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Free spreader bar inspection checklist
Free spreader bar inspection checklist for lifting beams, spreaders and equalisers covering welds, lifting lugs and discard per AS 4991 and ASME B30.20.
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31 checks · 6 sections · Sign-off
31 checks
The fields in the printable form, in a view that fits your screen.
- Site / Gear store ID
- Device serial
- Device type (beam / spreader / equaliser)
- WLL (tonnes)
- Beam length (metres)
- Manufacturer
- Competent person name
- Inspection date
Identification & rating
Device type & configuration
Lug & pad-eye welds
Beam straightness & deflection
Pin hole wear measurement
Coating, corrosion & records
Declaration & Sign-Off
I confirm that all items have been inspected/completed as indicated above. Any defects or concerns have been noted and reported.
Completed By
Printed name · Signature · Date
Reviewed / Approved By
Printed name · Signature · Date
The MapTrack spreader bar inspection checklist contains 31 checks across 6 sections.
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Key takeaways
- The MapTrack spreader bar inspection checklist contains 31 checks across 6 sections. Sections covered: Identification & rating, Device type & configuration, Lug & pad-eye welds, Beam straightness & deflection, Pin hole wear measurement, Coating, corrosion & records.
- Device identification: WLL stamp, beam length, configuration tag, manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard, all clearly legible on the device tag and confirmed against the design rating certificate
- Device type confirmation: lifting beam vs spreader bar vs equaliser beam, configuration of attachment points (number of top and bottom lugs), confirmed against the rated configuration the device is used in
- Structural weld visual inspection: detailed visual on all primary structural welds including lifting lug to beam welds, pad-eye welds, end-cap welds, gusset welds, with magnetic particle inspection on any suspect indication
What is a spreader bar inspection checklist?
A spreader bar inspection checklist is the component-level record used by a competent person to inspect each below-the-hook lifting device in service and decide whether it stays in the lifting gear store, goes on the watch list, or is retired and returned for re-rating or destruction. The inspection covers three related but distinct types of device: lifting beams which take all load through a single top lifting point and resist bending across the beam, spreader bars which take load through two top lifting points connected to two bottom lifting points and resist compression along the bar, and equaliser beams which use a centrally pivoting beam to balance load between two lower attachment points. Identification is the first step because a device without a legible WLL, beam length, configuration tag, manufacturer mark, batch number and certification standard is non-compliant under AS 4991 and ASME B30.20 regardless of measurable condition. Key technical inspection items include structural weld visual inspection with magnetic particle inspection on suspect welds, bow or deflection check under load history, lifting lug condition including pin hole wear, pad-eye weld condition, shackle attachment point dimensions against the OEM nominal, paint condition with rust check under any paint chips, tare weight legibility, and the design rating certificate currency for re-certified devices.
AS 4991 (Lifting devices - General) is the Australian standard for general lifting devices including spreader bars and lifting beams, the AS 2550 series covers safe use of cranes including the load-attaching device on the hook, ASME B30.20 (Below-the-hook lifting devices) is the international reference that most OEM and import below-the-hook devices point to and is widely used in major-contractor work, and WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 carries the PCBU plant inspection duty. A spreader bar retired from service is either returned to the OEM or a certified workshop for re-rating, weld repair under engineering supervision and re-certification, or scrapped depending on the discard cause. Unlike shackles and synthetic slings, spreader bars are high-value assets that often warrant repair through a certified workshop rather than destruction. A printed checklist supports the inspector at the gear store, and a digital record in MapTrack ties each device to its serial number and stores the design rating certificate, manufacturing data report and inspection history.
Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.
