How To Be A Good Slinger/signaller

This article gives lots of tips on how to be a good slinger/signaller. If you don’t know what a slinger/signaller is, I’ll explain in due course. But in brief, it is a safety-critical role within the crane industry. That’s why it’s important to be extremely competent within the role.

To be a good slinger/signaller, you must:

be safety conscious
have great listening skills
be a methodical thinker
be physically able
have a good attitude
work well in a team
have patience

Before I give you tips on how to be a good slinger/signaller, let’s give you a small introduction as to what one is.

Here’s what you’ll find in this article.

What is a slinger/signaller?

For convenience, from this point on, I will refer to ‘slinger/signaller’ simply as ‘slinger’. This is the less formal, but more widely used term. A slinger is also sometimes known as a ‘banksman’, which can cause some confusion. A banksman is actually an individual who directs traffic through and around building sites. Otherwise known as a traffic marshal. But there is often an overlap between the two roles.

Check out this What is a slinger/signaller article to learn more about what a slinger is in greater depth.

Before we get into the real nitty gritty, let’s go over the best personal traits for a slinger. Like attitude and character.

Attitude

Construction can be a highly pressurised industry. Sites can be large, with anywhere up to 2000 people working on them. 99% of the tradespeople are testosterone-filled men. Deadlines have to be met. Penalties get incurred. The sites can be chaotic, with lots of noise and commotion.

All these factors can create a lot of tension in the workplace. So having a good attitude will help all involved.

This can involve:

Creating a good rapport with colleagues.
Being a team player.
Patience.
Willingness to work overtime.
Being able to take orders.
Reacting well to suggestions or constructive criticism.

Let’s delve into these attributes a little deeper.

Rapport

Having a healthy relationship with colleagues is key to a smooth, safe, and relaxed workplace. Particularly in high-pressure situations.

Building up a rapport with people also helps to put their trust in you. They’ll be more likely to leave you to do your job, rather than keep looking over you or always be on your case.

You can learn more about the topic in this People Skills post.

Trust is vital within the lifting industry. Trades need slingers to carry out the lifts while keeping them and their equipment safe. Plus, crane drivers need the slingers to give the correct instructions, as well as do each lift safely and to the lift plan.

As a slinger works closely with crane drivers each day, this is important. They have to trust each other. They should have a good rapport to perform effectively as a team.

Teamwork

Any workplace should have good teamwork, but it’s especially important when working in lifting operations. It’s a dangerous industry with lots of regulations. So, slingers have to ensure they’re willing to communicate well with their team members. As well as listen, share responsibilities, and put themselves out for others.

I’ll give you a quick example of how you can think of others in your lifting team.

Let’s say you’re stationed on the ground level of a multistorey job for the day. Stan, your slinger colleague is working on a higher level. Let’s say level 9. He’s got loads of lifts to do on level 9, as well as flitting between that and level 8 and 11.

You could either chill out on the ground floor chatting to someone or looking at your phone while Stan breaks into a sweat, or you could ask him if he wants a hand up there.

Patience

Having patience as a slinger is crucial for many reasons. Let’s go through a couple.

As previously stated, construction sites can be chaotic. Organisation from superiors might not go too well. You might get given wrong information or have to take lifts somewhere, only to have to take them back.

People might bark orders at you or get stressed and snap at you. Getting angry about all this might cloud your judgement. You could make wrong decisions at crucial moments, or cut corners because you’ve lost interest and motivation.

Just take a breath. If things get too much, have a minute. A cigarette break or toilet break.

Secondly, if you’re learning the ropes, things can get very daunting. You could become overwhelmed with everything you have to learn. All the commotion, as well as the pressure. Hang in there, though. You’ll get there, and it will all become second nature to you with experience.

Thirdly, experienced slingers might find inexperienced colleagues frustrating sometimes. Especially if you have to carry them, which becomes a hindrance. But just remember, everyone has to learn somehow.

Rather than berate them, rush them, or talk about them behind their backs, you should nurture them. Show them the ropes. Give them advice and encouragement.

