ne of the most hazardous activities carried out in general industry, construction, and maritime work is rigging. Rigging is the equipment or use of equipment used to support, lift, suspend, tow, or secure a load. These tasks involve wire ropes, strapping, chains, or slings to move and tie down materials or other objects, or using powered industrial trucks, cranes, or hoists. It often involves suspended loads, which is anything that is lifted above ground.

Suspended loads present a significant risk of objects falling or striking people or property, or of crushing injuries that could result in serious injury or death. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average of forty-two fatalities per year from 2013 to 2017 just involving cranes.

Rigging-related injuries are prevalent in maritime, oil and gas, and construction industries. The root causes of these incidents and accidents are lack of training, human error, and equipment failures. Understanding the exposures of rigging and applying appropriate workplace controls are key to performing this work in a safe manner.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has multiple Code of Federal Regulations-related rules for rigging. The most important is the Qualified Rigger requirement. OSHA states, “All loads shall be rigged by a qualified rigger.”

A qualified rigger is a person who possesses a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing; has extensive knowledge, training, and experience; and can successfully demonstrate the ability to solve problems related to rigging loads. Each qualified rigger may have different credentials or experience. Employers must determine whether a person is qualified to perform specific rigging tasks.

An employer must ensure that the individual can perform the rigging work required for the specific types of loads and lifts for a certain assignment. Qualified rigger training prepares workers to safely handle and manage loads during lifting operations, understanding, and applying compliance with OSHA regulations and industry standards and best practices. Training for riggers must occur before any work begins.

The formal training for riggers should include proper selection, inspection, and use of rigging gear; proper signal practices; and load stabilization. It should also include sections on hazard identification and correction, situational awareness for suspended loads, and an understanding of knots, hitches, and slings.

The training focuses on hazard identification and correction, proper equipment selection and use, rigging techniques, and load stability. However, this training does not qualify the rigger to rig unstable, unusually heavy, or eccentric loads that may require a tandem lift, multiple lifts, or the use of custom rigging equipment.

A certified rigger is a professional who has completed a formal training program and passed exams demonstrating their knowledge and skills in rigging practices, load handling, and safety procedures. Certification is typically provided by accredited organizations such as the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. Riggers do not have to be certified by an accredited organization, but they may choose to be to ensure competency and have documentation of standardized training. One important thing to remember is that evaluating whether an employee qualifies for a particular rigging job is always the responsibility of the employer.

OSHA also requires crane operators to have a similar program of training and competency assessments as riggers. The employer “must ensure that each operator is trained, certified/licensed, and evaluated in accordance with this section before operating any equipment.” In addition, where licensing is required by local jurisdictions, crane operators testing must be “accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on that agency’s determination that industry-recognized criteria for written testing materials, practical examinations, test administration, grading, facilities/equipment, and personnel have been met.” Operators should also have a good understanding of what riggers do and should be able to communicate clearly with the worker to ensure that both employees are always working as a team.

At the job site, it is critical that the operations begin with a lift plan, job hazard analysis, or job task analysis. This team-driven exercise will help everyone understand what crane and rigging exposures exist at the work location, and doing so creates proper, adequate controls that will reduce risk by ensuring that each load is picked, delivered, and received without creating any incidents or accidents.

Safe work practices should be employed and always enforced during these inherently dangerous tasks. For example, employees in the work zone must avoid the swing radius of the crane and avoid being directly under a suspended load at any time. Avoiding “line of fire” exposures is paramount, and watching out for the entire jobsite is a team effort. The use of taglines is an important tool in the rigging and crane safety toolbox. A tagline is a fiber rope attached to a lifted load for purposes of controlling load spinning and direction during material handling operations. This line will help distance the riggers from the load, help assure stabilization of the lift, and reduce pinch points.

Riggers liability insurance covers a contractor’s liability arising from moving property and equipment that belongs to others, such as lifting a mechanical unit to the top of a commercial building. The standard commercial general liability policy does not cover this risk due to the exclusion for “personal property of others in your care, custody, or control.” This coverage protects against potential liabilities and financial losses associated with damaging property. Companies purchase a riggers liability insurance policy to cover that action. Policies are generally included in an inland marine policy or added as an endorsement to general liability policies. Insurance companies will normally have questionnaires for the riggers liability policy about whether crane operators or riggers are qualified or certified and about the amount, type, and values of third-party objects being moved. Underwriters who are assessing the risk on behalf of the insurance company will rate the premiums based on those answers.

Companies with qualified riggers and operators tend to receive more favorable rates and lower premiums, whereas businesses without that level of training and experience will pay more—if they can get insurance for that activity at all. Some insurance policies have clauses that require individuals operating specialized equipment or performing specific tasks to be properly qualified or certified.

Lastly, an insurance company might deny a claim if a business or individual knowingly uses an unqualified rigger and if that lack of qualification directly contributes to an accident due to negligence. Failure to comply with OSHA regulations could also be a basis for an insurer to deny a claim. It is best to work closely with a commercial insurance agent to completely understand what the insurance policies do and do not cover.

According to Konecranes Training Institute, a 2011 review of 249 overhead crane incidents over a ten-year period revealed 838 OSHA violations, which resulted in 133 injuries and 133 fatalities. Key highlights include 34 percent of worker fatalities and 37 percent of worker injuries came from being crushed by loads. Furthermore, 27 percent of the crane incidents were due to dropped loads caused by rigging failure, 12 percent of the incidents were from falls from height (including from cranes), and 11 percent of the injuries were due to workers being struck or run over by cranes (of which, 93 percent of those injuries were ultimately fatal).

Formal training, adequate supervision, and adequate workplace safety protocols can help reduce these numbers and keep our state and the economy growing. But most importantly it will protect the workers, who will always be Alaska’s best resource and most cherished part of every community.