Page 22 - MetalForming August 2010

Don’t underestimate the dangers presented by the heavy loads lingering overhead in your shop, including massive dies and weighty steel coils. Be sure to properly size rigging equipment, and inspect often for early signs of wear and tear.
BY THERESA CARTIER
Perhaps without ever noticing, stamping and fabricating facilities depend mightily on safe, efficient rigging for manipulating heavy loads, including massive dies, blank stacks and bulky steel coils. Every operator and employee on the floor should learn the process required to safely lift and move heavy loads with ropes, chains and other devices.
Rigging equipment covers a broad range, from small slings to powerful cranes. In the metalforming industry, specialized lifting devices such as C-hooks
Theresa Cartier is content developer for Toolingu.com, Cleveland, OH. Toolingu provides online training for manufacturers, including a curriculum on rigging: 866/706-8665; www.toolingu.com.
find use as well. However, the principles for moving a load safely and effectively are the same regardless of the rigging application.
Basic Precautions
Safety must be the main consideration in any rigging job. OSHA and ANSI provide detailed standards for rigging safety, but the following list is a good start:
• Inspect all rigging equipment thorough- ly before starting a job. Manufacturers often provide guidelines for measuring levels of deterioration and deformation in a part. Any worn or broken equipment must be repaired or replaced before use.
• Know the working-load limit (WLL)—the maximum load that a device or equipment can carry. Often, the WLL appears directly on the equipment. If not, consult the equipment manufacturer.
• If unsure if a particular piece of equip- ment can handle a given load, consult an experienced rigger, or simply reduce the load to a level well below the WLL.
• Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times. At minimum, riggers should wear hard hats, work gloves and steel-toed boots.
• Hoists and cranes must receive opera- tional testing and rated load testing before being used for the first time. In the rated load test, test loads should exceed 125 percent of the rated load unless recommended by the man- ufacturer. Also, only trained employees should be allowed to operate hoists and cranes.
• Avoid shock loads. Rapid changes in movement such as jerking or swinging a stat- ic load, or sudden release of a load, creates a rebounding action that can damage rigging equipment or cause it to fail.
• Never stand beneath a load or in the path of a moving load or an AGV.
• Store rigging equipment in a dry, pro- tected environment.
• Keep records of equipment maintenance where all employees can access it. This infor- mation helps riggers decide if equipment is ready for a particular job.
Although basic safety rules are important,
20 METALFORMING / AUGUST 2010
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