If you do treat them badly, you could increase their nerves and indecisiveness, which could make them dangerous. Whether it’s slingers or the crane drivers you work closely with, they’d appreciate a bit of patience and support.

Willingness to work overtime

Unfortunately, the construction industry can require staff to work some unsociable hours. Deadlines need to be met and employers want to get the most done as possible.

As a slinger, if cranes are needed, then you’re needed. The programme might be to work a certain amount of overtime for the day or week, or you might have last-minute concrete come through the gates, that needs pouring. You might even get asked to work weekends as well.

The sad truth is, if you’re a slinger that’s not willing to do any overtime during the week or the odd weekend, you’ll probably get moved on.

Being able to take orders

There’s a pecking order in any industry. Slingers answer to crane supervisors, who in turn have their superiors. Then there’s the AP, who makes sure everything gets done to protocol. Not to mention the trade black hats (supervisors) who all like to fight over the cranes. Then there are construction managers and whoever else wants to stick their oars in.

That’s a lot of people telling you what to do and how to do it. As long as people are respectful, it’s your job to carry out instructions given to you to the best of your ability, while at the same time, using your initiative to work unsupervised.

Reacting well to suggestions or constructive criticism

Sometimes, pride has to take the place of ego. If sometime can see a better way of doing something, you should be able to take that on board, rather than think you know best about everything. Even if you don’t action that suggestion.

Similarly, if someone points out something you’ve done incorrectly, it’s for the better of the job. You could either take the comments personally and fester on them, which creates bad feelings all round, or you could process it, learn from it, and use it to help you improve as a slinger. This is where listening is key for all people involved with lifting.

Now that we’ve covered attitude, let’s go over techniques, methods, and anything actionable.

Calmness

This is one of the most important aspects. As a slinger, you’re likely to use a lot of radio communication with crane drivers. Calm communication in the radio travels into the crane driver’s cab. Never panic. Never use erratic, fast-paced, or aggressive tones. Clear, concise, calm communication is key. Even if there’s a crisis.

Let me give you an example from a crane driver’s perspective.

A tower crane driver friend of mine told me a story about an experience he had. He was working on a blind lift, where the slinger wanted to put a full skip inside an empty skip.

As the slinger was giving his instructions, they’d almost got the skip in when there was a moment of silence. Then another slinger spoke very calmly into the radio, saying, ‘Pinch up a bit please, mate.’ This means gently hoist up a bit in the slowest gear. So, the driver hoisted up again. It seemed like any other routine lift.

What the driver didn’t realise was that the first slinger had got his hand trapped between the skips as he was putting the empty one in. But, because of the calm tone of the instruction, the driver was unaware of the crisis. He knew nothing of the slinger’s screaming.

If the second slinger panicked and shouted or stuttered into the radio, this panic would have travelled through the radio into the driver. It could have made him panic. He could have made the wrong movement with the crane, making the situation worse or damaging the hand further.

Also, calmness instils a sense of trust. A nervy or erratic slinger can make their colleagues – particularly crane drivers – anxious. The trust has to be there. The slinger is a driver’s eyes and ears. They paint the picture. In a sense, the slinger is kind of driving the crane for them. So, the driver has to be able to trust the slinger, and vice versa.

Organise tasks economically

Some sites are large. Often with buildings that have multiple levels. There could be work to do on any of these levels at any given point, so both the crane supervisor and slingers should organise the order of lifts so that each slinger isn’t running around between different levels ineffectively and unnecessarily.

Let’s give an example scenario.

An empty skip on the ground needs to go up to level 5. There’s also a pack of plywood on level 5 to go down to level 1 balcony. And from there, a stillage needs to go down to the ground. But there are also various bundles of rebar on 5 to be moved to the other side of the same level.

Slinger A would send the skip from the ground to their colleague, slinger B, on level 5. Slinger A would make their way up to level 1 to wait.

The most sensible thing for slinger B to do after receiving and landing the skip on level 5 would be to move all the rebar on level 5, then send the plywood down to level 1.

