21 Hardware & Device Inspection Practice Questions & Answers
Every Hardware & Device Inspection practice question from the Rigger Level I (NCCCO) Practice Test, with the correct answer and a short explanation.
Start practice test →1. Under ASME B30.10, a hook must be removed from service when the throat opening has increased by how much?
- A.20 percent of the original opening, measured at the widest point
- B.15 percent of the original opening, measured at the narrowest point
- C.5 percent of the original opening, not to exceed 1/4 in.✓ Answer
- D.10 percent of the original opening, not to exceed 1/2 in.
A throat that has spread means the hook has already yielded and lost strength, so ASME B30.10 sets the removal point at a 5 percent increase in throat opening, capped at 1/4 in. (6 mm). The 15 percent figure belongs to OSHA 1910.184 and is the less restrictive of the two; where both apply, the tighter ASME criterion governs in practice.
Source: ASME B30.10 HooksReport a problem with this question
2. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, a sling's hook is removed from service when the throat has been opened by more than what amount, and where is that measured?
- A.More than 5 percent, measured at the widest point of the throat
- B.More than 10 percent, measured across the tip and the shank
- C.More than 25 percent, measured at the base of the hook bowl
- D.More than 15 percent, measured at the narrowest point of the throat✓ Answer
OSHA's sling standard requires removal of hooks that are cracked, twisted more than 10 degrees, or opened more than 15 percent of the normal throat opening measured at the narrowest point, because permanent spread proves the hook has been overloaded. Candidates must read the stem for the governing authority, since ASME B30.10 uses a stricter 5 percent figure for the same defect.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184Report a problem with this question
3. A hook is being inspected under ASME B30.10. Which twist condition requires removal from service?
- A.A twist of more than 10 degrees measured from the plane of the unbent hook
- B.A twist of more than 15 degrees measured against the axis of the shank
- C.A twist or bend from the plane of the unbent hook that is visibly apparent✓ Answer
- D.A twist that can be felt by hand but cannot be seen under good light
ASME B30.10 sets no degree figure for twist: any bend or twist out of the plane of the unbent hook that is visibly apparent is a removal condition, because visible distortion means the hook has been loaded past its yield point. The 10 degree figure is OSHA's wording in 1910.184, not ASME's.
Source: ASME B30.10 HooksReport a problem with this question
4. Under ASME B30.10, wear in the bowl or saddle of a hook requires removal from service when it exceeds what portion of the original section dimension?
- A.15 percent of the original section dimension, measured at the shank
- B.10 percent of the original section dimension, measured at any point✓ Answer
- C.25 percent of the original section dimension, measured at the neck
- D.5 percent of the original section dimension, measured at the tip
The saddle carries the bending load, so metal worn away there directly reduces the section that resists that bending; ASME B30.10 therefore sets removal at wear exceeding 10 percent of the original section dimension at any point. Measure against the hook's original dimension or the manufacturer's catalog figure, not against a neighboring worn area.
Source: ASME B30.10 HooksReport a problem with this question
5. A hook that is required to have a latch is found with the latch bent so that it no longer closes against the tip. What does ASME B30.10 require?
- A.The hook stays in service because the latch carries no part of the load
- B.The hook may be used if the sling eye is seated deep in the bowl
- C.The hook is removed from service until the latch is replaced✓ Answer
- D.The hook may be used when the load stays under half the rated load
Where a latch is required, ASME B30.10 makes an inoperative, damaged or missing latch a removal-from-service condition, so the hook comes out of service until the latch is repaired or replaced. It is true that the latch carries no load, but its job is to retain a slack sling in the bowl, and a latch that will not close cannot do that.
Source: ASME B30.10 HooksReport a problem with this question
6. A rigger finds a shackle whose original pin is missing, with a bolt and nut fitted in its place. What is the correct determination?
- A.The shackle is out of service; only the manufacturer's pin is acceptable✓ Answer
- B.The shackle may be used for straight in-line pulls but not for angular loading
- C.The shackle may be used at full rated load because the bolt is high strength
- D.The shackle may be used if the rated load is cut in half for the substitution
A shackle is rated as a matched assembly of body and pin, and ASME B30.26 treats a pin that is not the manufacturer's as an unauthorized modification, so the shackle comes out of service until the correct pin is fitted. An ordinary bolt has a rolled thread and an unsuitable shank geometry for the bending and shear a shackle pin sees, and it carries no rated load matched to that body.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
7. Under ASME B30.26, what identification must a shackle carry?
- A.The body shows the rated load only; the pin needs no marking at all
- B.The body and the pin each show a serial number tied to a test certificate
- C.The body shows the maker, rated load and size; the pin shows maker and grade✓ Answer
- D.The body shows only the maker; the pin shows the rated load and the size
ASME B30.26 requires the shackle body to show the manufacturer's name or trademark, the rated load and the size, and the pin to show the manufacturer's name or trademark plus its grade or material type, which is how an inspector confirms body and pin are a matched set. The user is responsible for keeping those markings legible for the whole service life of the item.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
8. Under ASME B30.26, a shackle is removed from service when wear or gouging has reduced the bow or the pin by what amount?
