Shackles for rigging

There are many jobs a rigger performs that require the use of shackles, that you may not be aware of, so lets look at the types of shackles used.
Shackles are used to connect wires, chains and link to other devices, allowing lifting and moving with ease.
There are two types of shackles that can be used that are either closed with a screw pin or a safety pin.
Shackles come in a range of colours to be easily identified to the type of task being performed. These colours of the shackles are bright and stand out. The main colours are Blue, Green and Silver.
What are the various types of shackles available?

Blue in colour :

• Bow shackles safety pin
• Bow shackles screw pin
• Dee shackles safety pin
• Dee shackles screw pin

Silver colour:

• Dee shackle

Green in colour:

• Bow shackle safety pin
• Bow shackles screw pin
• Dee shackle safety pin
• Dee shackle screw pin
• Heavy Duty Bow
• Sling
• Super
• Wide mouth

What areas can you see a shackle being used?

1. Safety Harness – a safety harness warn by a rigger has many dee or bow shackles connected to a belt, so as the rigger can be connected to an object, or attached to a crane for safety from falling.
2. Cranes – a shackle can be a permanent fixture to the end of the crane or simply attached to move objects securely and safely
3. Pulley System – you will find a shackle attaching a rope or sling to an object to allow the ease of lifting it as it may be too heavy for manual movement.

What is involved in being a rigger?

A rigger can be a versatile career path to take if your looking at become a rigger. Whether it be in construction, mining, defence force, and many other careers that involve lifting, pulleys and cranes.

It is certainly not a job for anyone, as it involves the physical fitness and strength to lift heavy objects, and being able to withstand extreme heights to perform tasks hanging in the air.

Most jobs as a rigger involve some form of qualification as you need to be prepared and understand the many safety aspects involved in being a rigger. As like most things you need to be shown how to do a job, and learn the many skills involved before you can perform the many tasks safely.

There are many questions you may want to have answered before you indulge deeper into choosing a rigger as a career path. Here are a few to help you decide.

What is involved in being a rigger?

Riggers require upper body strength for operating ropes on a pulley system to lift heavy objects. In the case of an object being to heavy to lift manually, a rigger is the person who operates a hoist or crane to perform this type of task.

Another rigger position may use a safety harness with shackles to be attached to scaffolding or a crane to perform maintenance.

How to become a rigger?

Approaching an employer would be one option as some tend to offer an on the job training, or an apprenticeship leading to a position.

Another way is to do some research online for courses to study, in regards to a specific qualification you may require prior to employment, or for added skills.

Rigging gear for the modern day rigger

A modern day rigger is commonly found either in construction or working on the docks. A riggers job is to oversee heavy lifting. In construction this may be moving concrete structures with a crane to build large buildings. On the docks they may also use cranes or forklifts to transport shipping containers to and from ships.
As well as working with large machinery for heavy lifting, some basic physics are required to ensure safety. The rigger must have a good understanding of the torque required for lifting large objects. Pulleys can be used to allow the rigger to lift loads with less effort.

Here are some common rigging gear accessories that are used in the day to day operations of a rigger:

• Ropes / Cables - These are essential for lifting and moving objects with the help of a crane or hoist
• Chains - A chain is an alternative to ropes and cables and are used in many hoisting devices.
• Shackles - Shackles can be used to connect chains or rope to an anchor point. They can also be used to feed rope through if you are lifting something from above similar to the way a pulley operates
• Slings - Are used to wrap around large bulky object.
• Hooks - These are essential for connecting the object and can be connected to chains or slings for great flexibility
• Blocks - Blocks are a type of wheel pulley to feed rope or chain through. It’s a type of overhead lifting device normally mounted to a roof.

Re-purposing your forklift with a jib

Many warehouses have forklifts for moving pellets from A to B, however the trusty forklift doesn't just need to be used for moving pellets. There are many add-ons that can help re-purpose your forklift to be used in a variety of different ways.

