The Cracked Sling and the Night Lift
During a night lift at a longshoring terminal, a rigger is assigned to lift a 6-ton steel plate from a barge to a pier. The wire rope sling has three broken outer wires in one lay, a faded tag, and no visible capacity marking. The crane operator says the sling 'has been in service for years.' The rigger sees that the sling is kinked and that one eye is deformed. The supervisor says the ship is waiting and tells the rigger to 'make the lift, then tag it out later.' The rigger has not received training on sling inspection in the past year. There is no competent person on the night shift. The load will pass over a walkway where two workers are standing. The rigger is worried about refusing because the last worker who stopped a lift was moved to a different gang. The lift is scheduled in 20 minutes.
1. Identify the gear and operational hazards and the applicable OSHA longshoring requirements.
Read the worked answer
The sling is defective on several grounds: broken wires, a kink, a deformed eye, a faded tag, and no visible capacity marking. Those conditions mean the sling cannot be safely rated for the 6-ton load. The load will pass over workers on a walkway, which creates a struck-by and crushing hazard if the sling fails. The absence of a competent person on the night shift and the rigger's stale inspection training add to the risk.
The applicable requirements are in 29 CFR 1918 for longshoring, including cargo handling gear inspection, removal of defective gear from service, capacity marking, competent-person determinations, and training. The employer must ensure gear is inspected before use and that defective gear is tagged out and removed. The crane operator's experience does not substitute for an inspection or a capacity rating.
2. What should the rigger do immediately, and what abatement must the employer complete before the lift?
Read the worked answer
The rigger should stop the lift and refuse to use the sling. He should tag the sling out of service, notify the supervisor, and ask that the walkway be cleared. The lift should not proceed until a competent person inspects the gear and a sling with a known capacity and sound condition is selected. The load route should be changed or the area below cleared so no worker is under the load.
The employer must provide a competent person on the shift, train riggers on sling inspection, maintain a gear inspection system, and remove defective slings from service. A faded or missing tag is not a paperwork problem; it means the capacity is unknown. The employer should also address the production pressure that led the supervisor to suggest making the lift first and tagging the sling out later.
3. What rights protect the rigger, and what should the employer do about the prior reassignment?
Read the worked answer
The rigger has the right to refuse to operate unsafe equipment and to report the hazard without retaliation. Refusing to make a lift with a defective sling and workers under the load is a reasonable safety refusal. The employer must not discipline, reassign, or otherwise punish the rigger for stopping the lift.
The prior reassignment of a worker who stopped a lift is a warning sign. The employer should review that action to determine whether it was retaliatory and should make clear that workers can stop unsafe lifts. If the rigger is reassigned or penalized, he can file a retaliation complaint with OSHA within 30 days. The employer's duty is to fix the gear and supervision problem, not to pressure the crew to take the risk.