[RIGGER’S CORNER]
SHOP MADE RIGGING …AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND THIS ON YOUR SITE
BY: KATIE MACKEY, MARKETING MANAGER, CRANE TECH, LLC
From time to time we are asked to do a walk through at a client’s location and identify issues with rigging hardware or the tools that are being used. During one such trip, we found a shop made / homemade hook created from a modified shackle, that according to the client “was perfect for the job”. When we inquired further as to why the client was allowing this, we were told that the mechanics kept them locked in their personal tool boxes and when management asked the employees to surrender the hooks, they responded that they “did not have one.”
You see, the employees were not being contrary; they were just not giving up their perfect tool to get the job done without a fight. Sure, management could have laid down the law with threats of discipline or termination, but instead maybe there was a better solution. After all, these are probably the employees that you actually want on your team, as they were serious enough to attempt to engineer a solution to get the job done. Teir intent was good, but the method needed some improvement—instead of asking for the right tool to be supplied they had taken it upon themselves to make one. Homemade is great when you are talking about food (especially if you are not the one cooking) but when it comes to rigging, it’s not the same. In general, we believe no employee has the right to modify company property. But on top of that, it is NEVER ok to modify existing rigging hardware or create new lifting and rigging hardware in the shop or at home. In its place, we suggest a better way to get the job done without sacrificing safety. Should you find a shop made product, instead of just taking it away, ask questions, such as:
• What was it created? • How is it being used? • Why is it important to completing the task, etc.?
Once some basic information is gathered, then research and find a quality manufactured product that is similar in design and function. In this case a foundry hook was what was
80 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2017 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
needed. Te proper hooks were purchased, and the modified shackles were traded in. Now employees had the proper and safe tool with an approved Working Load Limit and management had the shop made devices to destroy—a win-win for all parties involved. “Safety through Education” is more than just Crane
Tech’s motto, it is our guiding principle. We find shop made products on sites all of the time. It is a scary thought that these non-rated products are being used in lifting and rigging applications, the risk to lives and projects is not worth it. y
Crane Tech is a leading provider of NCCCO training and testing to promote Safety through Education. Visit their site at
www.cranetech. com and check out their “Hooked On” blog at
cranetech.com/blog for more information.
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