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Overhead Crane, Hoist, and Sling Rigging

Safe use of overhead bridge cranes, electric chain hoists, jib cranes, and the slings and rigging hardware used with them for forklift battery changes, die and equipment moves, and heavy or awkward items in receiving, covering designated operators only, rated load marking and load limits, the start of shift upper limit switch tryout and the daily pre-use checks, the monthly hook and hoist chain certification records and the periodic crane inspection, daily sling inspection by a competent person, sling identification tags and removal criteria, rigging practice for balance, edge protection, and hand placement, the conduct of the lift itself, and locking the main switch open before any repair.

Audience
Designated crane and hoist operators, battery change technicians, maintenance technicians who rig equipment moves and who inspect and repair cranes and hoists, receiving associates who rig heavy or awkward loads, spotters and signal persons, and the area leads and supervisors who authorize lifts
Review cycle
annual
Last reviewed
2026-08-29
Revision
1

What is in the procedure

9 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.

  1. 01

    Purpose

    Fixed

    This procedure governs the safe use of overhead bridge cranes, electric chain hoists, jib cranes, and the slings and rigging hardware used with them.

  2. 02

    Scope

    Customized

    This procedure applies to every overhead bridge crane, electric or manual chain hoist, jib crane, monorail hoist, and below-the-hook lifting device such as a lifting beam, spreader, or battery extractor at this...

  3. 03

    Responsibilities

    Customized

    Only designated personnel operate a crane covered by 1910.179, and designated means selected or assigned by the employer or the employer's representative as being qualified to perform specific duties, so this facility...

  4. 04

    Procedure: Designated Operators, Rated Load, and the Pre-Use Check

    Fixed

    1. Confirm you are on the designated operator list for this unit before you touch the controls.

  5. 05

    Procedure: Sling Selection, Daily Sling Inspection, and Rigging the Load

    Fixed

    1. Pick the sling for the load, not the one that is nearest: match type and rated capacity to the weight, the hitch, the leg angle, and the edges it bears on.

  6. 06

    Procedure: Making the Lift

    Fixed

    1. Clear the route and the landing area before you lift, including the floor under the whole path of travel, and keep all employees clear of the load about to be lifted and of the suspended load.

  7. 07

    Procedure: Monthly, Periodic, and 12 Month Documented Inspections

    Customized

    Three documented cycles run beyond the daily checks.

  8. 08

    Defect Handling, Out-of-Service Tagging, and Repairs

    Customized

    Any operator who finds a defect stops the lift, lands the load if one is suspended, and reports it the same shift: a limit switch that does not trip, a brake that slips or drifts, a hook that is cracked, deformed, or...

  9. 09

    References

    Fixed

    29 CFR 1910.179 Overhead and gantry cranes, which applies to cranes with a movable bridge carrying a trolley on a fixed overhead runway, including semigantry, cantilever gantry, wall, and storage bridge cranes.

Regulatory references

Overhead Crane, Hoist, and Sling Rigging: 29 CFR 1910.179(b)(1)

Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.

