Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), a sling, shackle or spreader beam is not covered by the thorough examination certificate issued for the crane or hoist it is used with. A lifting accessory is defined as any item used to attach a load to lifting equipment that is not an integral part of the machine itself — this includes chains, wire rope slings, webbing slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts, spreader beams, plate clamps and vacuum lifters. While most lifting equipment is examined at 12-month intervals, accessories fall under a stricter 6-month cycle. A crane hook, being part of the machine, is checked annually; the sling attached to it needs a separate examination every six months. Operators who assume one certificate covers both pieces of kit are, in LOLER's eyes, still non-compliant.

There is no exemption for low-usage items either. A webbing sling that is used only twice a year in a storage facility still falls under the same 6-month requirement — LOLER does not grant a frequency-based waiver.

What exactly gets checked on each type of accessory?

The thorough examination covers different failure points depending on the item. Typical checks include:

  • Chain slings: elongation, link diameter wear, cracks, corrosion, end fittings, grade markings
  • Wire rope slings: broken wires per lay length, corrosion, kinking, crushing, end terminations, ferrules
  • Webbing/polyester slings: cuts, abrasion, UV degradation, chemical attack, load label, eye condition
  • Roundslings: cover integrity, core condition where visible, label, end loops
  • Shackles: body deformation, pin thread condition, safety pin/mousing, SWL markings
  • Eyebolts: thread condition, shank cracking, collar seating, angular load markings
  • Hooks: throat opening versus original dimension, deformation, cracks, safety catch function, swivel condition
  • Spreader beams: structural condition, pin and clevis condition, capacity">load capacity markings, certification

Accessories tend to wear faster than the primary lifting machine itself. They absorb repeated loading cycles, surface abrasion from direct load contact, UV exposure during outdoor storage and chemical attack in process environments. A webbing sling left outdoors for six months in typical UK weather conditions can lose measurable tensile strength from UV exposure alone. The inspection regime reflects this: the competent person must reject any sling where safety is in doubt, with no room for marginal calls — if it's questionable, it comes out of service. Investigations into lifting incidents consistently identify accessories, rather than the crane or hoist itself, as the point of failure in serious and fatal accidents, since a failed sling or shackle drops the load without any secondary protection.

What does Regulation 7 require for SWL marking?

LOLER Regulation 7 requires every lifting accessory to carry a legible safe working load (SWL) marking and, where relevant, the mode of use that corresponds to it — single leg, double leg, or choked. Any accessory without a legible SWL marking must be taken out of service until it is remarked or replaced. Checking marking compliance is part of the competent person's thorough examination.

Why batch recording fails the compliance test

A common but non-compliant shortcut is logging a whole batch of accessories — for example 20 webbing slings — under a single "all satisfactory" entry. LOLER does not accept this. Each accessory needs its own unique identification number, and each examination has to generate a record traceable to that specific item. The practical risk is obvious: if one sling out of a batch of 20 turns out to be damaged and is withdrawn, there is no way to confirm which one it was without individual tags. Colour-coded tags or stamped numbers tied to individual asset records solve this by keeping a traceable history for each item throughout its working life.

For fleet managers, this has direct operational consequences. A single overhead crane may be used with 40 or 50 separate slings, chains and shackles, and every one of them needs its own examination entry — not a shared line item. Sites running mobile cranes or rigging operations with multiple lifting hooks and attachments should treat accessory tracking as a distinct discipline from machine certification, with its own 6-month schedule and asset register, rather than an afterthought tacked onto the crane's annual inspection.