Material and Personnel Hoists on Construction Sites

Specifications and posted information

• Manufacturer's limits: the employer must comply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations for operating hoists and elevators. Where they are not available, the limits are based on the determinations of a professional engineer competent in the field
• Posted on the car: rated load capacities, recommended operating speeds and special hazard warnings or instructions must be posted on cars and platforms

As an operator, read what is posted before you run the hoist.

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(1) · 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(2)

Material hoists: operating rules and riders

• Operating rules: established and posted at the operator's station of a material hoist. They include the signal system and allowable line speed for various loads
• No riders: no person is allowed to ride on a material hoist except for the purposes of inspection and maintenance
• Prohibited: the installation of live booms on hoists, and the use of endless belt-type manlifts on construction

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(5) · 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(6) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(1)(i) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(1)(ii)

Gates, overhead cover and arresting devices

• Entrances: all hoistway entrances protected by substantial gates or bars that guard the full width of the landing entrance, painted with diagonal contrasting colors such as black and yellow stripes, and equipped with a latching device
• Overhead cover: solid overhead protective covering on top of every material hoist cage or platform, and overhead protection at the operator's station equivalent to tight planking not less than 2 inches thick
• Car arresting devices: installed to function in case of rope failure

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(2) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(3) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(4) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(6) · 29 CFR 1926.552(b)(2)(ii)

When wire rope comes out of service

Wire rope must be removed from service when any of these conditions exists. Among them:

• In hoisting ropes, six randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or three broken wires in one strand in one rope lay
• Abrasion, scrubbing, flattening or peening causing loss of more than one-third of the original diameter of the outside wires
• Evidence of any heat damage resulting from a torch, or any damage caused by contact with electrical wires

The paragraph also sets limits for reduction from nominal rope diameter. Check the full text of 1926.552(a)(3)(iv) for those figures.

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(3) · 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(3)(ii) · 29 CFR 1926.552(a)(3)(iii)

Safety features you should see on a personnel hoist

Open each item. If a feature is missing or does not work, tell your supervisor before riding or operating.

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(4) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(5) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(6) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(8) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(10) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(12) · 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(13)

Test before service and on a schedule

Under the personnel hoist paragraph:

• Before service: after assembly and erection, and before the hoist is put in service, an inspection and test of all functions and safety devices is made under the supervision of a competent person
• After major alteration: a similar inspection and test is required
• On a schedule: hoists are inspected and tested at not more than 3-month intervals
• Record: the employer prepares a certification record with the date of the test, the signature of the person who performed it and a serial number or other identifier for the hoist. The most recent record is kept on file

Reference: 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(15)