Subpart E
The proof load must be 25 percent greater than the safe working load when the safe working load is up to 20 tons. See the table in 1919.27(a) for this requirement.
You must apply a proof load that exceeds the safe working load by 5 tons when the safe working load is between 20 and 50 tons. This requirement is stated in 1919.27(a).
The proof load must be 10 percent in excess of the safe working load when the safe working load is over 50 tons. See the table in 1919.27(a).
The proof load must be lifted with the derrick at an angle not more than 15 degrees to the horizontal (or at the designed minimum angle when that is greater, or at the lowest practicable angle), and the angle at which the test was made must be stated on the test certificate. See the lifting-angle and certification requirement in 1919.27(b).
Yes — after the proof load has been lifted it must be swung as far as possible in both directions. This swing requirement is specified in 1919.27(b).
Proof loads for heavy-lift derrick barges must be applied, where design and stability allow, at the maximum and minimum radii for which the gear is designed and at any intermediate radius the surveyor requires, and data for each proof load must be entered in the test certificate; each load must also be swung as far as possible in both directions. See the heavy-lift barge requirements in 1919.27(c).
No — items of cargo gear supplied from outside sources must not be used as part of the vessel's gear for accomplishing the proof test. This prohibition is in 1919.27(d).
Spring or hydraulic balances may only be used instead of dead loads for quadrennial tests, replacements, or renewals when dead loads are not reasonably available; they may not be used for testing gear on new vessels. See the exception rules in 1919.27(e).
A proof test is not satisfactory unless the indicator remains constant under the proof load for at least five minutes. This timing requirement is stated in 1919.27(f).
No — the safe working load determined under this section is applicable only to a swinging derrick; when two fixed derricks are used in a union purchase rig the safe working load should generally be reduced, and owners are recommended to obtain a union-purchase certification based on a design study by a qualified technical office of an accredited gear certification agency. See 1919.27(g)(1).
Union purchase certification must state whether the guy or the preventer is the working strength member, whether the guy is for slewing only, and when the guy and preventer should share working loads as practicable. See the statement requirements in 1919.27(g)(2).
Yes — when necessary for the proof testing of heavy derricks, the appropriate shrouds and stays must be rigged. See this requirement in 1919.27(h).
The certificate of test must state the angle at which the proof load was lifted, the means used to apply the load (for example, single part fall or purchase), and data with respect to each proof load applied (particularly for heavy-lift barges). These recording requirements are found in 1919.27(b), 1919.27(c), and the guidance about means used in the standard text at 1919.27.
Mechanical brakes provided for manual operation must be demonstrated to be in satisfactory operating condition. The standard requires that winches fitted with mechanical brakes for manual operation be shown to operate satisfactorily during testing; see the provision in 1919.27.
Yes — no exception is allowed for gear on new vessels: tests on new vessels must be carried out by dead load. This firm requirement is stated in 1919.27(e).
Yes — the phrase covers the winch together with the whole of the gear accessory thereto, explicitly including derricks, goosenecks, eye plates, eye bolts, or other attachments, and those items must be included in the proof test. See the definition of what must be tested in 1919.27.
An employer must assign a competent person to identify hazards and take corrective action, and where credentialed certification is needed (for example union purchase studies or accredited gear certification), the work should be done by or acceptable to a qualified technical office of an accredited gear certification agency; see the competent-person discussion in the OSHA interpretation Competent person accreditation procedures and the union-purchase recommendation in 1919.27(g)(1).
The gear’s design factors determine whether the proof load is applied with a single part fall or with a purchase, and the certificate of test must state which means was used. See the design-factor and certificate requirement in 1919.27.
You should apply proof loads only as permitted by the derrick’s design and vessel stability, test at required radii (maximum, minimum, and any intermediate radii the surveyor deems necessary), swing loads both directions, and rig appropriate shrouds and stays when necessary to safely carry out the proof test; record all data for each proof load in the test certificate. See the testing-at-radii and data-entry rules in 1919.27(c) and the shrouds-and-stays rule in 1919.27(h).