From there, one of three things could happen.

Slinger B could make their way down to the ground to receive the stillage from level 1 balcony. Slinger A can ask another colleague on the ground to receive the stillage.

As level 1 is close to the ground level, slinger A could go down to land the stillage.

An inexperienced slinger B might receive the skip from the ground, then send the plywood down to level 1 and rush down to land it themself. But then the steel fixers are screaming for their rebar to be moved, so slinger B rushes back up to move all that, then rushes back down to level 1 to send the stillage down.

Bear in mind, the perfect scenario isn’t always possible. Priority lifts might emerge, or the crane supervisor or manager might ask for something else.

But also remember that time could be of the essence. And there might not be a hoist available, or the wait for the hoist could be too long. That means a lot of running up and down stairs. You don’t want to tire yourself out unnecessarily.

A slinger/signaller resting because he's burnt out from running around in a disorganised, unplanned manner to carry out his work.

Paint a picture

As previously stated, a slinger has to paint a picture for a crane driver. The driver’s cab is often very far away from the load, so perception can be difficult to grasp.

A good slinger will give the driver as much information as possible. This can cover things like where the load is and where it’s going, when they’re approaching it, what else is nearby that could be a hazard, how much the load weighs, etc.

As previously stated, a good slinger has a hand in driving the crane. Give as much information as possible.

Here’s an example:

You’re working on a large site that’s very busy. You’re working with a tower crane that’s 150m tall. You need to pick up a bundle of steel that is 90 degrees to the right of where the crane is positioned. Some slingers will just say, ‘Slew right,’ to the driver. But there’s a lot of ‘right’. Then you just keep repeating that instruction until the crane is above the load, then you say, ‘Stop.’

With this limited information, the driver doesn’t know what they’re aiming for, which means they don’t know what speed to slew in. They don’t know when to slow down or when to catch the swing. They don’t know if they need to increase or decrease the radius at the same time. It all makes the driver have to do too much guesswork.

What happens using this method is that the crane driver is very tentative, because they don’t have the relative information, then when they get to you, they have to use the jib action after, which takes more time.

Also, if you stop them above you without slowing them down, they’ll shoot past you because of the overrun, and there’ll be a big swing for them to catch.

Best practice is to let the driver know exactly what is to be lifted and where it is. Then stand by the lift. Because, as a slinger, you wear bright orange PPE, the driver should see you easily. Then you watch the crane come round to you. As it approaches, you slow it down before stopping it above you.

This gives the driver a chance to avoid the overrun, and catch the swing accurately. They will also have got to the correct radius before getting to you.

But you don’t need to over-bank when you and the load are easily visible to the crane driver. Some drivers like you to just tell them where you want them to go, then you stand at the destination with your arm up so they can see you, and they head there without being given 100 instructions. From there, you’ll bank the crane down to you.

Overrun

A crane overrun is where a crane’s movement keeps going after the driver has stopped the action. For instance, when hoisting down at full speed, if the driver lets go of the hoist joystick, the hoist will keep going down for a while before slowing to a stop. This is to prevent shock-loading of the crane.

If you imagine a crane with, let’s say, a 10t load on. If the driver lowered the load off at full speed, then when they wanted to stop, the hoist stopped dead without any run on, that’s a hell of a lot of force stopping instantly. It would cause a lot of bounce on the crane and do damage. The crane would have to be put out of service so to be inspected.

Check out this crane overrun video.

Blind lifts are lifting operations where the crane driver can’t see the slinger or load. There could be a building or structure in the way, or there could be limited vision due to fog or darkness. All involved need to be extra careful while doing blind lifts.

During blind lifts, the slinger should describe the full scene for the crane driver. The driver should be able to close their eyes and follow the slinger’s instructions. There should be constant communication.

Gears or metres

Let’s give an example of a slinger painting a full picture for a crane driver. When lowering the winch, particularly from a great height, the driver needs a regular indication of how far from the ground the hook or load is. There are a couple of ways to do this.

