Auxiliary gear inspection requirements

Loose gear must be placed so it won't be damaged and inspected with any defects corrected before reuse. Follow the storage and inspection rule at 1917.42(a)(1).

• Store gear off the ground and protected from crushing, kinking or corrosion.
• Inspect gear visually at the end of each use and before the next use; repair or remove defective items from service immediately.
• Distorted hooks, shackles, or similar hardware must be discarded per 1917.42(a)(3).

The employer or the employer's authorized representative must inspect all loose gear before each use and as often as needed during use. See 1917.42(a)(2).

• Inspections must ensure the gear is safe; any gear found "visibly unsafe" must not be used until made safe.
• Employers should train authorized inspectors to recognize defects listed throughout 1917.42.

Employers must ascertain and follow the manufacturer's recommended ratings for wire rope and wire rope slings and keep those ratings available for inspection. See 1917.42(b)(1).

• If the manufacturer cannot provide ratings, use the tables in [ANSI B30.9-1971] referenced in 1917.42(b)(1).
• Maintain a design safety factor of at least five for common running wire uses unless exceptions in 1917.42(b)(1)(i)-(iii) apply.

Wire rope with a safety factor less than five may be used only in specialized equipment designed for lesser safety factors, in standing rigging applications according to design factors, or for heavy lifts where a factor of five is impracticable and equivalent safety can be demonstrated. See 1917.42(b)(1)(i)-(iii).

• Keep documentation showing why a lower factor is permitted and how equivalent safety is achieved.
• Retain manufacturer or engineering guidance where applicable.

Wire rope and wire rope slings exhibiting the listed defects must not be used and must be removed from service. See 1917.42(b)(2).

Key defects include:

• Ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay or three or more broken wires in one strand in one rope lay (1917.42(b)(2)(i)).

• Kinking, crushing, birdcaging, or distortion (1917.42(b)(2)(ii)).

• Evidence of heat damage, excessive wear, corrosion, deformation, cracked attachments, strand/wire slippage at end fittings, or multiple broken wires near sockets (1917.42(b)(2)(iii)-(vi)).

• Cover or blunt protruding splice ends so splices can still be inspected (1917.42(b)(3)).

If manufacturer recommendations for U-bolt clips are not available, use Table C-1 to determine the minimum number and spacing of clips and apply the U section against the dead end of the rope as required. See 1917.42(b)(4).

• Place the U-bolt with the U on the dead end of the rope as stated in the standard.
• Follow the Table C-1 minimum number of clips and minimum spacing for the rope diameter indicated in 1917.42(b).

No. Wire rope shall not be secured by knots, and eyes for hoisting shall not be formed by wire rope clips or knots except as permitted for splices; eye splices with required tucks or other equivalently safe connections must be used. See 1917.42(b)(5)-(8).

• Eye splices must have at least three tucks with a whole strand and two tucks with half the wire cut from each strand (1917.42(b)(7)).
• Except for end splices and endless slings, wire rope used in hoisting must be one continuous piece (1917.42(b)(8)).

Employers must follow the manufacturer's ratings for the specific natural fiber rope and keep those ratings available; maintain a minimum design safety factor of five and use the specified minimum tucks for eye and short splices. See 1917.42(c)(1)-(2).

• Eye splices: at least three full tucks.
• Short splices: at least six full tucks (three on each side of center) as required in 1917.42(c)(2).

Unless the manufacturer advises otherwise, when substituting synthetic ropes for fiber ropes under three inches circumference, the synthetic substitute must be of equal size; for ropes three inches or more, use the formula in 1917.42(d)(2) to determine required circumference. See 1917.42(d)(1)-(2).

• Also confirm the synthetic fiber’s inherent characteristics are suitable for hoisting per 1917.42(d)(2)(ii).

Natural and synthetic rope must be removed from service if they show abnormal wear, powdered fiber between strands, enough cut or broken fibers to affect capability, variations in strand size/roundness, discoloration not due to stains, rotting, or damage to attached hardware. See 1917.42(e)(1)-(7).

• Inspect ropes regularly and remove any rope showing these defects immediately to prevent failure.

Properly fitting thimbles should be used where any rope is permanently secured to a ring, shackle, or attachment whenever practicable. See 1917.42(f).

• Thimbles prevent chafing and reduce wear at the eye; use the correct size thimble for the rope.

Synthetic web slings must not be used to hoist loads above their rated capacity, and slings showing specified damage must be removed from service; repaired slings must be repaired by the manufacturer or similar entity and proof tested before return. See 1917.42(g)(1)-(4).

• Remove slings for acid/caustic burns, melting/charring, snags/tears, broken/worn stitches, damaged fittings, or visible warning threads (1917.42(g)(2)).
• Repaired slings must be proof tested to twice the rated capacity by the repairer and retain a certificate as required in 1917.42(g)(3).
• Use slings only per manufacturer's recommendations provided by the employer (1917.42(g)(4)).

Fittings on synthetic web slings must have a breaking strength at least equal to the sling and be free of sharp edges. See 1917.42(g)(5).

• Inspect fittings for nicks, burrs, or deformities that could abrade the webbing.

Employers must follow the manufacturer's recommended safe working loads and have ratings available; only chains rated for slinging/hoisting may be used; inspect sling chains visually before each day's use and make thorough inspections quarterly. See 1917.42(h)(1)-(3).

• If manufacturer ratings are unavailable, use ANSI B30.9 tables per 1917.42(h)(1).
• Proof coil or hardware chain not recommended for slinging must not be used (1917.42(h)(2)).

