The Inspection Interval Nobody Checked
You are the slinger on a refurbishment job. You are handed a four-leg chain sling assembly from the site store. The identification tag is missing. The last recorded thorough examination was 14 months ago; the previous one was 6 months before that. One leg has a gouge about 1 mm deep on a link, and another leg's hook has been re-shaped (opened) and shows a crack at the throat. The storeman says 'it's fine, it was used last week.' The lift is a 2.5 t precast unit. The site has a written procedure requiring pre-use checks by the user.
1. Evaluate the examination status and the defects against the relevant requirements.
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Examination status:
- The sling is missing its identification tag - you cannot confirm its SWL, its unique ID, or its history. Without ID, the examination records cannot be tied to this assembly.
- The interval between thorough examinations has drifted: 6 months, then 14 months. For lifting accessories, LOLER requires thorough examination at intervals not exceeding 6 months (unless a written scheme by a competent person specifies otherwise, and that scheme must be justified). A 14-month gap is a breach - the sling is out of examination and must not be used.
Defects:
- Gouge ~1 mm on a link - a defect requiring assessment; chain links are not to be dressed or ground.
- Hook opened/re-shaped - hooks must never be re-formed; this destroys the heat treatment and strength.
- Crack at the hook throat - a crack is a reject defect, full stop. A cracked hook can fail without warning.
Any one of these is grounds for withdrawal. Together they make the sling unfit for any lift.
2. State the actions required and explain why 'it was used last week' is irrelevant.
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Actions:
- Do not use the sling. Remove it from service immediately.
- Tag it 'DO NOT USE - defective' and quarantine it in a secure area so it cannot be picked up by someone else.
- Report to the appointed person/supervisor and record the defect.
- Arrange a thorough examination by a competent person; the cracked hook and opened hook mean the assembly will be condemned - it will not be returned to service.
- Source a replacement with a legible ID tag and current examination record before the lift proceeds.
- Review the store's issue and examination-tracking system - the 14-month gap and missing tag indicate a system failure, not a one-off.
Why 'used last week' is irrelevant: Use is not evidence of fitness. A defective sling can be used many times before it fails - that is precisely why pre-use checks and periodic thorough examination exist. The legal test is whether the equipment is fit for purpose and in date, not whether it survived the last lift. Relying on past use is exactly the reasoning that causes lifting failures.