Some drivers like to be told what gear to be in on the way down, then as approaching the ground, the speeds get reduced. Other drivers prefer to be told how many metres are left.

The latter option is the more popular choice, because all cranes have different gears and speeds. It’s impossible for a slinger to know the exact speed of each gear of every crane, so they will often instruct to use the incorrect gear.

Whereas, if the slinger gives metres and indicators, the driver can judge for themselves what speeds do be in.

Also, other little indicators help. If working on a multi-story building, the slinger can let the driver know what floor of the building they’re level with as they go down. They can also say when they have the tag line in their hands, then the load in their hands, which lets the crane driver know they need to be going slowly.

Even when the driver can see everything, this is best practice, because depth perception can be difficult to judge from a great height. You don’t want a load or hook block crashing into the ground, or worse.

Catching a crane swing

Because crane drivers can’t see the ropes or hook block during a blind lift, catching the crane swing can be very difficult, so the slinger should have some knowledge of how to do it. Check out this full article, including video tutorials on How to catch a crane swing.

This knowledge shouldn’t only apply to blind lifts. Whenever banking a crane, a slinger should know how the driving process works.

Three-second rule

Most training centres teach slingers to make sure there is no more than three seconds of radio silence when banking a crane during a blind lift. Similarly, crane drivers are taught to stop any movements if they don’t hear any communication after three seconds.

This is in case of an unforeseen event. The radio could break, lose signal, or lose battery power. Or the slinger could fall ill or get injured, preventing them from communicating.

A crane driver operating on a blind lift without any instructions is a recipe for disaster.

Don’t walk away

When sending the crane away on a blind lift, whether the chains are empty or if a load is on, a slinger should never walk away without watching the hook all the way up until it’s clear of everything. All the while, constant communication is important.

To an extent, this even applies when not on a blind lift.

Communication

Good, clear communication is paramount in lifting operations. Here are some factors to consider with regards to communication.

Know your instructions

Knowing the correct instructions is important, otherwise misinterpretation could occur.

For example, as a slinger using a luffing crane, don’t say, ‘Jib down,’ when you mean, ‘Float out,’ and vice versa. They are two different things. ‘Jib down’ means only to increase the radius using the jib. This will lower the hook. Whereas, ‘Float out’ means to increase the radius while hoisting up so that the hook stays level. You’ll be surprised how many people make this mistake.

Don’t assume the crane driver knows what you mean.

Clear, non-confusing instructions

This ties in with the previous section, but it’s about knowing how a crane driver thinks, and spelling everything out for them.

I know you love a scenario, so I’ll give you another.

Paul, the slinger, wants Jess, the crane driver, to take a load 5m to her left, so Paul instructs her to slew left. She does so. After a couple of metres, Paul asks her to hoist down, then almost immediately says, ‘Hold that.’

What does ‘Hold that’ mean? Does it mean stop the hoist, the slew, or both? The instruction isn’t clear. In this instance, the most sensible option for the driver would be to stop all movements.

If Paul wanted Jess to only stop hoisting, he could say, ‘Hold the hoist.’ Then Jess would continue with the slew.

If Paul wanted her to only stop the slew, he could say, ‘Hold the slew.’ Then Jess would continue hoisting.

If he wanted both movements to stop, he could say, ‘All stop’ or ‘Hold everything there.’

If Jess misinterprets by stopping one movement but carrying on with the wrong one, she could collide with something or someone.

Things get even more complicated when jibbing/trollying at the same time.

Repeat the instruction

Crane drivers don’t always hear instructions. Building sites are noisy. Crash radios can distract them. Or they might not be paying attention. So, best practice is to say an instruction twice or more. For example, ‘All stop, all stop.’ Or ‘Slew to your left, please, slew to your left.’

This way, if the driver doesn’t catch your first instruction. There’s a good chance they’ll hear the second.

Multichannel radios

Where there are two or more cranes on a job, each radio is often programmed to be able to switch channels so that the slingers can communicate on each crane’s channel. This is useful, but can also cause problems.