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Benefits of using this spreader bar inspection checklist
- Discard-criteria accountability: Each device decision is signed against the competent inspector who walked structural welds and measured pin hole wear, not a generic gear-store signature
- AS 4991 and ASME B30.20 alignment: The checklist captures the exact discard criteria from both standards so audits and OEM warranty claims are straightforward
- Per-device traceability: Spreader bars are inspected by individual serial number because they are high-value assets that warrant per-asset tracking
- Structural weld evidence: Magnetic particle inspection on suspect welds is recorded and photographed every inspection so weld fatigue is intercepted before failure
- Lifting lug pin hole wear interception: Pin hole wear measurement against OEM nominal flags wear before a pin or shackle starts deforming under load
- Design rating certificate currency: Re-certification dates are tracked per device and inspections capture the certificate against the asset record
- Audit-ready evidence: A stamped, dated per-device record satisfies the WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 expectation for a competent-person inspection layer over operator pre-starts
What to include in a spreader bar inspection checklist
- Device identification: WLL stamp, beam length, configuration tag, manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard, all clearly legible on the device tag and confirmed against the design rating certificate
- Device type confirmation: lifting beam vs spreader bar vs equaliser beam, configuration of attachment points (number of top and bottom lugs), confirmed against the rated configuration the device is used in
- Structural weld visual inspection: detailed visual on all primary structural welds including lifting lug to beam welds, pad-eye welds, end-cap welds, gusset welds, with magnetic particle inspection on any suspect indication
- Bow or deflection check: measurement of beam straightness against the OEM nominal, with any permanent deflection from previous load history flagged and the OEM consulted on rerate or retirement
- Lifting lug condition: pin hole wear at the top and bottom lugs measured against OEM nominal, lug body checked for deformation, cracking, gouging or weld defects
- Pad-eye weld condition: pad-eye welds inspected for cracking, weld undercut, weld splatter or paint loss indicating high-stress weld activity
- Shackle attachment point dimensions: pin hole diameter, lug thickness, eye spacing all checked against OEM nominal and the specified shackle compatibility
- Paint condition and corrosion: paint condition documented, any chip or paint loss area inspected for underlying corrosion, with pitting on critical surfaces flagged for engineering assessment
- Tare weight legibility: tare weight of the device clearly legible because the operator must add the device tare to the load weight for crane capacity calculation
- Design rating certificate currency: certificate date checked against the certificate currency requirement, with re-certification scheduled where currency is due
- Below-the-hook attachment: shackle or hook attachment to the crane checked for compatibility with the device top lug specification
- End-of-life decision: keep in service, watch list with shorter interval, or retire and return to OEM or certified workshop for re-rating, weld repair or destruction
How to use this spreader bar inspection checklist
1. Plan the inspection and set up the bench
pull the device register including serial numbers, install dates, design rating certificates, manufacturing data reports and previous inspection records, set up a clean inspection bench with the OEM specification sheet, vernier callipers, MPI kit, camera and retirement tag stickers
2. Identify each device and check tag legibility
confirm WLL stamp, beam length, configuration tag, manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard are all legible on the device tag and confirmed against the design rating certificate, retire any device where any one of these marks is unreadable or where the design rating certificate cannot be located
3. Confirm device type and configuration
confirm lifting beam versus spreader bar versus equaliser beam, configuration of attachment points (number of top and bottom lugs) against the rated configuration the device is used in, flag any device being used outside its rated configuration
4. Walk the structure for welds
complete the detailed weld visual on all primary structural welds including lifting lug to beam welds, pad-eye welds, end-cap welds, gusset welds, photograph any suspect indication and apply magnetic particle inspection to any suspect weld, retire on any cracking finding pending engineering assessment
5. Measure bow and deflection
measure beam straightness against the OEM nominal using a straightedge and feeler gauge along the beam length, any permanent deflection from previous load history is flagged and the OEM consulted on rerate or retirement, no field straightening permitted
6. Measure lifting lug condition
use vernier callipers to measure pin hole diameter at the top and bottom lugs against OEM nominal, inspect lug body for deformation, cracking, gouging or weld defects, check lug body thickness against OEM nominal at the pin hole
7. Inspect pad-eye welds and shackle attachment
inspect pad-eye welds for cracking, weld undercut, weld splatter or paint loss indicating high-stress weld activity, check shackle attachment point dimensions (pin hole diameter, lug thickness, eye spacing) against OEM nominal and shackle compatibility
8. Inspect paint, corrosion and tare weight
document paint condition, inspect any chip or paint loss area for underlying corrosion with pitting on critical surfaces flagged for engineering assessment, confirm tare weight is clearly legible because the operator must add the device tare to the load weight for crane capacity calculation
9. Check design rating certificate currency
confirm the design rating certificate is current against the certificate currency requirement, schedule re-certification where currency is due, photograph the certificate and attach to the asset record in MapTrack
10. Make the end-of-life decision and record
mark the device as fit for service, watch list with a shorter inspection interval, or retire and return to OEM or certified workshop for re-rating, weld repair or destruction, photograph any discard-criteria finding, sign the device record and update the device register in MapTrack and set the next inspection date against the serial
How often should you complete this inspection checklist?
