Destroying Rigging for Disposal

I have always been told bad rigging must be cut up so as to render it no longer usable before throwing away

TM 5-725 Army Techincal Manual Rigging, 1968
Stage Rigging Handbook, 2nd Ed. 1997 Jay O. Glerum
Wire Rope Users Manual 3rd Ed. 1993 Wire Rope Technical Board
Handbook for Riggers W.G. Newberry 1989
The Crosby Group Product Application Seminar Workbook, The Crosby Group ED. 7.

In short re-reading so far, I could find info on cable cutting a bad section for re-use but nothing so far specific to disposal of bad rigging so as to require destruction. Will do more reading but anyone know where this concept of taking extra time to destroy it came from?

So are you now responsible for checking in, inspecting, and storing all your companies rigging gear? Or is there just a barrel of "spansets/gackflex/baskets/shackles" that "could" be bad you and get to dig through it? Are you really telling me your that your company does not have an ETCP arena rigger on staff to do this kind of thing or to train staff to do this kind of thing? The power tools thing also concerns me, but that is a different thing all together.

Also, get rid of the angle grinder. You want to get rid of stuff quick, get an acetylene torch with a cutting head. You'll go faster and the stuff will be gone quicker. Cutting through a 5/8" shackle with a cutoff wheel is a big cut.

As for how to inspect what you have, a simple call to whoever you bought it for will lead you to that. I would assume all of your rigging steel is tagged, should be simple to track that back. Every manufacture will have their own version of what is considered out of service. However, I feel that in the business we are in the second something is even considered "should this be taken out of service..." it should be taken out of service.

Shop staff for the most part has had training on inspection etc. My task was to go thru the road cases full of rejected stuff & verify bad or in a handful of cases that it was ok. Rigger on staff would be nice in many ways.

Like the torch idea, thanks.

Generally, liability concerns are the main reason for destruction of bad rigging. There have been a number of cases where items have been discarded in a dumpster and someone else pulls it out to be used, only to have it fail on them. This has resulted in civil charges (Jay Glerum had mentioned a few when I took his class, but I don't have those notes right now). Anyhow, by destroying it, you can ensure that no one else will use it and have it fail on them. One company I worked for would even require us to cut up ladders when taken out of use.

ruinexplorer said:

Generally, liability concerns are the main reason for destruction of bad rigging. There have been a number of cases where items have been discarded in a dumpster and someone else pulls it out to be used, only to have it fail on them. This has resulted in civil charges (Jay Glerum had mentioned a few when I took his class, but I don't have those notes right now). Anyhow, by destroying it, you can ensure that no one else will use it and have it fail on them. One company I worked for would even require us to cut up ladders when taken out of use.

Click to expand...

Yep. Just finished an OSHA class and covered a similar topic but pertaining to ladders, which should be cut up or otherwise destroyed prior to disposal. When I worked at Lowe's this usually involved the defective or damaged ladder being wedged between a forklift and some other solid object. The ladders always seemed to lose.

hmm, thanks all in such rigging going directly to the scrap yard, but scrap yards also salvage. Bought a great C-16 tool that on a one by one basis as they come in as opposed to road case full of them, I can easier destroy what I find bad. Shop upper management is against labor for a tech person spending like a day or more in cutting up bad stuff given road cases full of it. Fine with that, this in that bad rigging should be inspected and destroyed upon management approval on a as seen basis. Suppose I'm that role now in destroying and taking it out of the system daily as as found opposed to road cases of it being rejected.

As long as rigging is taken to me when bad it will be destroyed when I approve it's destruction and not go into a road case of it which will take hours to destroy. Good for all management compliance in getting done. Me more study I am doing but given the above good books and training I destroy what is not safe.