Recently I was asked for some advice when answering the following Plant Assessor question relating to assessing a piece of earthmoving equipment. Is this item of plant fitted with a lifting point, (answer n/a if this item of plant does not have a lifting point fitted) if so, is it a closed eye type? (note: hooks with a latching device are not considered a closed eye type).
We have discussed this before. It is straight forward; hooks such as those in the images below do not meet the requirement. The lift point needs to be a closed lifting eye such as those in the images below:
The question that I received was not regarding the actual lift point on the machine but rather the ancillary lifting equipment connected to the actual closed eye on the machine. The question, which related to the following image, was: “Would it be considered reasonable to assume that the lifting point on the material handling arm is a closed eye type and the that shackle and latching hook be considered lifting equipment?”
The answer to this question is yes. The machine does have a closed eye lifting point and anything attached to that point should be considered lifting equipment. I refer to:
AS1418.1:2002 – Cranes, hoists and winches – General requirements has the following clause relating to hooks attached to lifting equipment.
7.23 Directly fitted hooks
Lifting hooks directly attached to structural members e.g. booms, jibs, lifting equipment, shall be suspended so that they can be freely displaced so that bending moments in the hook shank are avoided. An allowance shall be made for any increased hook load due to the most unfavourable angle of pull.
My only additional advice was to ensure that if additional lifting equipment is supplied with a machine that it meet the following requirements:
- Be compatible with the rated capacity of the machine &;
- If a hook is supplied, it must meet the requirements of AS 3777:2008 – Shank hooks and large eye hooks – Maximum 60t
Machines typically supplied with lifting hooks have the following question assigned in Plant Assessor which covers the marking requirements of AS3777:2008.
Does the lifting hook(s) fitted to this item of plant have the following permanently marked on it?
- The manufacturer’s id
- Working load limit
- A serial number linking it to a test certificate?
If any of these criteria are not met please note which in the assessor comment section for this question.
As always if you have any questions about this topic or any other Plant Assessor question please contact us, or send your enquiry through to info@assessor.com.au.
Disclaimer: This information is intended to provide general information on the subject matter. This is not intended as legal or expert advice for your specific situation. You should seek professional advice before acting or relying on the content of this information.
See our range of valuable features