- A.5 percent of the original or catalog dimension at the crown
- B.20 percent of the original or catalog dimension at the pin
- C.10 percent of the original or catalog dimension at any point✓ Answer
- D.15 percent of the original or catalog dimension at the eyes
The 10 percent rule is the single number that repeats through ASME B30.26 for hardware: a reduction of the original or catalog dimension by more than 10 percent at any point is a removal condition, because the design factor is built on the full cross section. It applies anywhere around the bow, at the ears and along the pin, so the inspector checks the whole item, not just the crown.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
9. A screw-pin shackle is made up and the shoulder of the pin does not seat flush against the body. What does this tell the rigger?
- A.The pin is not fully engaged, so the shackle must not be used that way✓ Answer
- B.The pin is acceptable as long as a wire tie is run through the eye of the pin
- C.The pin is correctly made up, since a small gap lets it turn freely under load
- D.The pin is acceptable if the shackle is loaded in line with the bow only
A screw pin is rated only when it is fully threaded home with the shoulder seated flush against the body, because that seating is what carries the pin in shear across the full section. A gap means incomplete engagement, which throws the load onto a few threads and lets the pin bend, and ASME B30.26 lists incomplete pin engagement as a removal or do-not-use condition.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
10. A turnbuckle is sound in every respect, but its manufacturer's markings have worn away and cannot be read. Under ASME B30.26, what is the correct action?
- A.It is kept in service after the size and rated load are stamped on by hand
- B.It is kept in service but derated to half the rated load shown in the catalog
- C.It is kept in service until the next periodic inspection, then re-marked
- D.It is removed from service, because legible identification is required for use✓ Answer
Missing or illegible identification is by itself a removal-from-service condition in ASME B30.26, since without the marking nobody can prove the item's rated load, size or grade, and an unrated component has no known capacity. Stamping new marks in the field is worse, not better: it is an unauthorized modification and the stamp itself raises a stress concentration.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
11. Which finding requires an eyebolt to be removed from service under ASME B30.26?
- A.The shank is bent or the eye is stretched out of its original shape✓ Answer
- B.The threads hold a coat of grease left from the last installation
- C.The eye carries a light film of surface rust over the forged shoulder
- D.The shank shows machining marks left from its original manufacture
A bent shank or a stretched eye is permanent distortion of a load-bearing component, which ASME B30.26 lists as a removal condition because the metal has already yielded and the eyebolt will not carry its rated load again. Light surface rust, original machining marks and grease on the threads are ordinary conditions; excessive pitting and corrosion, not a light film, is what fails an item.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
12. A swivel hoist ring is being inspected before installation. Which finding requires it to be removed from service?
- A.The bolt threads have been lightly oiled before being torqued down
- B.The ring is seized and does not pivot freely when it is unloaded✓ Answer
- C.The bushing flange bears flat against the machined load surface
- D.The body carries a torque value stamped next to the rated load
A swivel hoist ring earns its rating by aligning itself with the pull, so ASME B30.26 makes failure to pivot and rotate freely when unloaded a removal condition: a seized ring is side loaded instead of aligned. The other three describe correct conditions, since hoist rings are marked with a torque value as well as the rated load and must be torqued down with the bushing flange flat on the load surface and no washers or spacers beneath it.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
13. A master link and a welded ring are inspected before a lift. Which finding requires removal from service?
- A.A weld arc strike on the link where a welding ground had been clamped✓ Answer
- B.A light coat of paint applied over the forging after the last lift
- C.A slight ovality in the ring that matches its catalog dimensions
- D.A rated load stamped on the flat of the link by its manufacturer
An arc strike is heat damage: the spot is quenched by the surrounding cold metal, turns hard and brittle, and becomes a crack starter in an alloy component that depends on its heat treatment. ASME B30.26 lists indications of heat damage, including weld spatter and arc strikes, among the removal conditions for links, rings and swivels.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
14. A turnbuckle is inspected before it goes into a rigging assembly. Which condition makes it unfit for use?
- A.The frame is stamped with the maker's name and with the rated load
- B.The end fittings show bare thread outside the body of the frame✓ Answer
- C.The jam nuts are run down tight against the ends of the frame body
- D.The end fittings turn smoothly through their full range of adjustment
Thread showing outside the frame means the end fittings are not fully engaged, and ASME B30.26 makes incomplete thread engagement of the end fittings a do-not-use condition because the load is then carried by too few threads and the exposed thread can bend. Legible markings, smooth adjustment and tight jam nuts are all signs of a serviceable turnbuckle.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
15. A shackle is found with a crack in the bow during a pre-use inspection. What must be done with it?
- A.It is taken out of service at once and kept where it cannot be used again✓ Answer
- B.It is kept in use until the periodic inspection measures the crack's depth
- C.It is set aside and used only for loads under half of its rated load
- D.It is put back in the gear box with the crack marked in paint for later use
OSHA requires that defective rigging equipment be removed from service immediately, and a crack is a growing defect that can part the shackle without warning at any load, so derating it is meaningless. Removal only counts if the item is physically controlled, tagged or destroyed, because gear left in the box with a paint mark finds its way back onto a hook.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251; ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
16. Someone proposes to weld up a worn shackle bow in the field. What does ASME B30.26 require for repairs and modifications?
