2.3 Reading the tag

1 The rule that makes the tag matter

Three paragraphs, working together, are why a tag is not paperwork.

1. 1
   1926.251(a)(2)(i) — rigging equipment must have permanently affixed and legible identification markings, as prescribed by the manufacturer, that indicate the recommended safe working load.
2. 2
   1926.251(a)(2)(ii) — it must not be loaded in excess of that marked safe working load.
3. 3
   1926.251(a)(2)(iii) — it must not be used without those markings at all. 1910.184(c)(13) and (c)(14) say the same for general industry.

There is no derating rule, no estimating procedure and no single-lift exception. An unmarked sling is out of service until the manufacturer or an equivalent entity identifies and re-marks it. That is worth saying twice because unmarked gear is rarely damaged gear — it looks perfect, which is exactly why it stays on the rack.

2 What each family's tag must say

Two of those rows are more informative than they look. The metal mesh row tells you which hitches the fabric was designed for. And the wire rope and fiber rope rows both require "the angle upon which it is based" — which means the number on the tag is only valid at a stated angle, and Part 3 is about what happens when your angle is different.

3 Reading a wire rope tag properly

A typical eye-and-eye wire rope sling tag has a row of numbers, and the useful discipline is to name each one before you use any of it.

• Diameter and construction — the nominal rope size, and something like 6×19 or 6×36 EIPS IWRC. The diameter is the d in the D/d ratio you will need in Part 3.
• Vertical rating. The baseline. It is also the number that gets used by mistake.
• Choker rating. Lower, and valid only at an angle of choke of 120° or more.
• Basket rating, with an angle. Usually given for vertical legs and often for one or two other angles. Read the angle, not just the number.
• Number of legs where the sling is a bridle, and the angle those leg ratings assume.

The hardest habit to build is looking for the angle alongside every capacity. A tag that says "2 leg, 8,000 lb @ 60°" is telling you that eight thousand pounds is the whole assembly's figure at that specific geometry, and that flattening the legs to 45° makes it wrong. OSHA's own guidance says what to do when your angle is not on the tag: use the next lower angle in the table, or have a qualified person calculate it.

4 Tags that are technically present and practically useless

"Legible" is doing a lot of work in the standard, and a tag can fail that test in several ways that a quick glance forgives.

• Worn stamping. A stamped shackle or chain tag polished smooth by handling. If you have to guess a digit, it is not legible.
• Painted over. Common on gear that lived in a shop. Note also 1910.184(g)(4), which prohibits coatings that diminish a metal mesh sling's rated capacity — improvised protection can be a violation in itself.
• Wrong tag. A replacement tag zip-tied on by a well-meaning person, from a different sling. This is worse than no tag, because it will be believed.
• Tag for one leg on a bridle. A multi-leg assembly needs the number of legs and the angle its rating assumes, not just one leg's figure.
• Metric-only markings on an imported sling. Legible, but easily misread — a "2 t" sling is 4,409 lb, not 4,000 lb, and the difference is not in your favour if you assume the other way round.

5 From tag to decision, in order

1. 1
   Know the tension you need first — the weight, divided among the legs that will really carry it, multiplied by the angle factor. Part 3 covers the arithmetic.
2. 2
   Find the line for the hitch you are actually going to tie, not the largest line on the tag.
3. 3
   Check the angle that line assumes against the angle you will really have.
4. 4
   Check the bend — the D/d ratio at every point the sling turns, against the 8× and 2× minimums and against the ratio the rating assumed.
5. 5
   Check the hardware and the lugs against the same leg tension, not against the total weight.
6. 6
   Inspect the sling before it goes on the load — a rating on a damaged sling is a number about a different sling.

Done in that order, the tag is the answer to a question you already asked. Done in the reverse order — pick a sling, then justify it — the tag becomes something you read until you find a number you like.

6 Housekeeping that keeps tags alive

Most missing tags are a storage problem rather than a rigging one. Slings dragged across a slab, left in the mud, or thrown into a box with sharp hardware lose their identification long before they lose their strength.

OSHA's sling guidance is direct about it: store slings where they will not be subject to mechanical damage, corrosive action, moisture, extreme temperatures or kinking. 1926.251(a)(3) adds a jobsite duty that is easy to forget — rigging equipment, when not in use, must be removed from the immediate work area so that it does not present a hazard to employees.

Two habits do most of the work: a rack rather than a floor, and a separate, clearly identified place for anything out of service. Part 4 comes back to the second one, because a damaged sling that stays within reach of the good slings will be used by someone eventually.