The Challenge riggers face in the field is the delivery of unrated crane bins. Items show up on a truck and they rig it up with straps to get it off of the truck. If you don't fly overhead, most jobs wouldn't think much of it. If you are with a large contractor with any sophistication, they'll want that box rated. It's required in OSHA 1926.251 and ASME B30.20. 

Subcontractors and suppliers make life difficult with bins that solve their issues without considering the legal requirements to attach them to a crane. What we can do is supply bins that either take care of this at the supplier level, or you can transfer them on a job site. 

We have Pallet Bins that are designed to be the size of a pallet at 40 by 48 inches. They can be singles or doubles. Rated at 3300 or 6600 lbs respectively. You can get them with gates like these, or a drop down ramp so you can land it on a roof then pallet jack the items out. You have a 4 point lifting system at the top so it can't get out of level. These would typically have a shackle at the top so you can just hook in. If you wanted to use it with a forklift, it has the pockets integrated for that. 

We have Pall Skips that come up to 7' long by 4'-9"  and 2.5 tall. The result is that it's a 2 yard bin rated at 6600 lbs on a four point lift. Toss in that random rebar that is sharp and hard to rig up. Those rolls of roofing or shoring waterproofing. Really, just anything random can go in these and be safety transported. Stop thinking the box will be ok and feel the certainty the Pall Skip can deliver. When you get to the location, if you wanted to dump out the items, the front is sloped to make this easy if you simply remove the two front connections and hoist up just on the back two lifting loops. 

Universal skips are set up to work with both cranes and forklifts. The stack together for easy storage and shipping. They vary in size from 0.39 yards to 1.3 yards. At 1.3 yards, think of them as similar to a pallet sized bin. It's a good option to replace plastic tote bins that are set up by subcontractors on castors. These are simply rated and won't fail at an undetermined time because they aren't plastic. 

These are the size of a pallet at 47 by 41 inches. Most pallets won't fit in them, but essentially the same items will. Coming with castors optional, if you are looking for pallets or pallet totes to solve your needs in transporting gear, this is a solid offering to get in compliance. In doing so, you'll be faster and safer at the same time. 

On the market you'll find Bulk Bins. These are stackable, add castors, lids, powder coated, galvanized, dumps out on the rear lifting eyes. And they range from 0.39 yards to 5.3 yards and have a rating of 13,230 lbs. Four point lifting as a stack of two as well. These are an awesome utility. When set up to 1 yard as the size, you can access materials in the top or bottom bin. You could replace stillage bins quickly with these.

In Europe these are used to collect waste. Much of their construction is brick based. So you'll see these getting abused with people throwing bricks at them for decades. And they take it. The durability for our operations in the US would be incredible. They'll last careers. 

Drop Bottom bins are another incredibly durable bin that is for cranes, forklifts, Castors, they can be done in two compartments, with mesh instead of 3 mm plate. Rated at 4400 lbs and up to 2.6 yards, these can be trash bins, move supplies, or materials. Put castors on them and push them around a floor. Then take them to the hoist where they can be brought down and dumped out with the forklift. Or if you need to scrap out a floor with a crane, little gets in the way of loading it. When you get to the dumpster you can drop the bottom either quickly if it's light (think of the shockloading) or set it in the dumpster, pull the rope and hoist up so it gently comes out. This is another item that will last a career. 

Square stillage with Eichinger is rated up to 4400 lbs for crane lifts. 

They come as bins as well. 

The round variant can have links as the lifting points and be rated to 3300 lbs. 

They also come in mesh or steel sides. 

Beyond the safety of having lifting eyes versus slings, if you spend 20 minutes a day looking for slings, rigging them up, and inspecting, and let's say the sub contractors lose 2 hours a day in pre-rigging items, that miniscule number leads to an $84,000 loss of income for the job. 20 minutes on a 5 day work week. We are expensive as labor. Eichinger and Seattle Tower Crane can help mitigate these expenses simply by supplying four point lifting eyes on all of our bins. The question is, do you spend up front to save multiples on the back end? I would suggest it as a good idea. 

 

 

Where is the Weak Link in Your Lift?

