Quarterly Colour-Code Tagging of Chains, Slings and Lifting Gear

Lifting gear is subject to the same WHS duty as the crane itself — it must be inspected and maintained by a competent person so it stays without risk. The challenge is volume. A busy site may hold dozens of slings, chains and accessories, and there is no practical way to check the paperwork for each one before every lift. Colour-code tagging solves this by giving each quarter a colour, so a single glance confirms whether an item has been inspected within the current period.

The system draws on the AS 2550 safe-use approach and the inspection principles in the AS 1418 family for lifting attachments. It does not replace formal inspection — it makes the results of that inspection instantly visible on the workshop or site floor, which is exactly where the go or no-go decision is made.

A four-colour rotation is assigned to the four quarters of the year, and the colours cycle so no two consecutive quarters share a colour. At the start of each quarter, a competent person inspects each item of lifting gear and, if it passes, fits or updates a tag in that quarter's colour. Any item still displaying an old colour has missed its inspection and must be removed from service until it is checked.

The strength of the approach is its simplicity. Riggers and dogmen do not need to memorise dates or hunt for certificates; they only need to know the current colour, which is displayed prominently at the gear store. An out-of-colour sling is quarantined immediately, removing the risk of a lapsed item being used under time pressure.

• Assign a distinct colour to each of the four quarters
• Inspect all lifting gear at the start of each quarter
• Tag passed items with the current quarter's colour
• Display the current colour clearly at the gear store
• Quarantine any item showing a previous quarter's colour

Colour tagging is only as good as the inspection behind it. For chain slings, the inspector checks for stretch, wear at bearing points, cracks, gouges, heat damage and bent or opened links, measuring against the manufacturer's discard criteria. Fibre and synthetic slings are checked for cuts, abrasion, chemical damage, UV degradation and the integrity of stitching and eyes, with any exposed core yarn being an immediate reject.

Wire rope slings are inspected for broken wires, corrosion, kinking, birdcaging and damage to ferrules and terminations. Shackles, hooks, eyebolts and other accessories are checked for deformation, wear, thread damage and the presence of a legible working load limit marking. Any item without a clearly identifiable rated capacity is unfit for use, regardless of its apparent condition.

Each tagged item should be uniquely identifiable and recorded in a lifting gear register that lists its type, rated capacity, unique identifier and inspection history. The colour tag on the floor and the register in the office are two halves of the same system — the tag gives instant field visibility, and the register gives the documented history a regulator or auditor expects to see.

Traceability also supports failure analysis. If a sling is damaged in service, the register shows when it was last inspected, by whom and against what criteria, allowing a proper investigation rather than guesswork. Discarded items should be recorded as destroyed and physically rendered unusable so they cannot re-enter service, closing the loop on the whole process.

The most common failure is a system that exists on paper but not in practice — tags fitted without a real inspection behind them. This is worse than no system, because it creates false confidence in gear that may be defective. A tag must only ever be applied after a genuine competent inspection, and shortcuts here directly endanger the people underneath the load.

Other pitfalls include inconsistent colours across sites, tags that fade or fall off, and gear brought onto site by subcontractors that has never entered the register. A disciplined program controls all lifting gear that will be used, insists on the current colour before any item is picked up, and rejects untagged or unidentifiable equipment on sight.

Cranes Australia inspects and tags chains, slings, shackles and lifting accessories to keep your quarterly colour-code system honest and current. We assess each item against the correct discard criteria, maintain your lifting gear register and remove failed items from service, so your riggers can trust every tag they see.

Call 0416 689 689 to set up or refresh your quarterly tagging program. We will make sure the gear carrying your loads is inspected, identified and safe on every lift.