Accidentally switching channels

Sometimes, people can accidentally switch to another channel and start giving instructions. The crane driver on the other channel could follow those instructions, thinking they’re for them. You can image how dangerous this is.

To help prevent confusion, good practice is to say the driver’s name when giving the instructions. That way, if you do accidentally switch channels, at least the other driver will know you’re on the wrong channel.

Non-accidental channel switching

If you need to speak to someone on another channel, never cut straight in with speech. They might be in the middle of a lift. Listen for a moment of silence, then ask if it’s okay to speak. That way, your voice won’t cancel out any important information being given on the other channel.

If you’re in the middle of a lift and someone comes onto your channel to speak to someone, either tell the driver to stop any actions while you respond, or ask the other person to wait for you to finish the lift.

Holding your finger on the button

There are mixed opinions on this. When using a radio to give a crane driver instructions (banking the crane), holding your finger continuously on the button while you speak prevents anybody else from notifying you or the driver if they see something important. They might need to stop the actions immediately.

The crane driver might even need to relay information. But this isn’t possible when the button is constantly engaged.

Taking the finger off the button periodically between instructions is a solution to this.

However, some people would argue that, if the button is constantly engaged, the driver knows to stop if there’s a loss of connection.

Personally, I think the first solution is safer.

No monotone

When giving radio instructions, a slinger should vary their speed, pitch, and tone.

Using a monotone voice all day with the same speed is less likely to keep the driver listening. They can get frustrated with it or switch off and lose concentration.

Mixing things up is more engaging. Just like when you’re having a conversation with someone.

Hand signals

Radio communication isn’t always possible, so hand signals are sometimes used. Bear in mind that using hand signals while banking a tower crane is much less effective than banking a crane that’s on the ground. Like a mobile or crawler crane.

A slinger should always make sure they are fully visible to the crane driver when giving hand signals. They shouldn’t be partially or fully blocked by objects or people, and should be close enough, with enough lighting to be seen.

The hand signals should also be large enough and clear enough to be understood. Rather than small, unclear motions.

Basic hand signals used for crane operations, as per BS7121.

Don’t take eyes off

We’ve covered not walking away from a crane on a blind lift, but it’s also relevant when the crane driver can see the load.

Always watch the crane

Whether the crane has a load on or not, a slinger should watch it on its journey to or from themself.

This is for several reasons:

To ensure no other cranes are in the path or heading towards the path.
To ensure the crane hook has enough height to avoid objects.
To check the crane is going to the correct place.
To ensure the load, slings, chains, or tagline, etc, don’t snag on anything when the crane hoists up or down.
To remove people that are walking underneath a load.
To check the load isn’t being affected by high winds.

Don’t walk away from the chains

If the load, chains, slings, or hook are either hovering at head height or below, or resting on the ground, a slinger should never walk away, leaving them unattended.

This is because:

A gust of wind could blow them into something or someone.
Other people might not be aware of the presence, so could trip over or bump into the items.
Someone could accidentally go onto the crane’s channel, giving an instruction. Then, the crane could do a manoeuvre that could damage people or objects within proximity.

Feed the chains, slings, or tagline through the hands

When a slinger sends a crane away from them, they should feed any dangling accessories through their hands while the crane hoists up. They should make sure the crane driver hoists up slowly until the items are clear.

This is to make sure the accessories don’t snag on anything or anyone on the way up. It’s also to check that there are no knots in the tagline that could snag on things.

Windy conditions

Wind has a major affect on lifting operations. Slingers and crane drivers should constantly monitor the winds.

Controlled lifts

Certain lifts are not permitted to be lifted at certain wind speeds. If the wind speed is below that limit but still uncomfortably high, there could still be ways of safely carrying out the lifts. Such as controlled lifts. This is where the load is kept low enough to keep hands on at all times. But this isn’t always possible. And it’s down to the crane driver’s discretion.

Restricted lifting

When the wind speed is uncomfortably high but still below the maximum limit, common sense should be used, by judging each lift, and doing restricted lifts.

