Hand chain hoists and lever operated hoist inspection

Pre-use inspection

The operator shall perform a pre-use inspection, if any deficiencies are found the equipment will be taken out of service and the supervisor notified.

1. Visually inspect all load chains for  gross damage that may be a hazard.
2. Hoist is properly secured.
3. The load does not exceed the load limit on the warning label.
4. Check that motions are smooth and regular with no hesitations, vibration, binding, unusual noise, or other irregularity.
5. Chain is not kinked or damaged.

Annual inspection

The Annual inspection may be performed with the hoist in its normal location and do not require the hoist to be dismantled. Covers and other items normally supplied to allow inspection of components should be opened or removed for these inspections.

Inspection items

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:
   1. Load blocks
   2. Suspension housings
   3. Hand chain wheels
   4. Chain attachments
   5. Clevises
   6. Yokes
   7. Gears
   8. Bearings
   9. Pins
   10. Rollers
   11. Locking and clamping devices
4. Damage or excessive wear on hook-retaining nuts or collars and pins and welds or rivets used to secure the retaining members.
5. Excessive wear or damage on load sprockets, idler sprockets, hand chain wheel, and drums or sheaves shall be checked for damage or excessive wear.
6. Hand chain-operated hoists checked for evidence of 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 load chains shall be checked for evidence of wear, corrosion, cracks, damage, or distortion.
10. Welded link hoist chain
11. Hooks

Welded chain inspection

1. The hoist shall be tested under load in lifting and lowering directions and the operation of the chain and sprockets shall be observed. The chain should feed smoothly into and away from the sprockets.
2. If the chain binds, jumps, or is noisy, it shall first be checked to ensure that it is clean and properly lubricated. If the trouble persists, the chain and mating parts shall be inspected for wear, distortion, or other damage.
3. The chain shall be examined visually for gouges, nicks, weld spatter, corrosion, and distorted links.
4. The chain shall then be slackened and the adjacent links moved to one side to inspect for wear at the contact points.
5. The chain should be measured according to the hoist manufacturer's instructions. If instructions are not available, the process shall continue as follows:
   1. An unworn, unstretched length of the chain shall be selected (e.g., at the back end)
   2. The chain shall be suspended vertically under tension, and using a calliper-type gage, the outside length of any convenient number of links shall be measured (approximately 12 to 24 inches overall)
   3. The same nu,ber of links in the used sections shall be measured and the percentage increase in length shall be 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 hte 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.