A rigging inspection is the check that every sling, shackle, hook and spreader beam is fit to carry a load before it goes under the hook. This form takes one entry per item of gear — its ID tag, the working load limit marked on it, and the reject criteria that suit its kind — and ends each one with a plain decision: keep it, send it for repair, or destroy it. Use it for the rigger's check before a lift or for the periodic inspection of the whole gear box. Fill it in here and download a PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
One entry per item, not one tick per gear box
A single "slings OK?" answer cannot tell anyone which of twenty slings had the cut. Here each item gets its own entry with its tag number, so the report names the sling that failed and the person ordering replacements has a list.
Pick the kind of gear and the form asks only what applies. Wire rope is asked about broken wires, kinks and birdcaging; chain about stretched or gouged links; web slings about cuts, stitching and the red warning yarns; round slings about the cover and the core; hooks about the throat opening, twist and latch; shackles about the pin; beams and below-the-hook devices about their nameplate, structure and moving parts.
The tag comes first
A sling with no readable tag has to come out of service, however new it looks. Without the tag nobody can say what it is rated for, what it is made of, or whether it was ever inspected. The first check on every item is the identification and the marked working load limit, and the limit is recorded so you can compare it with the load and the sling angle.
Reject criteria, briefly
The exact limits come from the maker and the standard your site follows. In the US that is usually the ASME B30 series for slings, rigging hardware and hooks, alongside the OSHA rules for your industry. The checks here prompt for the damage those criteria describe: heat and weld spatter, knots, crushed or kinked rope, broken wires, stretched chain, cut or chemically stiffened webbing, exposed core yarns on round slings, a hook that has opened or twisted, a bent shackle pin, and any repair that was not made by the maker.
When in doubt, take it out. A sling costs far less than a dropped load.
Where rejected gear goes
A rejected item should be tagged, taken out of the gear box, and either sent for repair or cut up so it cannot be used again. The store section checks that there is a marked place for it and that the gear in use is stored dry, off the ground and away from heat and chemicals. Add a corrective action for replacements, and the summary of findings carries every rejected item into the report.
Common questions
How often should rigging be inspected?
The person using it checks it before each shift or lift. A competent person also makes a documented periodic inspection, commonly at least once a year and more often for heavy or harsh use, as your standard and site rules require. Follow the maker's instructions as well.
Who can inspect rigging gear?
The rigger checks gear before use. Periodic inspections are made by a designated competent or qualified person who knows the reject criteria for each kind of gear. Record their name in the sign-off.
What should I do with a sling that fails?
Remove it from service straight away, attach a do-not-use tag, and keep it apart from good gear. Record it here as removed, with the tag number, then repair or destroy it according to your procedure.
Does this form cover below-the-hook lifters?
Yes. Choose spreader or lifting beam, or below-the-hook device, and the entry asks about the nameplate, the structure and welds, guards and fasteners, the lifting lugs and pins, and the operating mechanism.
Can I record the sling angle or the load?
Each entry has room for the marked working load limit and a note. The lift itself, including the load weight and sling angles, belongs in the lift plan or the crane inspection.