IMCA Marine Division

Publication Details

Guidance on the Use of Cable Laid Slings and Grommets

IMCA has published this guidance to update and replace that previously published by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the form of its Guidance Note PM20 (Plant & Machinery Series 20). The original was considered a useful, practical guide that found favour with contractors around the globe and this new edition seeks to continue and extend its application.

The guidance was originally prepared by a working group of experts in 1987 and was intended to be mainly of assistance to those concerned with the use of cable laid slings and grommets in very heavy lifting operations. Such operations often use cable laid slings and grommets of 100mm diameter and over, as developed for use in the offshore oil industry. These are generally too large for existing test equipment to be used to test the rope sample to destruction. This note, therefore, gives advice on their construction, rating, testing, certification, examination and use.

There is a European standard for grommets and slings, which is European Standard EN 13414-3:2003. That standard states that it covers ferrule-secured cable-laid slings up to 60mm (diameter), although it does include some information about larger sizes; but will in any event not apply to most IMCA members because, as stated in Annex ZA to that standard, those excluded from the standard include "(8). - means of transport, i.e. vehicles and their trailers intended solely for transporting passengers by air or on road, rail or water networks, as well as means of transport in so far as such means are designed for transporting goods by air, on public road or rail networks or on water [vehicles used in the mineral extraction industry will not be excluded.], (9). - seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units together with equipment on board such vessels or units".

The detailed passages of the document deal with key rope design and usage parameters such as wire rope make up, testing, calculation of break load, splices and termination efficiency and working load limit as well as giving guidance on inspecting, marking, matching, using and bending slings.

HSE has advised that, although it no longer issues this type of guidance, it would not be adverse to operational practices which followed the guidelines formerly available in PM20. With the approval of HSE, IMCA has therefore reproduced an updated version of PM20 to provide guidance on good practice in the use of cable-laid slings and grommets.

Contents

• Introduction
• Cable laid slings
• Sling rating
• Termination
• Cable laid grommets
• Grommet rating
• Test and certification
• Identification and marking
• Inspection through examination
• Record of lifts
• Appendices
1. Method of calculating minimum breaking force
2. Consolidation test certificate
3. Certificates of dimensional conformity
4. Certificate of examination
5. Assessment of the condition of the sling or grommet and discard guidance
6. Combinations of lay directions and lay factors for cable laid slings
7. References