Sling & Rigging Hardware Inspection

Slings and hardware must be inspected by a competent person before each shift or use, and taken out of service when damaged. Every sling must have a legible tag showing its rated capacity.

• Construction
• General Industry

Inspection schedule

All slings

• ID tag present and readable (rated capacities). No tag? Don’t use it.
• Right sling for the load, hitch and environment (heat, chemicals, sharp edges)
• Rated capacity for the hitch and angle you’ll use is more than the load on that sling
• End fittings, eyes and splices undamaged

Wire rope slings: remove if

• Broken wires above the allowed limit (for example, 10 randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or 5 in one strand in one lay)
• Kinking, crushing, birdcaging or other distortion
• Heat damage or severe corrosion
• Reduced diameter or damaged end fittings

Alloy chain slings: remove if

• Links stretched, bent, twisted, nicked or gouged
• Excessive wear or cracks
• Not marked as alloy steel, or missing the tag

Synthetic web and round slings: remove if

• Cuts, tears, punctures, snags or crushed areas
• Burns, melting, charring or chemical damage
• Red warning (core) yarns showing
• Broken or worn stitching, knots, or damaged fittings

Hardware

• Shackles: correct pin (never a bolt substitute), pin fully threaded and not bent, body not deformed
• Hooks: safety latch works, throat not opened or twisted beyond the manufacturer’s limits, no cracks
• Rated capacity marked on hooks, shackles and eyebolts

Eyebolts and other hardware

• Shoulder eyebolts used for any angled pull, and their capacity reduced as the angle increases
• Eyebolts fully seated, with threads in good condition
• Turnbuckles, swivels and links marked and undamaged
• No homemade or welded hardware

Storing slings

• Hang slings on racks in a dry area, off the ground.
• Keep synthetic slings out of sunlight, heat and chemicals.
• Don’t throw rigging in a truck bed under steel or tools.

Last updated: October 1, 2026