Free chain hoist inspection checklist
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Free chain hoist inspection checklist for lever, come-along and electric hoists covering load chain, brake and discard per AS 1418.2 and ASME B30.16.
Commercial Director
Updated 25 May 2026
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What is a chain hoist inspection checklist?
A chain hoist inspection checklist is the component-level record used by a competent person to inspect each chain hoist in service and decide whether it stays in the gear box, goes on the watch list, or is retired and replaced. The inspection covers all three common types of chain hoist: manual lever chain hoists with a ratcheting handle for short pulls under load, come-alongs used for tensioning and pulling rather than vertical lifting, and electric chain hoists with motor-driven hoisting and limit switches. Each type shares a common load path of load chain through a lift wheel, a brake to hold the load, and a hook to attach to the load, but the inspection items differ between manual and electric hoists. Key technical inspection items include the load chain condition with pitch elongation, link bar diameter wear at the bearing surface and gouging measured against OEM discard criteria, the upper and lower hooks with latch function, throat opening, hook twist and swivel rotation checked against AS 3777, the brake holding capacity verified with a load drift test at light load, the pawl and ratchet condition on manual hoists, the upper and lower limit switches on electric hoists, the drive housing condition and gear backlash, and the rated capacity tag legibility.
AS 1418.2 (Cranes - Serial hoists and winches) is the Australian standard for chain and rope serial hoists, AS 2550.13 (Cranes safe use - Hoists) carries the safe-use framework for hoists in service, ASME B30.16 (Overhead hoists) is the international reference that most OEM and import hoist manufacturers point to, and WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 carries the PCBU plant inspection duty. A chain hoist retired from service is removed from the gear box and either returned to the OEM service agent for major rebuild or scrapped depending on the discard cause. A printed checklist supports the rigger inspector at the gear box, and a digital record in MapTrack ties each hoist to its serial number so the inspection cadence runs on the hoist itself.
Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.
Benefits of using this chain hoist inspection checklist
- Discard-criteria accountability: Each hoist decision is signed against the competent inspector who measured load chain wear and brake holding capacity, not a generic gear-box signature
- AS 1418.2 and ASME B30.16 alignment: The checklist captures the exact discard criteria from both standards so audits and OEM warranty claims are straightforward
- Per-hoist traceability: Hoists are inspected by individual serial number because they are higher-value assemblies that warrant per-asset tracking
- Brake function evidence: A load drift test at light load is signed off every inspection so a slipping brake never reaches a load
- Multi-type coverage: The checklist covers lever chain hoists, come-alongs and electric chain hoists with type-specific inspection items rather than a generic hoist form
- Limit switch assurance: On electric hoists the upper and lower limit switches are function-tested per inspection to prevent two-block and bottom-block events
- Audit-ready evidence: A stamped, dated per-hoist record satisfies the WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 expectation for a competent-person inspection layer over operator pre-starts
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you digitise chain hoist inspection checklists in MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
- Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
- Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.
Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles chain hoist inspection checklists.
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What to include in a chain hoist inspection checklist
This chain hoist inspection checklist covers 13 key areas:
- Hoist identification: serial number, manufacturer mark, rated capacity tag, certification standard, all clearly legible on the hoist body
- Hoist type confirmation: lever chain hoist vs come-along vs electric chain hoist, confirmed against the rated configuration the hoist is used in, with the come-along never used for vertical lifting
- Load chain condition: pitch elongation measured over a 5-link reference, link bar diameter wear at the bearing surface measured against OEM nominal, gouging and nicking documented against discard criteria
- Upper hook condition: latch function, throat opening measured against OEM nominal, hook twist measured against the plane of the body, swivel rotation under controlled load, all checked against AS 3777 discard criteria
- Lower hook condition: latch function, throat opening, hook twist and swivel rotation all checked against AS 3777 discard criteria
- Brake holding test (load drift test): with a light test load held for one minute, the load must not drift, brake holding capacity verified per OEM procedure
- Pawl and ratchet (manual hoists): pawl engagement under load, ratchet teeth condition, pawl spring tension and pawl pivot pin condition all confirmed
