Inspection & Regulations

Whenever any sling is used the following practices shall be observed:

1. Slings that are damaged or defective shall not be used.
2. Slings shall not be shortened with knots or bolts or other makeshift devices.
3. Sling legs shall not be kinked.
4. Slings shall not be loaded in excess of their rated capacities.
5. Slings used in a basket hitch shall have the loads balanced to prevent slippage.
6. Slings shall be securely attached to their loads.
7. Slings shall be padded or protected from the sharp edges of their loads.
8. Suspended loads shall be kept clear of all obstructions.
9. All employees shall be kept clear of loads about to be lifted and of suspended loads.
10. Hands or fingers shall not be placed between the sling and its load while the sling is being tightened around the load.
11. Shock loading is prohibited.
12. A sling shall not be pulled from under a load when the load is resting on the sling.
13. Employers must not load a sling in excess of its recommended safe working load as prescribed by the sling manufacturer on the identification markings permanently affixed to the sling.
14. Employers must not use slings without affixed and legible identification markings.
    
    INSPECTIONS: Each day before being used, the sling and all fastenings and attachments shall be inspected for damage or defects by a competent person designated by the employer. Additional inspections shall be performed during sling use where service conditions warrant. Damaged or defective slings shall be immediately removed from service.

A wire rope sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Broken Wires:
   • For strand-laid and single-part slings, 10 randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or 5 broken wires in one strand in one rope lay.
   • For cable-laid slings, 20 broken wires per lay.
   • For less than eight-part braided slings, 20 broken wires per braid length.
   • For eight-part or more than eight braided slings, 40 broken wires per braid length.
3. Severe localized abrasion or scraping resulting in a reduction from nominal diameter of more than 5%.
4. Kinking, crushing, birdcaging, or any other damage resulting in damage to the rope structure.
5. Evidence of heat damage.
6. Fittings that are cracked, deformed, or worn to the extent that the strength of the sling is substantially affected.
7. Severe corrosion of the rope or fittings.
8. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10.
9. For rigging hardware, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.26.
10. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

A synthetic webbing shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Acid or caustic burns.
3. Melting of charring of any part of the sling.
4. Holes, tears, cuts or snags.
5. Broken or worn stitching in load bearing splices.
6. Excessive abrasive wear.
7. Knots in any part of the sling.
8. Discoloration and brittle or stiff areas on any part of the sling, which may mean chemical or ultraviolet/sunlight damage.
9. Fittings that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent, twisted, gouged, or broken.
10. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10.
11. For rigging hardware, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.26.
12. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

A synthetic roundsling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Acid or caustic burns.
3. Evidence of heat damage.
4. Holes, tears, cuts, abrasive wear, or snags that expose the core yarns.
5. Broken or damaged core yarns.
6. Weld Splatter that exposes core yarns.
7. Knots in the roundslings, except for core yarns knots inside the cover installed by the manufacturer during the fabrication process.
8. Fittings that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent, twisted, gouged, or broken.
9. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10.
10. For rigging hardware, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.26.
11. Other conditions, including visible damage, that may cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

An alloy steel chain sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Cracks or breaks.
3. Excessive wear, nicks, or gouges.
4. Stretched chain links or fittings.
5. Bent, twisted, or deformed chain links or fittings.
6. Evidence of heat damage.
7. Excessive pitting or corrosion.
8. Lack of ability of chain or components to hinge (articulate) freely.
9. Weld splatter.
10. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10
11. For rigging hardware, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.26.
12. Other conditions, including visible damage, that may cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

A metal mesh sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are
present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Broken weld or a broken joint along the sling edge.
3. Broken wire in any part of the mesh.
4. Reduction in wire diameter of 25% due to abrasion or 15% due to corrosion.
5. Lack of flexibility due to distortion of the mesh.
6. Distortion of the choker fitting so the depth of the slot is increased by more than 10%.
7. Distortion of either end fitting so the width of the eye opening is decreased by more than 10%.
8. A 15% reduction of the original cross-sectional area of any point around the hook opening of the end fitting.
9. Visible distortion of either end fitting out of its plane.
10. Cracked end fitting.
11. Slings in which the spirals are locked or without free articulation shall not be used.
12. Fittings that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent, twisted, gouged, or broken.
13. Other conditions, including visible damage, that may cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

A synthetic rope sling shall be removed from service if any of the following
conditions are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Cuts, gouges, areas of extensive fiber breakage along the length, and abraded areas on the rope.
3. Damage that is estimated to have reduced effective diameter of the rope more than 10%
4. Uniform fiber breakage along the major part of the length of the rope in the slings such that the entire rope appears covered
5. with fuzz or whiskers.
6. Inside the rope, fiber breakage, fused or melted fiber (observed by prying or twisting to open the strands) involving damage
7. estimated at 10% of the fiber in any strand or the rope as a whole.
8. Discoloration, brittle fibers, and hard or stiff areas that may indicate chemical damage, ultraviolet damage, or heat damage.
9. Dirt and grit in the interior of the rope structure that is deemed excessive.
10. Foreign matter that has permeated the rope and makes it difficult to handle and may attract and hold grit.
11. Kinks or distortions in the rope structure, particularly if caused by forcibly pulling on loops (known as hockles).
12. Melted, hard, or charred areas that affect more than 10% of the diameter of the rope or affect more than 10% of strand
13. diameters.
14. Poor condition of thimbles or other components manifested by corrosion, cracks, distortion, sharp edges, or localized
15. weather.
16. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10.
17. For rigging hardware, removal criteria as stated in B20.26.
18. Other conditions including visible damage that cause doubt as to the continued us of the sling.