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ConstructionSlings: Inspect and Use
Twenty flashcards on the federal rules for inspecting rigging and using slings safely on a construction site.
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20 cards
- When must rigging equipment be inspected?
- Before use on each shift, and as needed during use; defective rigging is removed from service.
- What marking must rigging equipment carry?
- Permanent, legible identification from the manufacturer showing the recommended safe working load.
- Two rules that come with that marking?
- Never load above the safe working load shown, and never use rigging without its legible marking.
- Where does rigging equipment go when it is not in use?
- Out of the immediate work area, so it is not a hazard to workers.
- Custom-made grabs, hooks or clamps for modular panels: what test before use?
- Proof-tested to 125 percent of their rated load, and marked with their safe working loads.
- Who inspects slings each day before use?
- A competent person designated by the employer, checking the sling and all fastenings and attachments.
- Which sling materials does the federal rule cover?
- Alloy steel chain, wire rope, metal mesh, natural or synthetic fiber rope, and synthetic web.
- May a crew use hooks or links made on the job from bolts or rods?
- No. Job or shop hooks and makeshift fasteners must not be used.
- How often, at most, must alloy steel chain slings get a thorough periodic inspection?
- At intervals of no more than once every 12 months, with a record of the latest month inspected.
- May wire rope be secured with knots?
- No, except on haul back lines on scrapers.
- When must a wire rope be taken out of use for broken wires?
- When, in any length of eight diameters, visible broken wires exceed 10 percent of all its wires.
- May a sling be shortened with a knot or a bolt?
- No. Slings must not be shortened with knots, bolts or other makeshift devices.
- What must never happen to sling legs?
- They must not be kinked.
- Using a basket hitch: what must be done with the load?
- Balance it to prevent slipping.
- What protects a sling from the sharp edges of its load?
- Padding or other protection between the sling and those edges.
- Where must hands and fingers never be while a sling is tightened around a load?
- Between the sling and the load.
- Is shock loading a sling allowed?
- No. Shock loading is prohibited.
- The load is resting on the sling: may the sling be pulled out from under it?
- No. A sling must not be pulled from under a load resting on it.
- Signs that mean a fiber rope sling is removed from service at once?
- Abnormal wear, powdered fiber between strands, broken or cut fibers, uneven strands, discoloration or rot, or distorted hardware.
- Signs that mean a synthetic web sling is removed from service at once?
- Acid or caustic burns, melting or charring, snags, punctures, tears or cuts, broken or worn stitches, or distorted fittings.
Official sources
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), via GovInfo (GPO)
29 CFR 1926.251: Rigging equipment for material handling (CFR 2025 edition)
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