19.1 Inspecting All Six Sling Families

Inspection is a decision about continued use

ASME B30.9 addresses slings; OSHA 1910.184 and 1926.251 contain legally applicable sling provisions within their respective scopes. The CCO handbook names periodic inspection, while the online outline also names frequent inspection. Prepare for both: frequent observation detects damage from current use, and periodic inspection thoroughly examines the sling under a documented inspection program.

Under OSHA 1910.184, a competent person designated by the employer inspects each day before use, with additional inspections where service warrants. OSHA 1926.251 requires rigging equipment inspection before each shift and as necessary during use, and its sling subsection also requires a designated competent person's daily examination of slings and attachments. A recent periodic inspection does not replace these checks.

Identify the sling, its legible rating and construction before comparing its condition with the applicable criteria. Inspect the complete length, eyes, splices, fittings, stitching and load-bearing parts. Isolate a defective sling so it cannot be selected again. A tag reading “inspect later” does not make it usable today.

Wire rope: know what is being counted

OSHA 1910.184(f)(5) requires removal for ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay or five in one strand in one lay. A rope lay is the axial distance over which one strand makes a complete turn around the rope. It is not one rope diameter or a fixed six-inch interval.

Other removal conditions include wear or scraping of one-third of the original diameter of outside individual wires, kinking, crushing, birdcaging or other structural distortion, heat damage, damaged end attachments and corrosion of the rope or fittings. Do not confuse an individual-wire wear limit with a percentage of the complete rope diameter.

Construction regulation 1926.251(c)(4)(iv) instead specifies removal where more than 10% of visible wires are broken in any length of eight rope diameters, or where excessive wear, corrosion or other defect exists. These are different stated criteria. Apply the provisions and manufacturer/ASME requirements governing the actual sling; do not label the 10/5 rule as the identical text of both OSHA sections.

Fiber-core wire rope slings exposed above 200°F must be permanently removed under 1910.184. For non-fiber-core slings used above 400°F or below −60°F, that section calls for manufacturer recommendations. Product limitations can be stricter. Uncertain overheating or damaged fittings require assessment before continued use, not an improvised capacity reduction.

Alloy chain: measure each link properly

Look for wear, defective welds, cracks, bent or twisted links, increased length, corrosion and damaged attachments. OSHA requires immediate removal where the specified defects or deterioration are present. There is no general permission to use a visibly stretched chain until elongation reaches 5%.

Measure worn links at their most worn location and compare with the correct chain-size table and manufacturer criteria. OSHA's chain-wear tables give size-specific minimum dimensions; a universal “10% chain wear” shortcut is not a replacement. Inspect coupling links, pins, hooks and shortening devices with their own criteria.

Thorough periodic inspection intervals for alloy steel chain slings depend on use frequency, service severity, lift nature and experience, and may never exceed 12 months under the two OSHA sections. Retain a record of the most recent inspection month for each sling. New, repaired or reconditioned alloy chain slings require the prescribed manufacturer or equivalent-entity proof test and a retained certificate before use.

Metal mesh: fabric and handles both matter

Under OSHA 1910.184(g), removal conditions include a broken weld or braze along the sling edge, a broken wire anywhere in the mesh, lack of flexibility from distortion, and reductions in wire diameter of 25% from abrasion or 15% from corrosion. Distorted handles, cracks and the stated handle-wear criteria also require removal.

The section identifies more than 10% increases in the female handle slot depth or handle eye width, and more than 15% reduction in original handle cross-sectional area around the eye, among its criteria. These are metal-mesh handle conditions, not thresholds for unrelated shackles. A damaged mesh sling is not repaired by wiring the torn mesh together.

New and repaired mesh slings require the specified proof test of at least 1.5 times rated capacity before use; the test precedes required coatings where the provision specifies. Repaired slings have a permanently marked or recorded repair date and repairer's identity, retained as required. Follow the complete applicable repair and testing provisions rather than applying chain documentation rules to every family.

Fiber rope, web and roundslings

Roundslings have a protective cover over load-bearing core yarns. Do not judge the core as sound merely because the outer sleeve hides it. Conversely, do not invent a universal permissible cut length in the cover. Use the product's removal instructions and qualified assessment where condition is uncertain.

Chemical and temperature exposure must be considered even when no obvious cut exists. OSHA specifically prohibits nylon web where acids or phenolics are present and polyester or polypropylene web where caustics are present; aluminum fittings cannot be used where caustics are present. Store and handle each material to preserve identification and prevent contamination.

Act on the finding

Stop, isolate, identify and report the condition. Repair is performed only through the authorized manufacturer or equivalent process applicable to that sling, with required testing and identification restored. Inspect the replacement as well. A successful low trial lift cannot validate a sling already meeting a removal criterion, because failure may occur on the next movement.

Sources: OSHA 1910.184, OSHA 1926.251, CCO sling references.