Document No: 723590-1
Revision: D
Issue Date: 2023-Jan-30
Page 17 of 45
This document and all copies are the property of Safeworks, LLC. All dimensions and data are indicative only.
The user must ensure that the equipment complies with local rules and regulations.
4.3 Wire Rope Inspection
The need for replacement of suspension wire ropes shall be determined by regular inspection and
shall be based on the condition of the wire rope inspected. Wire rope in active service should be
visually inspected
once every working day
. A thorough inspection shall be made once a month,
or before each use if the suspension wire ropes have been inactive for 30 days or longer and are
placed into service. Dated and signed monthly reports indicating the condition of the ropes found
during inspections must be kept.
Any of the following conditions, or combination of conditions, shall be considered as sufficient
reason for the removal of the wire rope from service:
Wire rope with one or more of the following defects shall be removed and replaced immediately:
1. Whenever there is severe corrosion. Any development of slight corrosion shall be noted
and watched closely;
2. Whenever there are broken wires, as follows:
a. When there is more than one valley break. A valley break is a wire break occurring in
the valley between two adjacent strands.
b.
When there are six (6) randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay or three (3)
broken wires in one strand in one rope lay. (A rope lay is the length along the rope in
which one strand makes a complete revolution around the rope.)
3. Whenever there are broken wires in the vicinity of attachments. If this condition is
localized in an operating rope, the section in question may be eliminated by making a
new attachment. This may be done instead of replacing the entire rope.
4.
Whenever there is abrasion, scrubbing, flattening, or peening that causes loss of more
than one-third of the original diameter of the outside wires.
5. Whenever there are severe kinks, crushing, bird-caging, or other damage resulting in
distortion of the rope structure.
6. Whenever there is evidence of any heat damage resulting from a torch or caused by
contact with electrical wires; and when the reduction from the nominal diameter of the
rope is:
a. More than 1.2 mm (0.047 in.) for diameters up to and including 20 mm (0.78 in.)
b. 1.5 mm (0.059 in.) for diameters 22 to 28 mm (0.87 to 1.10 in.)
c. 2.5 mm (0.01 in.) for diameters 32 to 40 mm (1.26 to 1.57 in.)
7. Always inspect the wire rope termination and refer to the manufacturer’s inspection
procedures.
