toone
Mechanical
- Apr 14, 2011
- 3
I am wondering what regulations may exist for the safe use of rigging assemblies used in winching.
I have a device that needs to be pulled horizontally out of the earth. There are no attachment point on the is device so something will need to be designed and built for this purpose. I am wondering what regulations exist for the design and use of a custom rigging assembly and attachment such as this. I am aware of the OSHA regulations for "Rigging equipment for material handling" in 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(4).
"Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials, shall be marked to indicate the safe working loads and shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load."
The problem here is that the "rated load" is unknown. In a typical hoisting situation the weight of the device being lifted is know and can be used as the maximum rated load. With a device that is stuck in the earth and needs to be pulled the force required to do this is unknown. I suppose in this situation the maximum pulling force of the winch could be used a rated load to design against.
But what I am really wondering is what safety standards exist. The OSHA standard I referenced seems to not apply to winching because the following paragraph states that the scope of this standard "... applies to slings used in conjunction with other material handling equipment for the movement of material by hoisting ..." 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(5) and "hoisting equipment" is defined by OSHA as "equipment designed to lift and position a load of known weight to a location at some known elevation and horizontal distance from the equipment's center of rotation. 'Hoisting equipment' includes but is not limited to cranes, derricks, tower cranes, barge-mounted derricks or cranes, gin poles and gantry hoist systems. A 'come-a-long' (a mechanical device, usually consisting of a chain or cable attached at each end, that is used to facilitate movement of materials through leverage) is not considered 'hoisting equipment.'" 29 CFR 1926.751
I've discovered 29 CFR 1917.47 it has nothing about rigging and seems to apply only to marine terminals.
I have a device that needs to be pulled horizontally out of the earth. There are no attachment point on the is device so something will need to be designed and built for this purpose. I am wondering what regulations exist for the design and use of a custom rigging assembly and attachment such as this. I am aware of the OSHA regulations for "Rigging equipment for material handling" in 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(4).
"Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials, shall be marked to indicate the safe working loads and shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load."
The problem here is that the "rated load" is unknown. In a typical hoisting situation the weight of the device being lifted is know and can be used as the maximum rated load. With a device that is stuck in the earth and needs to be pulled the force required to do this is unknown. I suppose in this situation the maximum pulling force of the winch could be used a rated load to design against.
But what I am really wondering is what safety standards exist. The OSHA standard I referenced seems to not apply to winching because the following paragraph states that the scope of this standard "... applies to slings used in conjunction with other material handling equipment for the movement of material by hoisting ..." 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(5) and "hoisting equipment" is defined by OSHA as "equipment designed to lift and position a load of known weight to a location at some known elevation and horizontal distance from the equipment's center of rotation. 'Hoisting equipment' includes but is not limited to cranes, derricks, tower cranes, barge-mounted derricks or cranes, gin poles and gantry hoist systems. A 'come-a-long' (a mechanical device, usually consisting of a chain or cable attached at each end, that is used to facilitate movement of materials through leverage) is not considered 'hoisting equipment.'" 29 CFR 1926.751
I've discovered 29 CFR 1917.47 it has nothing about rigging and seems to apply only to marine terminals.