Safety when working with chain slings

Important. This article gives general principles, not an occupational safety instruction and not a regulatory document. The work procedure at your site is determined by local instructions, the occupational safety service and the persons responsible for the safe performance of works. For critical and load-handling operations, consult a technologist and an occupational safety specialist. Our TU-001 and TU-002 do not provide for the use of our chains as slings: a sling chain is a separate product — a certified class 8 sling assembly (to GOST/EN 818-2) with its own standard coefficients.

Preparation

• Inspect the sling before lifting. The chain, fasteners, hooks, connecting elements — at any defect the sling is taken out of service (see Chain storage and inspection).
• Assess the load. Weight, dimensions, centre of gravity and slinging points — before lifting starts, not during the process.
• Check the scheme. The number of legs and their arrangement must correspond to the weight and shape of the load.

Work

• The angle between the legs. The larger the angle, the higher the load on each leg — the slinging scheme is selected for the load, and the legs are loaded evenly.
• No jerks or oblique tension. Sharp lifts and skewing multiply the load.
• No kinks over sharp edges. Packing is placed under the edges; kinking a leg is unacceptable.
• Monitoring during the process. If the load starts to drift, the legs stretch or elements shift, the lift is stopped.

Prohibitions

• People under the load — there must be no people in the load movement zone.
• Lifting people — only under a separate procedure with appropriate equipment and authorisation; see the requirements for critical operations in the article Chain slings and class 8 lifting chains.
• Defective chains and “temporary” solutions — prohibited: at any defect (cracks, elongation, pits, damaged fasteners) the sling is taken out of service.

After work

• Inspect the sling, clean it from dirt and de-icing agents, and dry it if necessary.
• Store in a dry place; for long storage — conservation grease.
• Record the inspection results as is customary in your organisation.

A sling chain is a separate product

The principles above apply to slings as a class of load-handling devices. A sling is assembled from certified sling assemblies of class 8 with standard sling coefficients (GOST/EN 818-2, occupational safety rules) — with a data sheet, marking and periodic testing. Our TU-001 (class 3) and TU-002 (class 8, T8) do not provide for the use of our chains as slings — more details in the article Chain slings and class 8 lifting chains.

Where to get the requirements

The exact requirements for specific operations are in your enterprise's local instructions and with the occupational safety service. For technical matters (selecting a chain for lifting devices and mechanisms, loads, documents), we will help: see the FAQ group or contact a manager.