Lifting equipment failures cause some of the most serious injuries on worksites. A snapped sling, a worn shackle or a hook with an opened throat can result in a dropped load, crushing injuries or fatalities. Regular inspection of all lifting equipment, before every use and at formal intervals, is both a legal requirement and a critical safety control.
This guide covers the inspection of common lifting accessories: chain slings, wire rope slings, synthetic webbing and round slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts and lifting beams. It explains the difference between a user pre-use check, a periodic inspection and a formal thorough examination, referenced to the relevant Australian Standards.
Before you start
Gather the lifting equipment inspection checklist, the lifting equipment register, a vernier calliper or go/no-go gauge for measuring chain link and rope diameters, a torch and appropriate PPE. You will also need access to the manufacturer discard criteria for each item. If you do not have an up-to-date register, start by recording every lifting accessory with its unique ID, safe working load (SWL), certification date and last inspection date.
Only a competent person should carry out formal periodic inspections. Under the WHS Act, a competent person is someone with the knowledge, practical experience and training to examine the specific type of lifting equipment and judge whether it is fit to remain in service.
Step-by-step inspection
1. Verify identification and certification
Every lifting accessory must have a unique identification number, a legible SWL marking and a current test certificate or thorough examination report. Cross-reference each item against the lifting equipment register. Any item without identification, without a legible SWL marking or with an expired certificate must be withdrawn from service until it has been re-examined and re-certified.
2. Inspect chain slings
Examine every link in the chain for stretching, wear, nicks, gouging, corrosion and twisting. Measure the link diameter at the most worn point using a vernier calliper. Reject the chain if wear exceeds the manufacturer discard criteria, which is typically a 10% reduction in the original diameter. Check master links, coupling links and hooks for deformation, corrosion and correct operation.
3. Inspect wire rope slings
Examine the full length of the rope for broken wires, corrosion, kinking, crushing, bird-caging, flattening and any reduction in rope diameter. Count the number of visible broken wires per rope lay length and compare against the rejection criteria in AS 1666, the Australian Standard for wire-rope slings. Check ferrules, thimbles and end terminations for deformation, cracking or slippage.
4. Inspect synthetic webbing and round slings
Look for cuts, abrasion, chemical damage, UV degradation, stiffening, knots and any exposed core yarns. Check load labels for legibility, as a sling with an illegible label cannot be verified as suitable for the lift. Any webbing sling with cut or frayed load-bearing fibres must be immediately withdrawn from service and destroyed to prevent reuse.
5. Check shackles, hooks and eyebolts
Inspect shackle bodies and pins for wear, distortion, thread damage and corrosion. The pin must thread smoothly without cross-threading. Check hooks for throat opening beyond the manufacturer tolerance (typically 5% of the original dimension), tip wear, deformation and latch operation. Verify eyebolts are not bent, cracked, corroded or showing thread damage.
6. Inspect lifting beams and spreader bars
Check structural members for cracks, corrosion, dents and deformation. Verify that adjustment pins and locking mechanisms operate correctly. Check attachment points, lugs and welds for cracking or fatigue. If the beam is adjustable, confirm that all positions are clearly marked with the corresponding SWL.
7. Record and tag
Complete the inspection record for each item with the date, inspector name, findings and pass/fail result. Apply a colour-coded inspection tag showing the inspection date and next due date. Immediately quarantine and tag any item that fails inspection. Update the lifting equipment register with the inspection results.
Common defects to watch for
| Equipment type | Common defect | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Chain sling | Link diameter reduced by more than 10% | Reject and destroy |
| Wire rope sling | Broken wires exceeding discard criteria | Reject and destroy |
| Webbing sling | Cut load-bearing fibres or exposed core | Reject and destroy |
| Shackle | Pin thread damage or body distortion | Reject and return to supplier |
| Hook | Throat opening exceeds 5% | Reject, do not attempt to re-close |
| Eyebolt | Bent shank or cracked eye | Reject and replace |
| Lifting beam | Cracked weld on attachment lug | Reject, engage engineer for assessment |
Inspection vs thorough examination
There are three levels of checking for lifting equipment. Understanding the difference is essential for compliance.
| Level | Who | Frequency | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-use check | User (trained worker) | Before every use | Quick visual check for obvious defects |
| Periodic inspection | Competent person | Monthly or quarterly | Documented visual and dimensional checks |
| Thorough examination | Certified examiner | 6 or 12 months (varies by equipment and jurisdiction) | Detailed examination per AS 4991 or the relevant standard, with a formal report |
In Australia, the WHS Regulations require plant used for lifting to be inspected and maintained so it stays without risk to health and safety, with a thorough examination by a competent person at intervals set by the manufacturer and the level of risk. There is no single Australian interval to quote here: the monthly or quarterly periodic inspection above is common site practice, not a figure a standard sets for you. AS 4991 provides the framework for the examination itself.
Operators familiar with UK practice should be careful not to carry the LOLER intervals across unchanged, and not to treat LOLER as uniformly six-monthly. The HSE splits it: thorough examination at least every six months for all lifting accessories and for any equipment used to lift people, at least every twelve months for all other lifting equipment, or on the intervals in an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person.
Sources, all checked 22 August 2026: UK Health and Safety Executive: thorough examination of lifting equipment · WorkSafe Queensland: what type of plant requires registration
Standards and regulations
In Australia, the WHS Regulations require plant used for lifting to be inspected, maintained and, for certain items, registered. The registration list is specific rather than general: Schedule 5 of the WHS Regulation covers tower cranes, including self-erecting tower cranes, and mobile cranes with a rated capacity greater than 10 tonnes. A smaller mobile crane is not on that list. A family of Australian Standards sets the design, marking, testing and examination requirements for the gear itself:
- AS 4991 - lifting devices (including spreader beams and below-the-hook lifters)
- AS 1418 - cranes, hoists and winches
- AS 3775 - chain slings for lifting purposes
- AS 1666 - wire-rope slings
- AS 1353 - flat synthetic-webbing slings
Whichever standard applies, the marked safe working load must never be exceeded and any item that fails inspection must be withdrawn immediately. Operators working to overseas rules will find equivalents in the UK (LOLER and PUWER, with BS EN sling standards) and the US (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184 and the ASME B30 series), but the Australian benchmark remains the WHS Regulations and the AS standards above.
Registered mobile and tower cranes carry one further interval worth knowing, and it is a long one. WorkSafe Queensland sets the major inspection at the end of the design life the manufacturer recommends; failing that, on a competent person's recommendation; and where neither is reasonably practicable, every 10 years from the date the crane was first commissioned or first registered, whichever came first. A major inspection strips the crane down far enough to examine every critical component, so it is planned work, not a walk-around.
Sources, all checked 22 August 2026: NSW Government: dogging and rigging guide, lifting standards · WorkSafe Queensland: what type of plant requires registration · Standards Australia: AS 4991-2004 Lifting devices
Keeping the records straight
The inspection is only worth as much as the record behind it. Keep a lifting equipment register that lists every sling, shackle, hook and beam with its unique ID, safe working load, certification date, inspection history and next examination due date. That register is what you produce when a regulator, principal contractor or insurer asks you to prove the gear on site is fit to lift, and it is the fastest way to catch an accessory that is quietly overdue. A digital asset register makes this practical once you are tracking more than a handful of items.
