Plenty of companies know the importance of having properly trained and certified workers in order to meet the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). However, not all of them recognize the importance of having the right supplies to keep everyone safe, and that includes the use of rigging equipment.
Who uses rigging equipment? A number of industries rely on lifting gear in order to move cargo and other items on a job site. Steel and iron workers, petrochemical companies, manufacturers, and construction sites all use lifting equipment and cranes while working. For the most part, these employees should be qualified to work in such an environment and may even carry rigging certification that demonstrates their knowledge of the engineering principles behind rigging.
Employees in these industries also need to understand which tools are the right ones for a particular rigging job. Here are some of the most common types of supplies that riggers will use:
Wire Rope
Regular ropes, including those made from materials like nylon, aren’t going to cut it when it comes to using rigging equipment. Wire ropes, however, are designed to hold thousands of pounds. Not all wire ropes are the same, though. Single size ropes include wires of the same size all wrapped around one another, but ropes that contain wires of varying thicknesses are often capable of holding larger weights. The thickness of the wires isn’t all that determines how much they can hold. In order to find the right ropes for different applications, you’ll also need to consider the finish, wire grades, and strand constructions of each rope.
Slings
In order to move cargo safely, rigging equipment requires that you have the correct slings in place to move these heavy objects. There are a number of different sling types, including single-, two-, three-, and four-leg slings and endless slings. Web slings are fairly common among rigging supplies because they can stretch out to hold oversized cargo. For example, in order to determine which web slings you need, make sure that you know the load capacity of what your machinery will carry, whether it be steel beams or heavy crates.
Hoists and Clamps
How do you hook the ropes and slings together? In short, make sure you have the right hoists and clamps. Like the above supplies, hoists have different load capacities, and their construction will depend largely upon their intended use. Do your research first before choosing a hoist or clamp for your cranes and rigging equipment.
Safety Gear
In addition to rigging supplies designed for machinery, there are a number of other pieces of safety equipment that your employees might need. Make sure that everyone who is working up high has the right fall arrest or safety equipment. These pieces can include general fall arrest equipment like nets or personal fall arrest, such as lifelines. The anchorage for a single tie-off point for one individual, for instance, must be able to support 5,000 pounds, and OSHA requires that this covers a distance of six feet. Without the right equipment, it would only take a worker just two-thirds of a second to fall seven feet. Make sure that everyone follows these guidelines and uses proper safety gear to stay safe on the job.
Not sure which types of rigging supplies you need for your business? Take a look at our inventory, and contact us with any questions.