- Upper limit switch (electric hoists): function-test the upper limit switch with the hook approaching the top of travel, the hoist must stop before the bottom block contacts the upper housing
- Lower limit switch (electric hoists): function-test the lower limit switch with the hook approaching the bottom of travel, the hoist must stop before the lower hook reaches the end of chain
- Drive housing condition: housing inspected for cracks, deformation, missing bolts, oil leaks from the gearbox and any unauthorised weld repair
- Gear backlash and chain anchor: gear backlash within OEM specification, chain anchor at the dead end of the load chain in good condition with no fatigue cracking
- Lubrication and chain dressing: load chain dressing coverage and absence of dry zones, gearbox oil level and condition (electric hoists)
- End-of-life decision: keep in service, watch list with shorter interval, or retire and return to OEM service agent for rebuild
How to use this chain hoist inspection checklist
- 1. Plan the inspection and set up the bench: pull the hoist register including serial numbers, install dates and previous inspection records, set up a clean inspection bench with the OEM specification sheet, vernier callipers, chain wear gauge, certified test load (typically 10 percent of rated capacity), camera and retirement tag stickers
- 2. Identify each hoist and check tag legibility: confirm serial number, manufacturer mark, rated capacity tag, certification standard are all legible on the hoist body, retire any hoist where any one of these marks is unreadable, photograph the tag for the register
- 3. Confirm hoist type and configuration: confirm lever chain hoist versus come-along versus electric chain hoist against the rated configuration the hoist is used in, flag any come-along being used for vertical lifting which is outside its rated configuration
- 4. Measure load chain condition: lay the load chain flat and use vernier callipers or a chain wear gauge to measure pitch elongation over a 5-link reference, link bar diameter wear at the bearing surface against OEM nominal, document gouging and nicking, retire the hoist if any link is at or beyond the discard threshold
- 5. Inspect upper and lower hooks: check latch function, measure throat opening against OEM nominal, gauge hook twist against the plane of the body, confirm swivel rotation under controlled load, all against AS 3777 discard criteria for both upper and lower hooks
- 6. Run brake holding (load drift) test: hang a light test load (typically 10 percent of rated capacity) from the lower hook, lift the load clear of the bench, hold for one minute with no operator input, confirm the load does not drift, retire the hoist if the load drifts
- 7. Test pawl and limit switches: on manual hoists, confirm pawl engagement under load, ratchet teeth condition, pawl spring tension and pawl pivot pin condition, on electric hoists function-test the upper and lower limit switches by inching the hook to each limit, the hoist must stop before contact
- 8. Inspect drive housing, gears and chain anchor: inspect the housing for cracks, deformation, missing bolts, oil leaks and any unauthorised weld repair, confirm gear backlash is within OEM specification on electric hoists, inspect the chain anchor at the dead end of the load chain for fatigue cracking
- 9. Make the end-of-life decision and record: mark the hoist as fit for service, watch list with a shorter inspection interval, or retire and return to OEM service agent for rebuild, photograph any discard-criteria finding, sign the hoist record and update install or retirement date and the hoist register in MapTrack, set the next inspection date against the serial
In MapTrack, you can digitise safety inspections and compliance forms. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.
Get the free templateEnter your email above to download the full chain hoist inspection checklist as a PDF.Back to download formHow often should you complete this inspection checklist?
AS 1418.2, AS 2550.13 and ASME B30.16 set the inspection cadence the chain hoist inspector should follow. The operator runs a visual pre-use check before every lift, looking for obvious load chain damage, hook latch function and rated capacity tag legibility. A monthly visual inspection by a trained technician covers each hoist in the gear box for obvious damage, tag legibility, load chain condition and hook condition. A quarterly inspection by a competent person measures load chain pitch elongation, link bar wear and conducts the brake holding test against discard criteria. A 12 monthly major inspection by a competent person covers every hoist in every gear box on site, includes the brake holding test, limit switch function test on electric hoists and a function test under rated load. It sits inside the annual lifting gear audit. Any shock load, dropped object, brake slip event, limit switch failure or near-miss triggers an out-of-cycle inspection of the affected hoist. In MapTrack the hoist inspection schedule sits against the serial number because chain hoists are higher-value assemblies that warrant per-asset tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- AS 1418.2 (Cranes - Serial hoists and winches)
- ASME B30.16 (Overhead hoists)
- AS 2550.13 (Cranes safe use - Hoists)
- WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5
- Safe Work Australia Code of Practice 2018: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace
Need to digitise safety inspections and compliance forms?
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