This could be by way of not lifting light loads high in case they blow around easily.

Also, lifts at both maximum and minimum radius should be avoided.

Check out this Operating cranes in windy conditions article to get a full idea.

Jib deflection

Jib deflection is when the crane and/or jib bends forwards when lifting a heavy load, which increases the radius of the hook block. If the load gets taken into the air with this increased radius, the load will swing outwards, which is dangerous. So, the deflection has to be accounted for.

Crane drivers should know to compensate for jib deflection, but a good slinger should help them along the way.

The crane driver will either line the hook up with the load at a slightly shorter radius before lifting, or they will keep the hook at centre above the load, then decrease the radius with the jib or trolley while taking the weight – making sure the radius stays the same to avoid a swing.

Prior to lifting a heavy load, a slinger should notify the crane driver of the load’s weight, so the driver knows that there could be a deflection.

When the weight is almost fully on, the slinger should stop the driver, to check what position the jib is at in relation to the load. If the hoist ropes lean outwards as they go up towards the jib, the slinger should instruct the driver to release some weight and jib up/trolley in, or float in, to make the ropes plumb with the load.

The slinger should also make sure no people, structures, or objects are nearby, in case the load does swing outwards.

Look at the jib as well as the hook block

Account for the wind

When a slinger is lining the hook block up with a load, the hook might not be plumb because the wind is holding it off-centre. So, wherever the hook is, the slinger should also look above it to make sure the ropes are plumb.

For example, Thomas, the slinger has slung a load, and he’s hooked the lifting chains onto the slings. The hook block is one metre left of the load, so Thomas asks John, the driver, to slew right a metre. But, because Thomas hasn’t looked at the hoist ropes and jib, he doesn’t realise John has the jib directly above the load, and the wind is blowing the hook slightly off centre.

If he was to take the weight of the load, the tension would pull the hook block back to centre.

Whereas, if John was to slew right as instructed, then took the weight, the load would swing to the right once in the air. This could be dangerous.

Don’t assume the crane driver has done the action

To drive a crane, drivers have to watch what the jib, hoist ropes, hook block, and load are doing. Slingers should do the same when banking a crane. Some slingers only look at what the hook block and load do. They don’t look above that.

For example, if a slinger instructs a crane driver to slew left a metre, then the load naturally swings left without the driver doing anything, the slinger might be content with that, thinking the driver did the action. But they haven’t looked up at the jib to see if the driver has actually slewed left. So, the ropes won’t be plum, and the jib won’t be in line.

Catching the swing

We’ve covered this to a point in the ‘blind lift‘ section. But as stated, the slinger being able to catch a crane swing shouldn’t only apply during blind lifts.

For instance, if the slinger wants the crane to slew left but the crane’s hook is swinging to the right, the slinger shouldn’t instruct the driver to slew left during that swing, otherwise, it will create a bigger swing.

The slinger should watch the hook block and ropes, waiting for them to swing back to the left before instructing the left slew. The same principle applies to jib swings.

Loads

Loose objects

When sending a load up, a slinger should get it just above the ground, then stop the crane to check the load for anything loose. Either loose items of the load itself or any other item that could fall off the load.

Check for loose items once the load is off the floor. This could be anything like large stones, mud, or timber stuck to the bottom of the load, unfixed items of the load, or loose items on top of the load, etc.

The reason for doing this check when the load is off the ground is because items might not necessarily be loose when the load is on the ground with no tension from the accessories. But as tension gets taken to lift the load, the encapsulating accessories might dislodge or move items.

A loose bolt amongst items in a stillage.

Crush zones

When lifting or landing a load, a slinger should avoid standing in the path of where the load is going, or in a position where they could be crushed by the load and a structure or other object.

A slinger standing in a crush zone. Between a skip and a wall.

This image is difficult to see, because fencing is in the way.

The slinger is standing between a wall and a full skip he is about to lift.

This is a crush zone.

