Rigging, Lifting Gear and Slinging Practice
What the exam tests
Rigging, Lifting Gear and Slinging Practice tests inspection, rating and use of slings, shackles, hooks and lifting points. The exam expects correct angle calculations and recognition of rejected gear.
Core rules
- Inspect gear before use. Reject cuts, broken wires, stretched links, cracked shackles, missing safety latches and illegible rating tags.
- Use the working load limit, not an assumed capacity. Colour coding may help but the tag and certificate are the control.
- Protect slings from sharp edges and heat. Never knot a sling or shorten it with a knot. Keep hooks loaded in the bowl, not on the tip.
- For multi-leg slings, capacity falls as the angle from vertical increases. Use the manufacturer's angle factor.
- Identify the load's centre of gravity and use tag lines to control rotation. Keep people out from under the load.
Worked example
Two-leg slings each rated 2 t are used at 30 degrees from vertical. Each leg's vertical share is 2 t times cosine 30 degrees, about 1.73 t, so the pair can support about 3.46 t if the load is shared equally. If the legs are spread to 60 degrees from vertical, each vertical share falls to 1 t and the pair is limited to about 2 t. The included angle matters, not just the sling tag.
Traps
Do not use a sling without a readable tag. Do not calculate capacity from the included angle when the formula uses the angle from vertical. Do not lift on a hook tip. Do not ignore edge protection.
Key points
- Inspect and tag-check every sling.
- Capacity drops as sling angle from vertical increases.
- Protect slings from edges and heat.
- Never knot a sling or load a hook tip.