Chains must be removed if wear reaches the maximum allowable values in Table C-2, stretch increases a measured section length by more than 5%, a link is bent/twisted/damaged, or a link has a raised scarf or defective weld; only designated persons shall inspect chains used for slinging and hoisting. See 1917.42(h)(3)(iii)-(v).

• Use month-of-inspection color coding or equivalent means as required in 1917.42(h)(3).
• Replace links or repair only under qualified supervision per 1917.42(h)(4).

Wrought iron chains in constant use must be annealed or normalized at intervals not exceeding six months, and heat treatment certificates must be available for inspection. See 1917.42(h)(5).

• Do not anneal alloy chains as stated in 1917.42(h)(5).

Kinked or knotted chains, shortening chains by bolting, wiring or knotting, and makeshift links/fasteners are prohibited; hooks and attachments must match the chain's rated capacity, and chain slings must bear identification of size, grade and rated capacity. See 1917.42(h)(6)-(8).

• Ensure all chain slings have clear markings for size, grade and rated capacity as required in 1917.42(h)(8).

Employers must not exceed manufacturer recommended safe working loads for shackles and must secure screw pin shackles used aloft (except in cargo hook assemblies) by mousing or other effective means. See 1917.42(i)(1)-(2).

• If no manufacturer data exist, use Table C-3 safe working loads found in 1917.42(i)(1).

Hooks (other than hand hooks) must not be loaded beyond the manufacturer's safe working loads, must be tested in accordance with [1917.50(c)(6)], and bent or sprung hooks must be discarded. See 1917.42(j)(1)-(2).

• Maintain hook teeth and clamp jaws in safe condition and apply loads to the throat only as required in 1917.42(j).
• Note: OSHA guidance recognizes when latches are required or recommended; see the hook latch interpretation at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2006-01-10-0 for practical guidance on using latches.

OSHA's interpretation explains that whether a safety latch is required depends on the activity; latch-equipped hooks are recommended where they prevent accidental disengagement and are required by some standards (for example, marine terminals require latched or otherwise secured hooks). See the interpretation at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2006-01-10-0 and 1917.45(e)(2) referenced therein.

• Use latch-equipped hooks when practical; where latches are impractical, ensure other positive means prevent accidental disengagement as guided by the LOI.

Pallets must be made and maintained to safely support loads, fastenings of reusable pallets must be bolts/nuts or equivalent, damaged pallets must be identified and stored, reusable wing/lip pallets need at least a 3-inch overhang and must be hoisted by suitable gear, flush-end pallets need bridles designed to prevent disengagement, stacked to prevent hazards, and disposable pallets for one use must not be reused. See 1917.42(k)(1)-(7).

• Do not hoist pallets by wire slings alone if they are wing/lip-type—use bar bridles or suitable gear per 1917.42(k)(3).

Heat treatment certificates showing annealing or normalization of wrought iron chains must be available for inspection when chains are in constant use. See 1917.42(h)(5).

• Maintain records showing dates and details of heat treatment and make them available during inspections.

Indicate the month of inspection on each chain by color paint on a link or another equally effective method, and remove chains from service when wear at any point of a link reaches the maximum allowable wear values in Table C-2. See 1917.42(h)(3).

• Table C-2 lists maximum allowable wear by chain size; use it to determine when removal is required (1917.42(h)(3)(iii)).

Repaired chains must be tested to the proof load recommended by the original chain manufacturer, and tests must be performed by the manufacturer or be certified by an agency accredited under part 1919; test certificates must be available for inspection. See 1917.42(h)(4).

• Keep proof load test certificates with the chain records as required by 1917.42(h)(4).

Hooks other than hand hooks must be tested in accordance with 1917.50(c)(6) and must not exceed manufacturer recommended safe working loads. See 1917.42(j)(1).

• Keep hook test records and ensure bent or sprung hooks are discarded per 1917.42(j)(2).

Synthetic web slings removed from service for defects may be repaired only by the sling manufacturer or a similar entity; each repaired sling must be proof tested by the repairer to twice the sling's rated capacity prior to return and the employer must retain the proof test certificate. See 1917.42(g)(3)-(4).

• Keep the repair and proof-test certificate available for inspection as required in 1917.42(g)(3).

Protruding strand ends in splices must be covered or blunted with removable coverings that allow splice inspection and must not damage the wire; eye splices must have minimum tuck counts (three full tucks with a whole strand and two tucks with half the wire cut from each strand). See 1917.42(b)(3) and 1917.42(b)(7).

• Use removable protectors so splices can be routinely examined.

Remove the wire rope from service if there are ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay or three or more broken wires in one strand in one rope lay. See 1917.42(b)(2)(i).

• Also remove rope for other listed defects such as kinking, distortion, heat damage, excessive wear, or end-attachment slippage per 1917.42(b)(2).

No; wire rope shall not be secured by knots, and eyes in bridles, slings, bull wires, or single parts used for hoisting shall not be formed by wire rope clips or knots. See 1917.42(b)(5)-(6).

• Use proper eye splices or other connections shown to be equivalently safe per 1917.42(b)(7).

OSHA's memorandum states reach stackers are exempt from the certification requirement in 1917.50 because they are considered powered industrial trucks under the 1917.50(j)(1) exception. See the memorandum at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2017-03-17.

• Even if exempt from 1917.50 certification, reach stackers are subject to other truck and training requirements such as 1917.43 and operator training referenced in the LOI.