Free chain sling inspection checklist
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Free chain sling inspection checklist covering link wear, pitch elongation, end fittings and discard per AS 3775, AS 2321 and ASME B30.9.
Commercial Director
Updated 25 May 2026
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What is a chain sling inspection checklist?
A chain sling inspection checklist is the component-level record used by a competent person to inspect each lifting chain sling in service and decide whether it stays in the gear box, goes on the watch list, or is retired and destroyed. The inspection covers single-leg, two-leg, three-leg and four-leg chain sling assemblies built from grade 80, grade 100 or grade 120 alloy steel chain, with mechanical end-fittings including master links, hooks, oblong links, shorteners and connecting links. Identification is the first step because a sling without a legible manufacturer mark, WLL by hitch type and number of legs, chain grade, batch number and certification standard is non-compliant under AS 3775 regardless of measurable condition. Key technical measurements include link wear at the bearing surface where a 10 percent reduction against the original link bar diameter is the typical discard threshold, pitch elongation over a 5-link or 11-link reference length where a 5 percent elongation is the typical discard threshold, link gouging, weld defects, master link wear, end-fitting condition for hooks, oblong links and shorteners, and a visual walk for twisted or bent links, heat exposure marks and chain straightness on multi-leg slings where leg balance must be confirmed.
AS 3775 (Chain slings - Grade T) is the Australian standard for grade T (80/100) chain slings, AS 2321 (Round-link steel chain for lifting purposes) covers the chain material itself, ASME B30.9 (Slings) is the international reference that most OEM and import chain sling manufacturers point to and covers webbing, round and chain slings together, and WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 carries the PCBU plant inspection duty. A chain sling retired from service is physically destroyed by cutting through the master link or a chain link with hydraulic cutters because the chain sling is a load-bearing assembly and the cost of a retired sling re-entering service is catastrophic. Heat exposure marks on the chain are an immediate discard criteria because the heat affects the alloy steel temper in ways that cannot be guaranteed by visual inspection. A printed checklist supports the rigger inspector at the gear box, and a digital record in MapTrack ties each chain sling to its serial so the inspection cadence runs on the sling itself rather than the batch, which matches how chain slings are typically registered.
Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.
Benefits of using this chain sling inspection checklist
- Discard-criteria accountability: Each sling decision is signed against the competent inspector who measured link wear and pitch elongation, not a generic gear-box signature
- AS 3775 and ASME B30.9 alignment: The checklist captures the exact discard criteria from both standards so audits and OEM warranty claims are straightforward
- Per-sling traceability: Chain slings are inspected by individual serial rather than batch because they are higher-value assemblies that warrant per-asset tracking
- Heat exposure interception: Heat exposure marks on the alloy chain are an immediate discard criteria and the checklist makes this explicit
- Multi-leg balance assurance: On two, three and four-leg slings the leg balance and master link condition is verified per inspection
- Destruction discipline: Retired slings are cut through the master link or a chain link with hydraulic cutters and photographed before disposal
- Audit-ready evidence: A stamped, dated per-sling 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 sling 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 sling inspection checklists.
