Hoist Inspections

We conduct annual hoist inspections with the hoist in its normal location — typically without requiring the hoist to be dismantled. Covers and other items normally supplied to allow inspection of components will be opened or removed during our inspections. Our technicians are trained to recognize safety discrepancies, all of which will be noted in a written report issued on-site.

Annual Inspection Checklist

1. Operating mechanisms checked for maladjustment and listened to for unusual sounds that may indicate problems
2. Tightness of bolts, nuts, and rivets
3. Excessive wear, corrosion, cracks, or distorted parts in the following:
   • Load blocks, suspension housings, hand chain wheels, chain attachments
   • Clevises, yokes, suspension bolts, shafts, gears
   • Bearings, pins, rollers, locking and clamping devices
4. Damage or excessive wear on hook-retaining nuts or collars and pins, and welds or rivets used to secure retaining members
5. Excessive wear or damage on load sprockets, idler sprockets, hand chain wheel, and drums or sheaves
6. Hand chain-operated hoists checked for worn, glazed, or oil-contaminated friction disks; worn pawls, cams, or ratchets; and corroded, stretched, or broken pawl springs in braking mechanism
7. Evidence of damage to supporting structure or trolley
8. Presence of legible warning labels
9. End connections of load chains checked for wear, corrosion, cracks, damage, or distortion
10. Welded link hoist chain
11. Hooks

Welded Chain Inspection

1. The hoist is tested under load in lifting and lowering directions; chain and sprocket operation is observed. The chain should feed smoothly into and away from the sprockets.
2. If the chain binds, jumps, or is noisy, it is checked for cleanliness and lubrication. If the trouble persists, the chain and mating parts are inspected for wear, distortion, or other damage.
3. The chain is visually examined for gouges, nicks, weld spatter, corrosion, and distorted links.
4. The chain is slackened and adjacent links moved to one side to inspect for wear at contact points.
5. The chain is measured per the hoist manufacturer’s instructions. If unavailable, an unworn section is measured and compared against worn sections; percentage increase in length is calculated.

Hook Inspection

1. Cracks, nicks, or gouges
2. Latch engagement; damaged or malfunctioning latch (if provided)
3. Hook attachment and securing means
4. Deformation — any bending or twisting exceeding 10 degrees from the plane of the unbent hook
5. Throat opening — any distortion causing an increase in throat opening exceeding 15 percent
6. Wear — any wear exceeding 10 percent of the original section dimension of the hook or its load pin
7. Non-destructive testing for surface or subsurface cracks