Look for Revisions to Standards on Slings and Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices

New editions for B30.9 (Slings) and B30.20 (Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices) are scheduled for later this year. Neither have yet been submitted to ASME or ANSI for final approval, but it is anticipated that they will be ready for public review by the end of June, explains Joseph Wendler, engineering advisor for ASME Codes and Standards. Barring a lengthy public comment period, the revised standards would be published in late 2006 or early 2007.

Among the tentative revisions for B30.9 include:

• Revised identification requirements and removal criteria for nearly all sling types: alloy chain, wire rope, metal mesh, synthetic rope, synthetic web and round;
• Clarification that records for periodic inspection need not include the condition of the sling (since if they are not in good condition, they should be removed from service);
• References to B30.26 for the installation and maintenance of wire rope clips and the removal of rigging hardware;
• References to B30.10 for use and removal of hooks;
• References to WSTDA-TH-1 for fabrication of thread used in web slings;
• Provision for the removal of polypropylene as a permissible material for synthetic rope slings;
• Various revisions to rated load tables for chain slings;
• Additional references to ASTM A586-98 and A1023/A1023M-02 for manufacturing and testing or wire rope slings;
• Addition of a section on Grade 100 chain slings;
• Precautions for the use of synthetic rope slings in chemically active environments and for ultraviolet degradations for synthetic rope slings; and
• Cautions against bunching and constricting flat web and roundslings.

The primary revision for B30.20 will be a reference to the new BTH-1 design standard, which permits a safety factor of 2.0 for limited-use lifting devices under certain operating conditions. BTH-1 also sets criteria for marking lifting devices with Design Category (based on intended service) and Service Class (based on number of load cycles).