To ensure your lifting sling is safe and appropriate for your loading operations, schedule a lifting strap inspection with Applied Technical Services (ATS). The aerospace industry typically uses lifting slings to support large, irregularly shaped, fragile, and heavy aircraft parts, such as the engine or the fuselage. Lifting straps enable ground personnel to access components for installations, inspections, and maintenance. This equipment also has applications in recovering a downed plane and moving an aircraft a short distance without flight.
Popular types of lifting slings include:
- Triangle slings
- Eye slings
- Loop slings/endless slings
- Bridle slings
- Drum slings
Common Lifting Solutions
A lifting strap is one part of a lifting sling. Some sling configurations, such as bridle slings, use multiple straps to lift a component using several points of contact. OSHA guideline 1910.184 refers to slings in the following categories:
- Wire ropes
- Alloy steel chains
- Metal meshes
- Ropes made from synthetic or natural fibers
- Synthetic webs
Today, synthetic webs and ropes are ubiquitous in the lifting and rigging of heavy loads. Lightweight, durable, and flexible enough to conform to objects while lifting heavy loads, synthetic nylon webs remain a popular type of lifting strap due to their appealing characteristics and broad array of applications. Additionally, nylon straps are resistant to common environmental hazards, such as oil and grease, which makes them an excellent choice for lifting airplane engines.
Know the Risks of Lifting Strap Failure
Lifting straps frequently undergo abuse at a worksite and may encounter sharp edges, rough surfaces, protrusions, and overloading in normal use conditions. In fact, cuts are responsible for most workplace accidents that involve synthetic straps. In other cases, the materials of the lifting strap are exposed to extreme temperatures or contact with certain chemicals that they cannot withstand. While all materials wear with age, these situations can cause a lifting strap to fail unexpectedly and prematurely.
Other damages include:
- Abrasion
- Acidic or caustic burns
- Broken or worn stitches
- Cuts
- Dry rot or mildew
- Holes, tears, and snags
- Knots
- Melted or charred parts
- UV damage and discoloration
- Wear
Lifting Strap Inspections: Locating Damage and Defects
Inspecting your lifting systems is critically important to the ongoing safety of your crew and worksite. Consistent, thorough inspections can prevent catastrophic failure, damage, injury, and loss of life.
Daily Inspection
The ASME B30.9 standard for slings recommends inspecting lifting slings each day. A designated inspector should check slings used frequently or in severe working environments before each use. This safety process entails assessing the strap, fittings, and attachments for damage or defects to confirm whether the sling can safely lift the intended workload. If the inspection reveals concerning damage, the inspector must remove the lifting strap from service immediately.
Periodic Inspection
ASME also recommends periodically inspecting lifting slings on an annual, monthly, or quarterly basis, depending on the frequency and severity of use. During these periodic inspections, a qualified expert closely examines each component, performing additional tests and nondestructive inspection (NDI) techniques when necessary.
After Purchase or Repairs
Finally, OSHA and ASME require lifting strap inspections after components undergo repairs or proof load testing. ATS’s special testing team provides proof load testing according to ASME B30.9. Our experts can determine whether your equipment will withstand the manufacturer’s rated capacity and higher loads. During the test, we monitor for signs of material failure and damage, recording the loads applied and the strap’s reaction.
About Us
ATS offers a unique combination of testing, inspection, and certification solutions to industries around the world. We are a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified repair station and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)-approved maintenance organization.
We deliver high-quality customer service through close analysis and comprehensive reporting. Our labs maintain ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditations in mechanical, electrical, and nondestructive testing, as well as chemical analysis and calibration. Our services comply with federal regulations and industry standards, including:
- ISO 9001:2015 registered
- 10 CFR Part 21 and 10 CFR 50 – Appendix B
- ASME NQA-1
- ANSI/NCSL Z540-1
Contact Us
Safeguard your crew and equipment with lifting strap inspections from a qualified provider. Call +1 (888) 287-5227 or complete an inquiry form to schedule a test or inspection with ATS.