StandardTitleWhat it requires
29 CFR 1910.179(b)(1)Overhead and gantry cranes: applicationThis section applies to overhead and gantry cranes, including semigantry, cantilever gantry, wall cranes, storage bridge cranes, and others having the same fundamental characteristics. The standard groups these cranes together because they all have trolleys and similar travel characteristics. Application at this facility: a bridge crane with a movable bridge carrying a trolley on a fixed overhead runway is treated as covered by 1910.179 in full, and this facility treats its jib cranes and fixed monorail hoists as falling outside this section and runs them to the manufacturer manual and to the ASME B30 consensus standards, which are industry standards and not OSHA regulations.
29 CFR 1910.179(b)(5)Overhead and gantry cranes: rated load markingThe rated load of the crane must be plainly marked on each side of the crane. If the crane has more than one hoisting unit, each hoist must have its rated load marked on it or on its load block, and that marking must be clearly legible from the ground or floor.
29 CFR 1910.179(b)(8)Overhead and gantry cranes: designated personnelOnly designated personnel are permitted to operate a crane covered by this section. The definitions at the front of 1910.179 define designated as selected or assigned by the employer or the employer's representative as being qualified to perform specific duties. Application: at this facility that means a written list of operators by name and by unit, not whoever happens to be standing next to the pendant.
29 CFR 1910.179(j)(2)Overhead and gantry cranes: frequent inspectionFrequent inspection items must be inspected for defects at the intervals defined for frequent inspection, which are daily to monthly, or as specifically indicated, including observation during operation for defects that might appear between regular inspections, and every deficiency must be carefully examined with a determination made as to whether it constitutes a safety hazard. All functional operating mechanisms must be inspected daily for maladjustment interfering with proper operation, and lines, tanks, valves, drain pumps, and other parts of air or hydraulic systems must be inspected daily for deterioration or leakage. Hooks must be inspected visually every day for deformation or cracks and inspected monthly with a certification record that includes the date of inspection, the signature of the person who performed the inspection, and the serial number or other identifier of the hook inspected. Hoist chains, including end connections, must be inspected visually every day for excessive wear, twist, distorted links interfering with proper function, or stretch beyond the manufacturer's recommendations, and inspected monthly with a certification record that includes the date, the signature of the inspector, and an identifier of the chain inspected.
29 CFR 1910.179(n)(3)Overhead and gantry cranes: moving the loadThe load must be well secured and properly balanced in the sling or lifting device before it is lifted more than a few inches, and before hoisting starts the hoist rope must not be kinked, multiple part lines must not be twisted around each other, and the hook must be brought over the load in a manner that prevents swinging. During hoisting there must be no sudden acceleration or deceleration of the moving load and the load must not contact any obstructions. Cranes must not be used for side pulls except when specifically authorized by a responsible person who has determined that the stability of the crane is not endangered and that the various parts of the crane will not be overstressed; there must be no hoisting, lowering, or traveling while any employee is on the load or hook; the employer must require the operator to avoid carrying loads over people; and the employer must ensure the operator does not leave the position at the controls while the load is suspended. The operator must test the brakes each time a load approaching the rated load is handled, by raising the load a few inches and applying the brakes, the load must not be lowered below the point where less than two full wraps of rope remain on the hoisting drum, and the warning signal must be sounded when starting the bridge and when the load or hook approaches near or over personnel.
29 CFR 1910.179(n)(4)Overhead and gantry cranes: hoist limit switchAt the beginning of each operator's shift, the upper limit switch of each hoist must be tried out under no load, with extreme care, inching the block into the limit or running it in at slow speed, and if the switch does not operate properly the appointed person must be notified immediately. The hoist limit switch that controls the upper limit of travel of the load block must never be used as an operating control.
29 CFR 1910.184(d)Slings: inspectionsEach day before being used, the sling and all fastenings and attachments must be inspected for damage or defects by a competent person designated by the employer. Additional inspections must be performed during sling use where service conditions warrant. Damaged or defective slings must be immediately removed from service.
29 CFR 1910.178(g)(4)Powered industrial trucks: changing and charging storage batteriesA conveyor, overhead hoist, or equivalent material handling equipment must be provided for handling batteries. Application: this is the paragraph that puts a hoist or a battery extractor at the change station in most warehouses, and once that hoist is in place every lift made with it comes under the crane, hoist, and sling rules in this procedure.
29 CFR 1910.145(f)Accident prevention tagsTags must be used to prevent accidental injury or illness to employees exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, equipment, or operations that are out of the ordinary, unexpected, or not readily apparent, and must be used until the identified hazard is eliminated or the hazardous operation is completed. Every required tag must contain a signal word, either Danger, Caution, or Biological Hazard, and a major message that indicates the specific hazardous condition or the instruction to be communicated. The signal word must be readable at a minimum distance of five feet, and both the signal word and the major message must be understandable to all employees who may be exposed to the identified hazard. All employees must be informed of the meaning of the various tags used throughout the workplace, and tags must be affixed as close as safely possible to their respective hazards by a positive means such as string, wire, or adhesive that prevents their loss or unintentional removal.

Compliance checklist

What an inspector looks for

  • Only designated personnel operate the overhead crane and hoists, and a current written list of who is designated for each unit is kept and posted

    29 CFR 1910.179(b)(8)

  • The rated load is plainly marked on each side of the crane, each hoisting unit carries its rated load on the hoist or on its load block, and the marking is clearly legible from the ground or floor

    29 CFR 1910.179(b)(5)

  • No crane is loaded beyond its rated load, except for the rated load testing the standard allows

    29 CFR 1910.179(n)(1)

  • Functional operating mechanisms and air or hydraulic parts are checked daily, hooks and hoist chains are inspected visually daily, and the monthly hook and hoist chain inspections are recorded with the date, the inspector's signature, and an identifier for the hook or chain inspected

    29 CFR 1910.179(j)(2)

  • The upper limit switch of each hoist is tried out under no load at the beginning of each operator's shift, the appointed person is notified immediately if it does not work, and the limit switch is never used as an operating control

    29 CFR 1910.179(n)(4)

  • Loads are secured and balanced before being lifted more than a few inches, brakes are tested when a load approaching the rated load is handled, nobody is on the load or hook while it moves, loads are not carried over people, side pulls happen only with specific authorization, the warning signal sounds when the bridge starts and when the load nears people, and the operator stays at the controls while a load is suspended

    29 CFR 1910.179(n)(3)

  • Before adjustments or repairs, the crane is moved clear of other operations, controllers are at off, the main or emergency switch is open and locked in the open position, and warning or out of order signs are placed on the crane and on the floor beneath it or on the hook where visible from the floor

    29 CFR 1910.179(l)(2)

  • Every sling and all its fastenings and attachments are inspected for damage or defects by a competent person designated by the employer each day before use, and damaged or defective slings are removed from service immediately

    29 CFR 1910.184(d)

  • Slings carry affixed and legible identification markings, are used within the manufacturer's marked safe working load, are not kinked or shortened with knots, bolts, or other makeshift devices, are padded against sharp edges, are not shock loaded, and are rigged with employees clear and hands out from between sling and load

    29 CFR 1910.184(c)

  • Alloy steel chain slings in use get a thorough periodic inspection by a competent person at intervals no greater than once every 12 months, and a record of the most recent month each sling was thoroughly inspected is maintained and available for examination

    29 CFR 1910.184(e)(3)

  • Jib cranes, monorail hoists, and lifting beams that fall outside the overhead and gantry crane standard are operated, inspected, and recorded to the manufacturer manual and the applicable ASME B30 consensus standard

  • Condemned slings and rigging hardware are cut up or removed from the building rather than tagged and left on the rack, and every crane, hoist, hook, and sling carries a facility identifier that the inspection records name

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This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.