AS 4991, the AS 2550 series and ASME B30.20 set the inspection cadence the below-the-hook lifting device inspector should follow. The operator runs a visual pre-use check before every lift, looking for obvious structural damage, weld cracking, lifting lug deformation, tag legibility and tare weight visibility. A monthly visual inspection by a trained rigger covers each device in the gear store for obvious damage, tag legibility and shackle attachment compatibility. A quarterly inspection by a competent person measures lifting lug pin hole wear, walks structural welds and confirms design rating certificate currency against discard criteria. A 12 monthly major inspection by a competent person covers every device in every gear store on site, includes magnetic particle inspection on suspect welds and confirms the design rating certificate is current. It sits inside the annual lifting gear audit. Any shock load, dropped object, overload event, side load on a non-balanced device or near-miss triggers an out-of-cycle inspection of the affected device. In MapTrack the device inspection schedule sits against the serial number because spreader bars are high-value assets that warrant per-asset tracking and the design rating certificate is attached to the record.
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Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.
AS 4991 (Lifting devices - General) is the Australian standard for general lifting devices including spreader bars, lifting beams and equaliser beams. The AS 2550 series covers safe use of cranes including the load-attaching device on the hook. ASME B30.20 (Below-the-hook lifting devices) is the international reference that most OEM and import below-the-hook devices point to and is widely used in major-contractor work. WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5 makes spreader bar condition part of the PCBU plant inspection duty and treats a device without legible WLL, configuration tag and design rating certificate as non-compliant regardless of measurable condition.
Link to this answerA lifting beam takes all load through a single top lifting point and resists bending across the beam, used where the load needs to be lifted from a single point but supported at two or more lower points. A spreader bar takes load through two top lifting points connected to two bottom lifting points and resists compression along the bar, used where the rigging geometry needs to keep slings vertical. An equaliser beam uses a centrally pivoting beam to balance load between two lower attachment points, used where the load distribution between the two lower points must be equalised dynamically. Each type has a different load path and the discard criteria differ accordingly.
Link to this answerAS 4991 and ASME B30.20 require a below-the-hook lifting device to be retired when the pin hole diameter at any lifting lug has increased by 10 percent or more from the OEM nominal, when the lug body shows deformation, cracking, gouging or weld defects, or when the lug body thickness has reduced by 10 percent or more from the OEM nominal. The measurement is taken with vernier callipers at the pin hole and at the lug body thickness. Pin hole wear is the indication that the lug has accumulated wear from the pin or shackle and that the load path is no longer geometrically correct. The device is retired and returned to the OEM or a certified workshop for re-rating or weld repair under engineering supervision.
Link to this answerA visual pre-use check before every lift by the operator covers obvious structural damage, weld cracking, lifting lug deformation, tag legibility and tare weight visibility. A monthly visual inspection by a trained rigger covers each device in the gear store. A quarterly inspection by a competent person measures lifting lug pin hole wear, walks structural welds and confirms design rating certificate currency against discard criteria. A 12 monthly major inspection covers every device in every gear store on site, includes magnetic particle inspection on suspect welds and confirms the design rating certificate is current. Any shock load, dropped object, overload event, side load on a non-balanced device or near-miss triggers an out-of-cycle inspection.