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What to include in a chain sling inspection checklist
This chain sling inspection checklist covers 12 key areas:
- Chain sling identification: master link tag with WLL by hitch type and number of legs, chain grade (80/100/120), manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard, all clearly legible
- Sling configuration confirmation: single-leg, two-leg, three-leg or four-leg, leg lengths, end-fittings (sling hook, foundry hook, oblong link, shortener, connecting link) confirmed against the rated configuration
- Chain link wear at bearing surface: vernier or chain wear gauge measurement at the bearing point of each link against the OEM nominal link bar diameter, with 10 percent reduction as the typical discard threshold
- Pitch elongation: measurement over a 5-link or 11-link reference length against the OEM nominal, with 5 percent elongation as the typical discard threshold per AS 3775
- Twisted or bent links: visual walk along each leg looking for twisted, bent, sprung or distorted links indicating shock load or side load damage
- Gouging, nicking and weld defects: surface damage on each link inspected against discard criteria with weld splatter, arc burn, gouging and cracked welds all flagged
- Heat exposure marks: paint discolouration, blue or straw colour, scale formation or any indication of heat exposure above the chain temper limit is immediate grounds for retirement
- Master link condition: master link inspected for wear, deformation, cracking and pin or weld defects, with the same wear criteria as the chain links
- End-fitting condition: sling hook (latch function, throat opening, hook twist), foundry hook, oblong link, shortener and connecting link inspected against their respective discard criteria
- Multi-leg leg balance: on two, three and four-leg slings, leg balance confirmed with all legs of equal length unloaded and no twist or asymmetry under tension
- Lubrication and corrosion: light lubrication coverage to manufacturer specification, corrosion documented and graded against discard criteria
- End-of-life decision: keep in service, watch list with shorter interval, or retire and destroy now (cut through master link or chain link with hydraulic cutters)
How to use this chain sling inspection checklist
- 1. Plan the inspection and set up the bench: pull the chain sling register including serial numbers, install dates and previous inspection records, set up a clean inspection bench with a flat surface, OEM specification sheet, vernier callipers, chain wear gauge, camera, retirement tag stickers and hydraulic cutters for destruction of retired slings
- 2. Identify each sling and check tag legibility: confirm master link tag with WLL by hitch type and number of legs, chain grade (80/100/120), manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard are all legible without doubt, retire any sling where any one of these marks is unreadable, photograph the tag for the register
- 3. Confirm sling configuration: confirm single-leg, two-leg, three-leg or four-leg, leg lengths and end-fittings (sling hook, foundry hook, oblong link, shortener, connecting link) against the rated configuration, flag any sling being used outside its rated configuration
- 4. Measure link wear at bearing surface: lay the sling flat and use vernier callipers or a chain wear gauge to measure the link bar diameter at the bearing point of each link against the OEM nominal, retire the sling where any link is at or beyond the 10 percent reduction threshold
- 5. Measure pitch elongation: measure over a 5-link or 11-link reference length against the OEM nominal, with 5 percent elongation as the typical discard threshold per AS 3775, repeat the measurement at multiple positions along each leg and trend against the previous inspection
- 6. Walk the chain for twisted, bent and damaged links: visually walk each leg looking for twisted, bent, sprung or distorted links indicating shock or side load damage, surface gouging, nicking, weld splatter, arc burn and cracked welds, retire on any indication that meets discard criteria
- 7. Inspect for heat exposure: look for paint discolouration, blue or straw colour, scale formation or any indication of heat exposure above the chain temper limit, retire the sling immediately on any heat exposure indication regardless of measurable wear because the alloy temper is compromised
- 8. Inspect master link and end-fittings: inspect the master link for wear, deformation, cracking and pin or weld defects using the same wear criteria as the chain links, inspect each end-fitting (sling hook latch function, throat opening, hook twist) against the relevant discard criteria, confirm leg balance on multi-leg slings
- 9. Make the end-of-life decision and destroy retired slings: mark each sling as fit for service, watch list with a shorter inspection interval, or retire and destroy, cut through the master link or a chain link with hydraulic cutters on any retired sling, photograph the destroyed sling for the record, update the chain sling register in MapTrack and set the next inspection date
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 sling inspection checklist as a PDF.Back to download formHow often should you complete this inspection checklist?
AS 3775, ASME B30.9 and AS 2321 set the inspection cadence the chain sling inspector should follow. The rigger runs a visual pre-use check before every lift, looking for obvious twisted or bent links, heat marks, end-fitting condition and tag legibility. A monthly visual inspection by a trained rigger covers each sling in the gear box for obvious damage and tag legibility. A quarterly inspection by a competent person measures link wear at the bearing surface, pitch elongation over a reference length and end-fitting condition against discard criteria. A 12 monthly major inspection by a competent person covers every chain sling in every gear box on site and sits inside the annual rigging gear audit. Any shock load, dropped object, heat exposure, chemical contamination or near-miss event triggers an out-of-cycle inspection of the affected sling. In MapTrack the chain sling inspection schedule sits against the serial number because chain slings 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 3775 (Chain slings - Grade T)
- ASME B30.9 (Slings)
- AS 2321 (Round-link steel chain for lifting purposes)
- 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?
Register every chain sling in MapTrack, attach digital forms, and get a complete history of every inspection, service and compliance record.
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