EN
Sling
Periodic inspection of lifting slings and accessories: wire rope, textile and chain legs, hooks and shackles. At least once a year as per regulation.
Sling periodic inspection is the examination, by authorised engineers at least once a year, of wire rope slings, textile (flat) slings, chain slings and accessories such as shackles, hooks and edge protectors connected between the crane hook and the load. Rupture signs, wear-deformation and label-certificate integrity are assessed. Because the sling is the single connecting carrier of the load yet frequently damaged and overlooked, it is the most critical and most underestimated link of the lifting chain.
Sling Types and Failure Modes
- Wire rope sling: Swaged or socketed ends; failure modes: broken wires, crushing, section loss, rust and opening at the swage zone.
- Textile (flat) sling: Polyester/polyamide legs; failure modes: cut and abrasion on edges-seams, UV and chemical degradation, unreadable label.
- Chain sling: With hooks and connecting links; failure modes: link wear, permanent stretch, notching and hook opening.
- Accessories: Shackle pin thread, hook latch, swivel, edge protector; bend in pin thread, pin integrity and clevis clearance.
Periodic Inspection Items
- Visual and measured examination: End-to-end scan of every leg, hook and connection with magnifier and thickness gauge; rope distortion-crush, chain diameter measurement (10% wear limit), cut depth and stitch integrity on textile.
- Label and traceability: Legible and matching WLL label; serial/lot number, certificate and previous inspection records; faded label or missing plate means removal from service.
- Hook and latch: Opening and deformation measurement, latch spring and clearance; free swivel under load.
- Shackle and pin: Crack at the pin thread, body opening increase, bolt-shackle head clearance; traces of side loading.
- Finding stability: Flagging and withdrawal of suspect legs; batch-by-batch examination when one fails.
Legislation and Standards
The Work Equipment Regulation prescribes periodic examination of lifting accessories (slings, hooks, shackles) at least annually and more often under heavy conditions; the period shortens for accessories such as magnetic lifters. Technical references: TS EN 13414-3 for wire rope slings, TS EN 1492-1/2 for textile slings, the TS EN 818-4 series for alloy steel chain slings and the TS EN 1677 series for shackles and hooks. Each accessory is evaluated with its declaration of conformity and working load table (angle factors); the capacity drop as sling angle grows must be stressed in operator training.
Risks and Operator Recommendations
Sling damage plays the lead role in dropped-load incidents: one failed leg shocks and cascades the others. Therefore "unknown history" slings with torn labels or scraped paint must be removed from inventory immediately. Using a sling without an edge protector on sharp loads is the most common field error weakening the section; corner protection or wide webbing is mandatory. Hot metal spatter or chemical contact lowers strength on wire rope even without visible damage — exposed legs must be replaced. Side loading of shackles leads to pin failure. After inspection, compliant gear receives a green mark and non-compliant a red tag, with a destruction record attached.
Outcome
At the end of the examination a signed report with the compliant/non-compliant sling list and destruction proposals is issued. Sling inspections are within our Lifting and Handling Machines service. Review the Chain Hoist and Magnetic Lifter pages and contact us for batch inventory control.
FAQ on Sling Inspection
A sling (textile webbing, wire rope or chain) is the single link between the load and the lifting hook — its failure is a falling load directly. Damage types come from load and use: cuts-warp breakage (textile), rust-wire break-corrosion (rope), stretch-wear-connection (chain), hook-block deformation. The Work Equipment Regulation and TS EN 1492/13414/818 require periodic control: yearly in practice for accessories plus user visual before every use — tightened periods in severe-sharp-hot environments.
Textile slings: label-WLL readability, cut-tear-warp break-edge wear, UV-chemical-heat deformation (melting-burn), seam failure, hook protection. Wire rope slings: broken-wire counts (per bend-pitch limits), diameter-crush-corrosion-melt trace, end connection (spelter-socket) and eye thimbles. Chain slings: link wear-stretch, brazed-repair marks (unacceptable), hook-latch. Magnetic lifters and blocks get separate function trials. Findings follow level tagging (green-yellow-red).
Worn slings die from misuse: wrapping sharp-cornered loads without edge protection, effective capacity falling as the angle opens (the 60/45 degree load chart rules), single-leg versus double-four-leg differences, hot surface-acid-UV contact, knotting (textile) and winding the rope bent. Exceeding WLL or shock loading invalidates even the label. The operator must select the sling per lift plan-capacity; the user must be selection-trained.
The legal engineer examination is yearly, the user pre-check before every use; suspect-damaged gear leaves service instantly. Reports are per equipment with level tags (green usable, yellow monitored with short follow-up, red destroy-stop), WLL-standard-manufacturer data and finding comparison. Textile melting-chemical-suspect inner damage, metal crack-wear beyond limit and deformation are not accepted for repair-reuse; destruction is recorded by cutting with photo evidence. Spare sling stock and serial inventory make error-free tracking possible.