Link to this answerA spreader bar with a structural weld crack, lifting lug deformation, bow or deflection from previous overload, or pin hole wear at or beyond discard criteria is removed from service and returned to the OEM or a certified workshop for engineering assessment. Unlike shackles and synthetic slings, spreader bars are high-value assets that often warrant repair through weld repair under engineering supervision, re-rating to a lower WLL or re-certification by a qualified engineer. Field weld repair is not permitted under AS 4991. The certified workshop will issue a new design rating certificate after any rework and the device is returned to service against that new certificate.
Link to this answerYes. This spreader bar inspection checklist is completely free to download and use - open the HTML file in any browser and use Print then Save as PDF. No MapTrack account is required. It suits riggers and competent persons inspecting lifting beams, spreader bars and equaliser beams against AS 4991 and ASME B30.20. If you later want to move off paper and spreadsheets, MapTrack turns this into a live digital register: each device tracked by serial with its design rating certificate stored against the record, structural weld and pin-hole findings captured with photos, re-certification dates tracked per device, and automated reminders with a complete timestamped audit trail. Start free at maptrack.com/free-trial or book a demo.
Link to this answerApplicable regulatory standards
This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.
- AS 4991 (Lifting devices - General)
- AS 2550 series (Cranes safe use)
- ASME B30.20 (Below-the-hook lifting devices)
- WHS Regulations 2011 Chapter 5
- Safe Work Australia Code of Practice 2018: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace
- Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace (Safe Work Australia)
- Model WHS Regulations (Safe Work Australia)
- AS 2550 series, Cranes, hoists and winches, safe use (Standards Australia listing)
MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.
The numbers behind this spreader bar inspection checklist
Every figure below is sourced and dated, so you can quote it in a toolbox talk, a budget case or a board paper without having to chase the original report.
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The MapTrack spreader bar inspection checklist contains 31 checks across 6 sections.
- Short attribution
- MapTrack Spreader Bar Inspection Checklist, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/spreader-bar-inspection-checklist
- Reference list
- MapTrack. (2026). Spreader Bar Inspection Checklist [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/spreader-bar-inspection-checklist
Free to reuse with credit under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. If you’d rather link straight to it, the page is https://www.maptrack.com/templates/spreader-bar-inspection-checklist.
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<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
<p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
<p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Spreader Bar Inspection Checklist</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Device identification: WLL stamp, beam length, configuration tag, manufacturer mark, batch and serial number, certification standard, all clearly legible on the device tag and confirmed against the design rating certificate</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Device type confirmation: lifting beam vs spreader bar vs equaliser beam, configuration of attachment points (number of top and bottom lugs), confirmed against the rated configuration the device is used in</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Structural weld visual inspection: detailed visual on all primary structural welds including lifting lug to beam welds, pad-eye welds, end-cap welds, gusset welds, with magnetic particle inspection on any suspect indication</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Bow or deflection check: measurement of beam straightness against the OEM nominal, with any permanent deflection from previous load history flagged and the OEM consulted on rerate or retirement</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Lifting lug condition: pin hole wear at the top and bottom lugs measured against OEM nominal, lug body checked for deformation, cracking, gouging or weld defects</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Pad-eye weld condition: pad-eye welds inspected for cracking, weld undercut, weld splatter or paint loss indicating high-stress weld activity</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/spreader-bar-inspection-checklist" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Spreader Bar Inspection Checklist</a> by MapTrack</p>
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About the author
Commercial Director
Jarrod has spent over a decade in technology consulting and asset management, including roles at Accenture (mining and heavy industry) and CGI as an Asset Management Consultant. He joined MapTrack in 2018 and has spent the past 8+ years building and scaling the platform, conducting 300+ user research sessions with field teams to shape the product. His consulting background gives him deep insight into the operational and compliance challenges facing asset-intensive Australian businesses.
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