You’re the expert, not the trades

If you are a slinger, you’re a specialist in your field. So, trust your judgement. You know the rules, regulations, and procedures. Don’t always follow what other trades say is okay to do. They will often try to do things that make life easier and quicker for themselves, even if it means sacrificing safety.

To give an example, in the following image, the slinger has been assured that the ground is fine to land the scissor lift on. But the ground was too soft.

A scissor lift is sinking, because it's been put on unsuitable ground.

Lifting points

Loads that have lifting points have them on there for a reason. Slingers should use all lifting points, as per the method statement and manufacturer guidelines. A slinger should not cut corners.

This goods cage is being lifted with only two chains on two corners.

Each corner has a lifting point, so all four chain legs should be attached to all four corners.

Lifting accessories

Keep accessories clean

All lifting accessories should be kept as clean as possible. Mud and concrete built up in lifting chains can clog up the hook’s mechanisms.

The mechanism in the hook of lifting chains is clogged up with mud.

The same goes for slings. The elements, whether it’s mud, water, or chemicals, etc, can eventually erode the slings.

Web slings that are laden with concrete.

These web slings are laden with concrete.

It looks like these slings have been used near some kind of hot works, like welding or cutting.

Accessories should be stored off the ground. Either in a box or a chain rack.

Check accessories for faults

Lifting accessories endure a thorough LOLER examination every six months by an independent inspector. But they should also be checked for faults before and after use by whoever uses them.

If a fault is found, the accessory should be taken out of action and reported.

Check cert tags

Cert tags give information like SWL, serial number, and expiry date. The expiry date is the next LOLER inspection date. If this date has passed on an accessory, it should be taken out of action and reported.

Also, if a lifting accessory’s ID tag doesn’t show the required information, it should not be used.

Single-use slings

Single-use slings usually arrive on site already attached to loads on the back of a lorry, ready for the lorry to be unloaded using them. They are commonly used to unload bundles of rebar from the lorries.

Slingers are only permitted to use them for that one lift off the lorry that they arrive on. After that one lift, the slings should be cut and discarded, so that they can’t be used again.

This is because all accessories have a serial number. Which means there is a cert for them somewhere along the way. For the site taking the delivery to obtain the certs for a lorry load of slings, it would cost the company a lot of money and hassle. Hence, any accessory without a cert cannot be used.

Single-use slings around a bundle of scaffold poles.

Chain shortener clutches

Chain shortener clutches, or shortener clutches for short, get used to lift objects when the points are not centre of the load, or when the load is heavier on one side.

Certain legs of the chains get shortened, so that the load is evenly balanced when lifted.

Here are a couple of useful tips when using chain shortener clutches:

Tip one.

Make sure the clutches are facing outwards, rather than inwards when using them. This prevents them from unwanted catching of the chain’s links. It also makes accessing them much easier. And it applies pressure in the correct direction when the weight is on the chains.

Tip two:

If there are lifts that you know are to be lifted using the shorteners multiple times over the period of the job, once you know how many links are adequate for the shortening processing, put a mark, such as a cable tie, around the links that hang on the clutches. This way, you can hang them up straight away in the future without having to count again or doing trial and error.

Not all shorteners are the same. If you don’t know how to use them, ask your supervisor.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found this article useful. There is a lot of information here. That’s because there is a for a good slinger to think about. But what’s covered here only scratches the surface.

I suggest taking your time to read through and watch the videos. You can always come back to read bits whenever you need to. There are also other resources to help you slingers and potential slingers.

Go to Site Lifts to get familiar with all the types of lifts can get lift. Plus, head over to Lifting Accessories to learn more about the accessories that get used.

Above all else, the one thing to always remember is safety. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. No risks are worth taking.

Get your training here

Ready to take the next step in your lifting career? If you need training in any area of lifting operations, start building your experience today and consider enrolling in a course.

Similarly, if you’ve recently done a course and would like to progress to the next card level, book in with one of our assessors, so they can guide you through that qualification journey.

There is a shortage of skilled trades in the construction industry, so it needs operatives like you. This could be your opportunity to make a significant impact while advancing your career.

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