of
gravity of the load.
3. Make load attachment
above the center of gravity
of the load.
4. Select hitch that will
hold and control.
5. Know the rated capacity
of slings and hardware.

Rules for Rigging Safety

6. Select sling best suited for load.
7. Inspect all rigging before the lift.
8. Protect sling from sharp surfaces.

Rules for Rigging Safety

9. Proper calculation of increased tension
caused by sling angles (on all rigging
components!).
10. Allow for D/D ratio on all slings.
11. Calculate reductions when using choker
hitch.

Rules for Rigging Safety

12. Keep personnel clear from lift area.

13. Lift load a few inches then check rigging.
14. Know limitations of all lifting devices used.
15. Lift slowly and stop slowly.

Hooks
Hooks are used for lifting, towing, pulling and
securing.
Two general classifications:
Sling Hooks: to which load or force is applied to the
base (bowl saddle)
Grab Hooks: contain a throat or slot of uniform
width for securing on the link of a chain, usually to
form a chain loop for securing the load

WARNING!

Do not exceed the working load limit

Only use alloy heat treated hooks for
over-head lifting
Do not tip load or use the hook in any
manner for which it was not intended
Do not shock load or dynamic load
Never apply load to hook latches, latches are
only to retain slack chains and slings

Basics of Hook Inspections

Wear
Deformation
Cracks
Sharp Nicks

Check throat opening

Check for wear & deformation

Check for twisting

Check for wear & cracks

Only foundry hooks are designed for tip loading

Hook/Load Angles
A. Balanced 100%
B. 1/4 off center 86%
C. 1/2 off center 80%
E
D
C
A B

D. 3/4 off center 70%

E. Point loading 40%

Max twist
10

Avoid:
Side load
Back load
Tip load

Hoist Chains
Four grades:

Grade 28 General Utility Chain

Grade 43 High Test Chain
Grade 70 Binding Chain
Grade 80 Alloy Steel Chain: The only one used for overhead
lifting!

Ranges in size from 7/32 to 11/4 link diameter.

Check for wear, gouges, stretch, shearing
Inspection is LINK by LINK
Twisted link extremely unsafe
Use with grab hooks
Tags: should be on every chain: Size, Grade, Capacity

Hoist Chains
Hoist load chains do not
stretch (they wear)
Sling chains chain stretch
10 - 15 % before failure
Grades are indicated on
side of link

G 80

Outside of the link barrels are

exposed to damage from
foreign objects, on straight
portion.
These surfaces are in
compression, so reduces
harmful effect.
Tensile stress areas are
protected by chain geometry.
Gouges in areas of tensile
stress are of greatest
concern., especially
if they are perpendicular to
the direction of stress.

1926.251(b)(5)
Whenever wear
at any point of
any chain link
exceeds that
shown in Table
H-2, the
assembly shall
be removed from
service.

Corrosion can reduce link

cross-section.
Wear occurs in areas of
high rubbing:
1. The bearing points of
interlink contact.
2. Outside of straight side
barrels.

Link by link
inspection is
facilitated by
collapsing the
chain

Is this legal?

The load on quadruple branch slings

seldom have the load evenly distributed
evenly among the four branches.
For this reason sling charts for quad
branch slings set the load limit for quad
branch slings to the equivalent rating
for a triple branch sling of the same
type.

A wire rope
is a Machine
with many
moving
parts

Wire
Core

Center

Strand

Wire rope

Wire Rope Cores

Fiber

IWRC

Strand

How to describe any wire rope

A typical wire rope may be
designated 6X25 FW PRF RLL
XIP IWRC. This translates to:
A 6 strand (6X25) of filler wire
construction (FW).
The grade of wire used is
Extra Improved Plow Steel
(XIP).
The strands are preformed
(PRF) in helical pattern before
being laid Right lang (RLL)
around an Independent Wire
Rope Core (IWRC).

Each strand
contains 25
wires

Strand

LUBRICATION
Ropes and chains shall be regularly lubricated

Three basic components:

1. Wires that form the strand
2. Multi-wire strands that are laid
helically around the core.
3. The core.
Most common high-carbon steel.
Core is rope foundation, it provides
support for strands for load and
bending.
Core either strand or independent
wire rope core (IWRC)

A machine with several

hundred moving parts.
Requires proper
maintenance.
One lay = dist. for
strand to make one
revolution (appx 6.5
times the diameter).

Wire rope wear is based on:

1. Loading
2. Bending (# of times)
3. # of use cycles
Change in rope diameter is criteria for
retirement.
The area in a wire rope to check wear is
where it travels over the block in the
section from picking a load to lifting it.
Wires need lubrication to prevent
corrosion. Apply by spray, brush or dip.
Wire tends to wear flat on outer strands,
especially where it travels over drums &
sheaves.

Whats wrong with this?

B30.9

How many broken wires?

Crushed

Kinking

Bird Caging

Shackles
&
Clevises
Check for wear in clevis:
In the bowl of the saddle
Check the pin for:
Straightness
Wear
Check for distortion in the:
Open end of the U

Slings
Choker
Basket
Straight
Bridle

Straight Sling

The total weight of the load is supported by a single leg

The working load limit of the sling must exceed the load

Spreader beams can be used with a double vertical

hitch to handle long loads
Reduces load tipping
Each leg will carry one-half the total load
Spreader beams must be manufactured for that
purpose and have a rated capacity indicated

Choker Sling

Basket Sling

Bridle Sling

Mechanical Splice

Hand Tucked Eye Splice

Hand Tucked Eye Splice

Blunted Strands

Swaged Forged Eye

Mechanical Splice

Illega

l
i
a
T
l Pig

Calculating the load on sling legs

Divide the total load by the number
of
sling legs
This quotient is the load on each leg if vertical
Measure the sling from the load attachment
point, to the point where it connects with the
hook or lifting device; this is L
Measure the vertical height from the top of the
load to the hook or lifting device; this is H
Divide the length of the leg by the height of the
sling

LOAD
(Load Number of legs) X (L H) = Load each sling leg

Example
Load = 120,000 pounds
4 load legs 120,000
equals 30,000 pounds
each leg if vertical hitch
Sling legs are 20 feet
Height from top of load to
lifting device is 15 feet
20 15 = 1.33
Load on each leg is 1.33 x
30,000 = 40,000 pounds

20'

15'

120,000 lb.

Center of Gravity
A load is stable when:
The hook is directly above the center of gravity of
the load

Estimate the center of gravity

Lift the load just enough to clear the ground
If the hook is not over the center of gravity the
hook will travel to the center of gravity
CG?

Center of Gravity

If necessary, set the load down and adjust the

rigging
If the load tips more than 3, the rigging should
be adjusted
The longer the sling legs, the more stable the
load will be
B

The longer set of sling

legs (B) will improve
load stability