Cranes and Slings: What you need to know

Cranes and slings are used to hoist and move heavy and bulky materials, with considerable risk of injury to crane operators and handlers. For that reason, OSHA has adopted crane and sling regulations that prescribe procedures for handling heavy loads safely. This analysis describes the general industry regulations for:

• Overhead and gantry cranes: 29 CFR 1910.179
• Crawler locomotive and truck cranes: 29 CFR 1910.180
• Helicopter cranes: 29 CFR 1910.183
• Derricks: 29 CFR 1910.181
• Slings: 29 CFR 1910.184

The cranes, slings, and derricks rules for general industry workplaces address procedures for equipment operations, personnel training, qualifications and requirements of “designated” persons, and detailed requirements for equipment maintenance and inspection.

Cranes and derricks in construction. There are additional regulations for cranes and derricks in construction. OSHA has recently revised the construction rules to update and specify industry work practices necessary to protect employees during the use of such equipment, including the certification of crane operators. See the Cranes and Derricks (Construction) topic analysis for more information.

The overhead and gantry crane rule applies to overhead and gantry cranes, including semigantry, cantilever gantry, wall cranes, storage bridge cranes, and others having the same fundamental characteristics. These cranes are grouped because they all have trolleys and similar travel characteristics.

All new overhead and gantry cranes must meet the design specifications of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Safety Code for Overhead and ...