With the continued escalation of product liability concerns, many of today's heavy industries are contemplating the outsourcing of repairs for their below hook lifting devices. While the arguments for keeping work in-house are valid for some types of equipment, there must be special safety considerations when dealing with overhead material handling equipment and lifters. It is the responsibility of the end user of this equipment to take all the proper steps to ensure the devices are suitable for operation at their rated capacity and are in compliance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) specifications and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

The best results regarding the repairs of below hook lifting devices can be obtained by dealing with organizations who are acknowledged as professionals in the design and manufacturing of new units, remanufactured units, and the repair of existing units. Their engineering capabilities help guarantee that the repairs are engineered and calculated as required avoiding any "best guess" scenario or, (worse yet) to be completely ignored. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) are most familiar with the proper specifications and regulations that govern the design of these devices. This assures proper function of the overhead equipment with the required safety factors and design considerations.

The ASME specification B30.20 for below hook lifting devices recommends a written record of the inspection of a lifting device at least quarterly for extreme duty applications. Additionally, a visual/functional inspection can be recommended as often as every shift. Most major lifting device manufacturers that get involved with repairs have an established inspection program that includes a written report, which details the findings. This procedure serves well with respect to liability issues and helps guarantee the overall safety of the lifting devices.

With respect to potential damage and failures, manufacturers familiar with the use and repair of below hook lifting devices know where to look, what to look for, and what future problems could develop. This knowledge will help to guarantee all high stress areas meet specifications. Additionally, other potential problem zones will be properly examined and NDT's (non-destructive tests) will be run on all load bearing components. Familiarity with the proper design criteria also means that engineers will know when something should be replaced versus repaired. A unit and/or some component thereof may need to be reverse engineered to check for safe operation. (For example, re-boring larger holes and then bushing with a hardened steel material often requires recalculating the lever strength based upon the new hole size). Present codes dictate welding must be done in accordance with AWS 014.1, which varies from standard structural welding practices. Often pre-heating and controlled cooling is required when dealing with the high strength materials used in these types of products.

Knowledge of the proper materials (and the procedures to work with those materials) is a key reason to deal with the OEM. Using improper materials and/or procedures on the various components of a lifting device can lower the safety factor and result in having an unsafe piece of equipment or one that violates safety standards "

A typical inspection procedure for repairing an overhead lifting device consists of the following:

• Receive the equipment at the designated company's facility.
• Unload and disassemble completely.
  
• Sandblast and/or clean as required.
  
• Have an experienced engineer or designer review all of the components.
  
• Perform recommended NDT (non-destructive tests).
• Write an inspection report and submit to the customer for disposition.
• Effect necessary repairs.
• Re-certify the equipment's integrity.
• Load and ship back to customer.

Photographs, material certificates, NDT reports, and ID markings as required can document procedures. A file is kept to provide complete history of the lifting device. Proper ID markings such as capacity, serial number, manufactured date, and unit weight are permanently affixed to the unit for tracking the life of the unit as well as maintaining a record of any chronic problems. This procedure will help reduce long term maintenance costs and down time.

The absence of having the necessary engineering support documentation for modifications and repairs has not only 'resulted in OSHA violations but also serious accidents and costly litigation.