Rigging inspections are a legal requirement and a fundamental safety practice in any operation involving cranes and lifting equipment. Regular, thorough inspection of rigging equipment prevents failures before they happen — and in a rigging context, equipment failure during a lift can have severe consequences for personnel, equipment, and property. This article explains what rigging inspections involve, what South African law requires, and how professional rigging companies manage their inspection programmes.
Why Are Rigging Inspections Important?
Rigging equipment is subject to significant mechanical stress during use. Wire rope slings develop broken wires and kinks. Chain links develop wear and microcracks. Shackle pins become loose or corroded. Web slings suffer UV degradation and cutting damage. None of these forms of deterioration are immediately visible to the untrained eye — which is why systematic inspection by qualified personnel is essential. An inspection programme identifies equipment that has reached its discard limits before it is used on a critical lift.
What Types of Rigging Inspections Are Required in South Africa?
South African law requires three levels of rigging equipment inspection:
- Pre-use inspection (daily/before each use) — a visual and tactile inspection of all equipment to be used that day, carried out by the rigger or operator before operations begin. Any equipment showing damage or deterioration is removed from service.
- Periodic inspection (typically quarterly or semi-annually) — a more detailed inspection of all equipment in the company’s inventory, carried out by a competent person. This inspection examines equipment that is not scheduled for use that day and ensures that degradation is identified before equipment is deployed on a project.
- Load test and thorough examination (typically annually) — a formal load test and thorough examination by an approved inspection authority. The equipment is physically tested to its proof load, and a load test certificate is issued confirming the equipment’s safe working load and the date of the next required test.
What Does a Visual Rigging Inspection Check?
A pre-use visual inspection of rigging equipment covers the following for each type of equipment:
- Wire rope slings — check for broken wires (count per lay length), kinks, birdcaging, corrosion, heat damage, and fitting condition. Apply the discard criteria from the applicable SANS standard.
- Chain slings — check for elongation (measure pitch length against new), cracked or deformed links, corroded links, and hook or ring condition. Any link showing a crack must be condemned immediately.
- Web slings — check for cuts, tears, holes, UV damage, chemical contamination, heat damage, and stitching condition. Reject any sling with a cut through more than 10% of the width or visible damage to core fibres.
- Shackles — check for pin straightness and thread condition, deformation of the bow or jaw, cracks or corrosion on the body, and that the pin is correctly installed and secured.
- Hooks — check for deformation of the throat opening (an increase in throat gap indicates overloading), cracks, and safety latch function.
What Happens When Equipment Fails an Inspection?
Any equipment that fails a pre-use or periodic inspection must be immediately removed from service. It must be clearly marked as condemned — typically with a permanent marker or paint — and physically separated from serviceable equipment to prevent accidental use. Condemned equipment must then be destroyed (cut slings, broken hooks, deformed shackles) before disposal to ensure it cannot re-enter service. The removal from service and destruction must be recorded in the equipment register.
Reef Rigging maintains a rigorous equipment inspection programme across all its rigging tackle. Learn more about our health and safety approach or contact the team for a project discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions: Rigging Inspections in South Africa
Who is qualified to inspect rigging equipment in South Africa?
Daily pre-use inspections can be conducted by a qualified rigger with the relevant training and competency to identify defects. Periodic inspections and annual load tests must be conducted by an approved inspection authority — a body or person accredited to test and certify lifting equipment under the OHSA Lifting Machine Regulations. The load test certificate issued by the inspection authority is the primary record of equipment certification status.
How long are rigging equipment load test certificates valid in South Africa?
Load test certificates for most lifting tackle are valid for twelve months from the date of the test, at which point the equipment must be re-tested. Some types of equipment — particularly cranes — may have different testing intervals specified in the Lifting Machine Regulations. The certificate expiry date must be checked before equipment is deployed on any project, and equipment with an expired certificate must not be used until it has been re-tested and a new certificate issued.
Can rigging equipment be repaired after damage?
In general, damaged rigging equipment should be condemned rather than repaired. Wire rope slings with broken wires cannot be reliably repaired. Bent or deformed shackles must be condemned. Web slings with cuts or damage to the core cannot be safely repaired in the field. Some equipment — such as hooks with only surface-level issues — may be assessed by a qualified engineer to determine whether repair is feasible, but any repaired equipment must be re-tested and re-certified by an approved inspection authority before it is returned to service.