 

Note the deflection in the structure of the black box

One of the practices that we use in the construction field with regularity involves choking, or simply slinging boxes of items up. The rationale used is commonly that the sling governs the rating on the lift. I would like to challenge this line of thought. Not only do I think the practice is dangerous, I think it’s flat illegal in the United States. OSHA addresses this matter several times in the Letters of Interpretation regarding 1926.251.

1926.251(a)(4)

Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials, shall be marked to indicate the safe working loads and shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load.

If we start with the highlighted section, we can clearly see OSHA wants all lifting items rated and tested. Does anyone think the black box is rated or tested? Is it marked for it’s capacity? In this case, if we presume those are 2” straps rated for 6400 in a vertical and 5000 lbs in a choke, are we safe to assume that we can put 10,000 lbs in that box and fly it? A ¾ ton truck fully loaded in that box and we are good? And it still has the 3:1 safety factor (ASME B30.20 requirement) so it shouldn’t fail until we put three of them in the box? If the box fails, do the slings stand up to the shock loading? You can see the deflection in the box as it is currently loaded. Are we at only 33% of the boxes ultimate capacity as it is rigged? You can stop me at any point where you agree that the practice is flawed.

If the load is contained in the box, then the box must be rated. The concept is simple once you hear or see it. The lift is a chain of items that must be rated and planned. The footing of the crane is commonly 1.65x the highest loading possible. Same for the crane structure. The hoist line is 5x. The brakes on a crane hoist are commonly 125%  of the rated line pull with 2 of them in operation. The slings are a minimum of 4x. But then we want to put a box in the chain that isn’t even rated? All of the effort to get here with safety, only to set it aside to save $100? I should note that many of these boxes are rated at 1500 lbs when lifted by a forklift. This doesn’t even have support where the tines would be. The reasoning is flawed. The box has to be rated. And this isn’t just me making the argument. OSHA makes it too in the following Letter of Interpretation:

 Question (1): Section 1926.251(a)(4) requires that special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories be proof-tested prior to use. A voluntary industry consensus standard, ASME B30.20, states that load tests "should" be performed. For purposes of OSHA compliance, does §1926.251(a)(4) supersede the ASME requirement?

Answer
Yes. The OSHA requirements regarding proof-testing special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories are governed by 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(4), not the ASME B30.20 standard. Section 1926.251(a)(4) states:

Special custom design grabs, hooks, clamps, or other lifting accessories, for such units as modular panels, prefabricated structures and similar materials... shall be proof-tested prior to use to 125 percent of their rated load. [Emphasis added.]

Further, §1926.32 provides certain definitions which are used in the application of Part 1926 regulations. Specifically, §1926.32(q) states:

Shall means mandatory.

Therefore, the requirement that special custom-design grabs, hooks, clamps or other lifting accessories be proof-tested prior to use is mandatory, and failure to comply is a violation of OSHA requirements.

Question (2): Other than for slings, it appears that there are no inspection criteria for below-the-hook lifting devices in the OSHA regulations. Would I be in compliance with OSHA requirements if I followed ASME B30.20 for inspections of below-the-hook lifting devices?

Answer
Yes. Section 1926.251 does not address inspection criteria for below-the-hook lifting devices, except for slings used in conjunction with other material handling equipment.

Under the "General Duty Clause" (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers must:

furnish to each of [its] employees employment... free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm...

The construction industry recognizes the necessity for inspections of below-the-hook lifting devices. An employer who follows ASME B.30.20, specifically sections 20-1.3.1 through 20-1.3.7 and 20-1.3.9 with respect to inspections for below-the-hook lifting devices (other than for slings), would be considered to be in compliance with OSHA requirements.

Source Letter Link

Links to other OSHA Letters on 1926.251

 

It’s to our benefit to know that your equipment is safe and sound. I can appreciate the ease and affordability of plastic lifting boxes. But they aren’t safe. They aren’t rated for a crane lift. The common fork load capacity is rated at 1500 lbs. If that were an engineered number, then the tote would be good for 500 lbs, or less as a crane lifting item. I would say less because nothing is supporting under the middle of the tote. And when will that plastic become brittle? Will it be during a lift like this one where it’s asked to bend? Let’s not meet the loved ones of a co worker after choosing to insert weak links into our lifting plans. Out with the plastic. Demand ASME designed and rated products at the minimum. Stop flying these items and hoping they hold together while you choke them with slings. And that’s all you are doing… Hoping.