- A.The repair is allowed on the bow but never on the pin or the threads
- B.The repair is made only as the manufacturer or a qualified person specifies✓ Answer
- C.The repair is allowed if the shackle is heat treated after the welding
- D.The repair is allowed when a certified welder uses a low hydrogen rod
ASME B30.26 allows repairs and modifications only as specified by the manufacturer or a qualified person, and it separately lists evidence of unauthorized welding or modification as a removal-from-service condition. Field welding on a heat-treated alloy component destroys the heat treatment that gives the shackle its rated load, and the welder's certification does not change that.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
17. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, a sling with all its fastenings and attachments must be inspected each day before use by whom?
- A.A third party inspector holding a state issued certification
- B.A competent person designated for that purpose by the employer✓ Answer
- C.A crew member with more than one year of rigging experience
- D.A qualified engineer retained by the equipment manufacturer
OSHA's sling rule puts the daily pre-use inspection of the sling and all its fastenings and attachments on a competent person designated by the employer, that is, someone able to identify the hazard and authorized to take corrective action. ASME uses different words for the same tier of inspector, calling this person a designated person and reserving qualified person for engineering judgments.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(d)Report a problem with this question
18. Under ASME B30.20, how must the rated load of a below-the-hook lifting device be shown?
- A.On the paperwork kept in the site office with the lift plan
- B.On the sling set that was supplied together with the device
- C.On the hook block of the crane that will carry the device
- D.On the main structure or on a tag attached to the device✓ Answer
ASME B30.20 requires the rated load to be marked on the main structure of the lifter or on a tag securely attached to it, so the rigger can read the capacity at the device instead of hunting for paperwork. Where a lifter is built of detachable components, each component carries its own rated load marking, and a lifter whose marking is missing or illegible is removed from service.
Source: ASME B30.20 Below-the-Hook Lifting DevicesReport a problem with this question
19. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251, a special custom-designed lifting clamp must be marked with its safe working load and proof tested to what level?
- A.200 percent of its rated load, carried out by a registered engineer
- B.100 percent of its rated load, witnessed by the device's manufacturer
- C.150 percent of its rated load, repeated at least once every 12 months
- D.125 percent of its rated load, carried out before it is put into use✓ Answer
OSHA 1926.251(a)(4) requires special custom-design grabs, hooks, clamps and other lifting accessories to be marked with their safe working loads and proof tested to 125 percent of that rating before use, because a one-off device has no production test history behind it. ASME B30.20 matches this with a 125 percent load test for new, altered, repaired or modified lifters.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(4)Report a problem with this question
20. A vertical plate clamp is inspected before lifting a steel plate. Which finding requires it to be taken out of service?
- A.The clamp shows its rated load and a serial number on the housing
- B.The plate thickness falls inside the range stamped on the clamp body
- C.The pivot pin turns freely and its retaining ring is fully seated
- D.The cam and jaw teeth are rounded off and no longer bite the plate✓ Answer
A plate clamp holds by biting into the plate, and the grip tightens as the load pulls on the cam, so rounded or packed teeth let the plate slip out under load; ASME B30.20 makes worn or damaged gripping surfaces a removal condition. The inspection also covers the spring, the pivot and the marked thickness and hardness range, all of which are correct in the other three findings.
Source: ASME B30.20 Below-the-Hook Lifting DevicesReport a problem with this question
21. A rigging block is inspected before it is hung. Which finding requires the block to be removed from service?
- A.The sheave is cracked at the flange and the groove is worn oversize✓ Answer
- B.The sheave turns freely by hand and carries a light coat of grease
- C.The rope in use matches the rope size marked on the shell of the block
- D.The shell is stamped with the rated load and with the maker's trademark
A cracked flange can let the rope jump the sheave, and a groove worn oversize no longer supports the rope, so it flattens and the wires break faster; cracks and excessive wear in load-bearing parts are removal conditions for rigging hardware under ASME B30.26. Free rotation, legible markings and a rope that matches the size marked on the block are the conditions an inspector wants to find.
Source: ASME B30.26 Rigging HardwareReport a problem with this question
Practice questions built from the published NCCCO Rigger Level I written examination outline and the consensus rigging practices of the ASME B30 series and the OSHA rigging regulations. CCO and NCCCO are marks of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCCCO. This bank covers the WRITTEN examination only — Rigger Level I certification also requires a hands-on practical examination that no multiple-choice question can prepare you for, and there is no substitute for supervised practice with real gear. Capacity always comes from the identification tag and the manufacturer's rating for the specific sling, shackle or device in your hands, never from a practice question. Confirm current requirements with NCCCO before testing. Official exam outline →