Overhead Lifting

If you have a need to lift a heavy object from above and using a forklift would damage the bottom of the item, you can purchase a forklift jib to lift from above. This devise is designed to attach onto the forks and they can be raised to make a mini crane. Heavy object can be lifted from above with the use of chains or slings.

Transport of chemical drums

If your company deals with dangerous chemicals there are attachments that add clamps allowing for the safe movement of 44 gallon drums. These clamps attach to the drums top and the bottom allowing the drum to stand upright.

People mover

You may be interest to know that your forklift is not limited to just moving product, you can also use it to move people. Goods cages are designed to allow a person to get inside of a box while another person operates the forklift. This can allow them to reach products of high shelves putting them in or out of the goods box. The box attaches to the forks making it a perfect people mover. This will allow your employees to safely lift hard to reach products without the use of ladders which can be quite dangerous if you have products on a ladder.

Heavy Lifting Equipment Essentials

When you think of heavy lifting equipment, the first thing that comes to mind is cranes or forklifts. But there are many more essential heavy lifting products on the market used by factories and warehouses all over Australia.

Heavy lifting supplies are essential to keep the industrial sector moving. Some of the more common unsung hero's that keep this industry alive are:

Chains

Without chains you wouldn't be able to lift essential heavy lifting equipment such as manual hoists and electric hoists. There are many different sizes in chain links to suit various applications.

Wire rope

Wire rope can be used for heavy lifting where synthetic rope wont do. Wire rope can be fitted to both winches and hoist. Wire rope can be also available in stainless steel to allow more strength and rust corrosion resistant than regular rope. Some types of wire rope can actually be binded or contain plastic in the core to allow more movement and be more flexible for its intended purpose.

Shackles

Shackles are essential for many reasons including linking chains together or anchoring chains to a fixed area. They can also be used with rope for tying off.

Slings

Slings are normally attached to chains and perform a vital role in rapping around awkward shaped objects for the purpose of dragging or lifting them. An example of this may be a large motor where more than one sling is used to wrap around the engine and lift it above by a chain hoist.

How to Be Safe with Spreader Beams

In major ports, just as at huge constructions sites, cranes have to lift massive amounts of weight on a daily basis.  This might include everything reinforced concrete for a parking garage or a shipping container full of new stereos from Japan.  When the loads are moved around, the procedure has to be precise for everyone’s safety and for the effectiveness of the job itself.  That’s why there are devices like spreader beams, also known as yokes.

These yokes are bars of metal that have a series of cables or ropes extended from a horizontal shaft below the boom of a crane.  The various ropes and cables balance the load of a heavy object, so it won’t swing, and so the contents shipping container won’t shift or get damaged as they are moved.   Other key tools like good hooks and slings are necessary.  Container spreader beams fit shipping containers that are 20 feet long or 40 feet long, the two standard lengths.  There are various models, ranging from a working load limit, or WLL, of 5 tons, up to one that is suitable for lifting 42 tons.  That’s a lot of stereos.

Because spreader beams deal with great deal of weight, safety is one of the prime concerns of the crane operator.  For example, they need to make sure a shipping container is intact and its load is balanced, then ensure the doors are closed.  They will also take care to use their slings and hooks appropriately.  Being methodical with this equipment is the only way to operate.

Safety is the key when operating lifting slings

The most important factor a person should consider while purchasing, operating or maintain a lifting sling is safety. One must regularly examine and inspect chains and lifting slings in order to watch for signs of wear and tear that could be fatal.

While choosing a lifting strap or slings, a person must make sure to check all the safety guidelines associated with the sling. This will increase the protection level that is being provided to the workers associated with the process. On the other hand, while operating lifting slings construction workers should focus on all their equipments.  Attention paid to safety while operation can bring down the number of accidents to a great level.

A lifting sling is used for a particular purpose and load. Always choose a sling that suits all the requirements. On the other hand, the load prescribed by the supplier should not be exceeded in any condition. Exceeding the weight limit of a sling can severely compromise the safety of the job site.

The workers operating the lifting sling should be trained in the task. A lay man handling a lifting sling with a huge load can be a danger to the lives of the people present at the work site.