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Free course · Beginner · 4 h 13 min · v1.0

Rigging & Lifting Fundamentals

Load weight, slings, hitches, angles, hardware and the lift itself — 29 CFR 1926.251 and 1910.184, free and self-paced

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Not OSHA-authorized training. This free course is a study aid. It does not satisfy any OSHA or regulatory training requirement and no certificate or card is issued. Your employer's training program comes first.

Almost every rigging failure is a number somebody did not check. The weight was assumed rather than determined. The tag said the vertical rating and the crew tied a choker. The legs went to 30 degrees and each one ended up carrying the whole load. The sling was bent around a bar a fraction of the diameter its rated load was calculated from. This free, self-paced course works through rigging the way the standards do — 29 CFR 1926.251 for construction and 29 CFR 1910.184 for general industry — from determining what the load actually weighs, through slings, hitches, angles and hardware, to the plan, the signals and the exclusion zones that make a lift a controlled operation instead of a hope. Every requirement is quoted with the paragraph it comes from, so you can read it yourself.

What you will be able to do

  • Determine what a load weighs by a method the standard accepts, instead of estimating it
  • Locate the center of gravity well enough to keep a load level and stable under the hook
  • Choose a sling material and a hitch, and read the right rated capacity off the tag
  • Work out the tension in each leg from the sling angle, and the D/d ratio at every bend
  • Apply the removal-from-service criteria for chain, wire rope, metal mesh, fiber rope and web slings
  • Plan a lift, set the exclusion zones, and run the signals so one person is in charge of the load

Course outline

Part 1

Knowing the load

What the load weighs, how the standard says you are allowed to know that, where its center of gravity is, and why the whole rigging assembly is only as strong as its weakest marked component.

  1. 1.1 The weight is not a guess12 min
  2. 1.2 Calculating weight from shape and material12 min
  3. 1.3 Center of gravity: level, stable and under the hook12 min
  4. 1.4 Rated capacity and the weakest component11 min
  5. Part 1 quiz5 questions
Part 2

Slings and hitches

The five sling materials the standard covers, what each is good and bad at, the three basic hitches and what they do to the rated load, how to read a tag, and how multi-leg bridles really share a load.

  1. 2.1 Five sling materials, five sets of rules12 min
  2. 2.2 Vertical, choker and basket11 min
  3. 2.3 Reading the tag10 min
  4. 2.4 Bridles: two, three and four legs11 min
  5. Part 2 quiz5 questions
Part 3

Angles, tension and the D/d ratio

The four reductions that stack on one lift: the hitch, the sling angle, the angle of choke and the diameter the sling bends around — plus the inward force that crushes the load itself.

  1. 3.1 Why the sling angle multiplies the tension9 min
  2. 3.2 The inward force nobody rigs for9 min
  3. 3.3 D/d ratio: what a tight bend costs11 min
  4. 3.4 Edges, corners and softeners10 min
  5. Part 3 quiz5 questions
Part 4

Hardware and removal criteria

Shackles, hooks and eyebolts; the inspection that happens before every shift and who does it; the condition that puts each kind of sling out of service on the spot; and the records that prove any of it happened.

  1. 4.1 Shackles, hooks, eyebolts and rings12 min
  2. 4.2 The inspection before every shift11 min
  3. 4.3 Removal from service, sling by sling11 min
  4. 4.4 Periodic inspection, records and keeping bad gear out10 min
  5. Part 4 quiz5 questions
Part 5

Making the lift

Turning a rigged load into a controlled operation: the plan, the roles the standards actually name, signals and who is allowed to give them, and the zones nobody stands in.

  1. 5.1 The lift plan: decided before the hook moves11 min
  2. 5.2 Who is who: rigger, signal person, operator, competent person11 min
  3. 5.3 Signals and communication11 min
  4. 5.4 Fall zone, swing radius and landing the load11 min
  5. Part 5 quiz5 questions
Final exam
20 questions · about 20 minutes
Go to the exam

Who it's for: Riggers and helpers, crane crews, ironworkers, millwrights, maintenance and warehouse crews who hoist loads, foremen and lift directors, and safety coordinators writing a rigging program.

Frequently asked questions

No. 1926.1401 defines a qualified rigger as a rigger who meets the criteria for a qualified person — someone who has demonstrated the ability to resolve problems relating to the work, through professional standing or through extensive knowledge, training and experience. Only your employer can determine that a particular person meets it, for a particular kind of work. This course covers the knowledge side; the experience and the determination come from your job.

No. No card, credential or proof of training is issued, and nothing is downloadable at the end. Only OSHA-authorized trainers deliver OSHA Outreach Training and issue Department of Labor cards, and no rigger card from any private body is required by federal OSHA.

No. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. We cite the public text of the standards so you can read them yourself, and every chapter links to the paragraph on osha.gov.

Both, and it says which. 29 CFR 1926.251 covers construction and 29 CFR 1910.184 covers general industry. They are close but not identical — the broken-wire criteria for wire rope slings are genuinely different — and every chapter that turns on the difference names both paragraphs.

Because the rated-load tables and the reduction values riggers actually need belong to ASME B30.9, a paid consensus standard, and to each sling manufacturer. Reproducing them would be both a copyright problem and a safety problem, since they differ by rope construction. The course teaches you to read your own sling's tag and your own manufacturer's chart, and quotes OSHA's public figures where they exist.

About 4 hours 13 minutes: twenty chapters of 9 to 12 minutes, five 5-question part quizzes, and a 20-question final exam. Your progress is stored in your own browser, so you can stop and come back.

No. It covers rigging — what happens between the hook and the load — plus the parts of the cranes and derricks standard that govern the people around the load: who has to be a qualified rigger, signals, the fall zone and the swing radius. Operating the crane, reading a load chart and setting outriggers are a different subject and a different qualification.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.

Not OSHA-authorized training. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. This free educational content does not satisfy any OSHA or other regulatory training requirement, and no card, certificate, or credential is issued. Only OSHA-authorized trainers can deliver OSHA Outreach Training (10-Hour and 30-Hour) and issue DOL cards. Always follow your employer's training program and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

By — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated v1.0