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is that now we’re allowed to attach our fall-arrest system to a crane hook as long as it’s not holding a load. If we’re up on a crane doing some work and there’s another crane there for assembly, fall protection lanyards can be attached to the hook of the assist crane. Until now, there was nowhere to attach the harness. This is going to be helpful to the industry, and again, it’s another option.

There’s training involved with every part of the regulation, and if there is any cost involved in fall protection, that would be it. New crane models have the necessary grab rails and hand rails where they need to be, so I don’t see any additional cost. But crane owners must maintain these crane parts like any other.

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Synthetic slings (Section 1926.1404)

Mike Riggs

Mike Riggs is the manager of the Knoxville, Tenn., branch of I&I Sling and director of training for Slingmax Rigging Solutions. He is currently president of the Association of Crane and Rigging Professionals and is the author of The Complete Rigger’s Reference Handbook.

Synthetic slings must be protected from being cut by load edges, corners, protrusions and abrasive surfaces. There’s no change to the regulation’s wording, because that’s been industry practice. But, the new OSHA regulation puts some weight behind what the Web Sling & Tie Down Association, and synthetic sling manufacturers, have been instructing riggers to do for years.

However, one of the biggest changes—that rigging work must be done by a qualified rigger—has an impact on the protection of synthetic slings. I view this wording: “or by knowledge, training and experience and success in demonstrating…” as meaning some type of qualification process. You just can’t say you’ve been a rigger for 30 years and that you know how to properly inspect a synthetic sling. You have to justify that the qualified rigger really is qualified by some means of proof.

And to prove it, I think you have to have successful completion of training, be able to document the training, and verify that the person understood the training. That’s what “qualified person” means—more than experience. A person can have 30 years of experience yet no one’s ever showed them how to look at a synthetic sling or taught them what is proper protection and what isn’t.

Unfortunately, successful execution of this part of the regulation is going to fall back on the quality of the rigger. Manufacturers always preach protection, proper use, inspection, and conservative out-of service criteria, but OSHA’s never stated it.

The only thing that disappoints me about the new regulation is the rule on slings is no better than 29 CFR 1926.251(c)(9), which is still referred to in the new reg. It contains limited instruction on the slings, and the instruction is outdated. Yet in this new regulation, basically, everything falls back on the manufacturer. They could have referenced the ASME B30.9, section, but chose not to. Construction companies cannot easily use the same manufacturer when many do work in all parts of the country and all around the world. Manufacturers’ warnings usually go out with the sling and may not be attached to it. Plus most riggers in the field don’t know all manufacturers’ trademarks and

are not likely to contact them.

Further, manufacturers can’t list