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Slings are standard lifting kit and outwardly may seem to hardly change. But their safe use is always essential and developments may be in the offing, reports Julian Champkin.
The sling making and using industry is a conservative one, which may be no bad thing. Changes come slowly and with consideration. We asked various users and makers of slings their three recommendations for best practice. The answers came back: safety, safety, safety.
Nancy Ni, sales manager at H-Lift put it like this: "For overhead lifting, select the correct sling, and do not attempt to lift unless you understand how to use the sling, the mode factors to be applied, and so on." Her second point was to inspect the sling before using it. "Do not use defective slings or accessories." And the third was: "Never allow anyone to stand under the suspended load, or ride upon the load."
Clear, sensible, and timeless advice. The major current change in the world of sling technology and practice, covered in last month's issue, is the use of tagging- which among other things greatly assists in making easier the second of H-Lift's recommendations above, that of not using defective slings or accessories. When we asked H-Lift about its most recent product improvements, that was the one they chose: "RFID tags are more and more widely applied to slings," says Ni. "Embedded into metal or high-density synthetic carriers, RFID does not get crushed during normal service and allows customers to tag slings that are exposed to harsh environmental conditions-including extreme temperatures and exposure to oil, chemicals, water, dust and other contaminants."
Safeway Sling, of Wisconsin, who make nylon, polyester, wire rope and chain slings, relate sling safety to frequency of inspection. Their three recommendations are to inspect according to sling usage- the more frequently a sling is used, the more often it requires inspection; to inspect also according to the use environment-the harsher the working conditions that the sling experiences, again the more often it requires inspection; and, thirdly, to consider sling service life-inspect older slings more often and base your conclusions on your previous experience in using the slings.
Their replacement guidelines are comprehensive. ANSI B30.9 gives criteria for removing slings from service. Among them are the presence...