Designate a qualified person  to inspect slings and all fastenings and attachments each day before use for damage or defects.

The qualified person also performs additional periodic inspections where service conditions warrant, as determined on the basis of:

• Frequency of sling use,
• Severity of service conditions,
• Nature of the lifts being made, and
• Experience gained during the service life of slings used in similar circumstances.

Make periodic inspections of wire rope slings at intervals no greater than 12 months.  A good guide to follow includes:

• Yearly for normal service use,
• Monthly to quarterly for severe service use, and
• As recommended by a qualified person for special and infrequent service use.

Although OSHA’s sling standard does not require you to make and maintain records of inspections, the ASME standard contains provisions on inspection records.

Make a thorough inspection of slings and attachments. Items to look for include:

• Broken wires
• Severe localized abrasion or scraping,
• Kinking, crushing, bird caging, or any other damage to the rope structure,
• Evidence of heat damage,
• Crushed, deformed, or worn end attachments,
• Severe corrosion of the rope, end attachments or fittings,
• Missing or illegible sling identifications, and
• Other conditions that cause doubt as to continual safe use of the sling.

Where any such defect or deterioration is present, remove the sling or attachment from service immediately.