21 Sling Inspection & Removal Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. On a construction site under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251, how often must slings and other rigging equipment used for material handling be inspected?

   • A.Before the first lift of each month, and after any lift above 75% of capacity
   • B.Once a week by the site superintendent, with the log kept in the jobsite office
   • C.At the start of each calendar quarter, and again whenever a new crew takes the gear
   • D.Prior to use on each shift, and as necessary during use to keep it safe to use✓ Answer

   The construction standard ties the inspection to the shift, not to the calendar: rigging equipment must be inspected prior to use on each shift and as necessary during use, and anything damaged or defective comes out of service immediately. A weekly or monthly schedule would let a sling that was cut, kinked or burned on one shift be picked up and used on the next.

   Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251(a)(1)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. Under ASME B30.9, what does a frequent inspection of a sling consist of, and what record must be kept?

   • A.A measured examination once a month, with the readings entered in an inspection log
   • B.A visual examination for damage each shift before use, with no written record required✓ Answer
   • C.A visual examination each shift before use, recorded on a tag attached to the sling
   • D.A visual examination once a year, with a certificate signed by the person inspecting

   A frequent inspection is the shift-by-shift visual check a designated person makes before the sling is used, and the standard deliberately requires no written record for it, so that the check is never skipped for paperwork. Written records belong to the periodic inspection, where the most recent one is documented.

   Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

3. 3. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184 in general industry, who must inspect a sling and all its fastenings each day before it is used?

   • A.A qualified person holding an engineering degree, before the sling is used that day
   • B.A third-party inspector retained by the sling maker, on a monthly visit to the plant
   • C.A competent person designated by the employer, before the sling is used that day✓ Answer
   • D.Any trained employee on the crew, as long as a supervisor signs the inspection sheet

   The regulation names a competent person designated by the employer, and it adds that further inspections are made during use where service conditions warrant. Many study decks in circulation say "qualified person" here, but that term belongs to the ASME language about judging deficiencies, not to the OSHA daily inspection.

   Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(d)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. A designated person inspecting a sling under ASME B30.9 finds a deficiency. Who decides whether that sling may go back into service?

   • A.The designated person who found it, if the sling still lifts the test load
   • B.The qualified person, who judges whether the deficiency presents a hazard✓ Answer
   • C.The sling manufacturer, by telephone approval noted in the daily work record
   • D.The crew supervisor, once the load is reduced to half the sling's rated load

   ASME splits the two roles on purpose: a designated person performs the inspection and reports what is found, while a qualified person evaluates whether the condition is a hazard and is the only one who can authorize return to service. Reducing the load or passing a field pull does not cancel a listed removal condition.

   Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

5. 5. Under ASME B30.9, what number of broken wires in the body of a single-part, strand-laid wire rope sling requires removal from service?

   • A.Ten broken wires counted anywhere along the full length of the sling body
   • B.Ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or five in one strand✓ Answer
   • C.Five randomly distributed broken wires measured over six rope diameters
   • D.Twenty broken wires in one rope lay, or ten broken wires in one strand

   Both halves of the rule matter, and the familiar shorthand "ten broken wires" drops the second half. Five breaks concentrated in one strand within a single lay signal localized damage to one load path, which is more dangerous than the same number scattered across the rope, so that count is set lower.

   Source: ASME B30.9 Slings; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(f)(5)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. When broken wires are counted "in one rope lay," what length of rope is that?

   • A.The length in which one strand makes one complete turn around the rope core✓ Answer
   • B.The distance between two adjacent sleeves or splices on the body of the sling
   • C.The distance in which one strand wraps three degrees around the core of the rope
   • D.The length equal to six times the nominal diameter of the rope, measured anywhere

   A lay is one full 360-degree revolution of a strand around the core, so the length changes with rope construction and diameter but always covers every strand exactly once. That is what makes it a fair window for counting breaks; a widely copied flashcard saying "three degrees" is simply garbled.

   Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A wire rope sling has severe localized abrasion on one side of its body. Under ASME B30.9, at what point does that wear require removal from service?

   • A.When it wears the outside individual wires by one-third of their own diameter
   • B.When it reduces the nominal diameter of the rope by more than 5 percent✓ Answer
   • C.When it leaves a polished flat area longer than one full rope diameter
   • D.When it reduces the nominal diameter of the rope by more than 15 percent

   ASME measures the whole rope: severe localized abrasion or scraping that takes more than 5 percent off the nominal rope diameter is a removal condition, because metal ground off the crowns of the outer wires is strength removed from the load path. The one-third-of-an-individual-wire figure is the OSHA wording for the same defect, not the ASME one.

   Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

8. 8. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, what amount of wear or scraping on a wire rope sling is a removal-from-service condition?

   • A.One-tenth of the original diameter of the rope body as a whole
   • B.Five percent of the nominal diameter of the rope at the worn spot
   • C.One-third of the original diameter of the outside individual wires✓ Answer
   • D.One-half of the original diameter of the outside individual wires

   OSHA words this criterion at the individual wire: wear or scraping of one-third the original diameter of the outside individual wires takes the sling out of service. The 5 percent figure describes the same damage but is the ASME threshold measured on the nominal rope diameter, so the stem's cited document decides which number applies.

   Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(f)(5)Report a problem with this question

9. 9. Under ASME B30.9, a wire rope sling with a fiber core must not be used or exposed at temperatures above which limit?

   • A.1,000 degrees F
   • B.400 degrees F
   • C.180 degrees F✓ Answer
   • D.600 degrees F

   The fiber core is the weak link thermally: it dries out, shrinks and loses its ability to support the strands long before the steel is affected, and the strands then lose their spacing and their share of the load. The 400 degrees F figure is the point at which an independent wire rope core sling calls for consulting the manufacturer.

   Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

10. 10. A rigger inspecting an alloy steel chain sling finds the links worn thin where they bear against one another. Under ASME B30.9, what determines whether the sling is removed from service?

    • A.Whether the link thickness at any point falls below the standard's minimum✓ Answer
    • B.Whether the overall reach of the sling has stretched more than three percent
    • C.Whether the worn links still hinge on one another without binding under load
    • D.Whether the wear can be seen plainly without measuring the link with a gauge

    Chain wear is judged by measurement, not by feel: the thickness is measured at the worn point and compared with the minimum allowable thickness the standard lists for that chain size. Wear happens where links bear on each other, so the thinnest section governs the strength of the whole sling.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Which of the following findings requires an alloy steel chain sling to be removed from service under ASME B30.9?

    • A.Weld splatter fused to the links from hot work done alongside✓ Answer
    • B.The grade and the reach stamped on the tag by the manufacturer
    • C.A master link that turns freely as the legs are spread for the pick
    • D.Light surface rust that wipes off the links during the inspection

    Weld splatter is listed on its own because the arc that threw it locally reheats the alloy, undoing the heat treatment the chain's rating depends on, and the hardened bead also hides cracks beneath it. Light rust that wipes away, free articulation and correct tag markings are all normal, acceptable findings.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

12. 12. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, an alloy steel chain sling heated above which temperature must be permanently removed from service?

    • A.400 degrees F
    • B.600 degrees F
    • C.200 degrees F
    • D.1,000 degrees F✓ Answer

    Above 1,000 degrees F the alloy's heat treatment is altered permanently, so no amount of cooling restores the rated strength and the sling can never go back into service. Between roughly 600 and 1,000 degrees F the chain is still usable but the working load limit must be reduced as the manufacturer directs.

    Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184Report a problem with this question

13. 13. A 2 in. nylon web sling is checked before a lift. Which finding is listed in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184 as a reason to remove it from service?

    • A.A rated-load tag that shows the vertical hitch capacity
    • B.A crease where the sling was folded in the gang box
    • C.Dry concrete dust clinging to the face of the webbing
    • D.Broken or worn stitching in a load-bearing splice area✓ Answer

    Stitching is the only method allowed for forming eyes and attaching fittings on a web sling, so the thread in a load-bearing splice is the load path itself, and broken or worn stitches there appear on the regulation's short removal list. Dust and a fold crease are housekeeping, and a tag showing the vertical rating is normal marking.

    Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(i)(9)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. To take up slack, a rigger ties a knot in the body of a polyester web sling. Under ASME B30.9, how does that affect the sling?

    • A.The knot is itself a removal condition, so the sling comes out of service✓ Answer
    • B.The knot is permitted when the rated load is cut by fifty percent
    • C.The knot is permitted if it is kept clear of the load-bearing splice
    • D.The knot is permitted only on the leg carrying the lighter share

    Knots in any part of a web sling are a listed removal condition, because the tight bend crushes some fibers and forces the rest to carry more than their share, and the resulting strength loss cannot be measured in the field. Slings are never shortened with knots, bolts or other makeshift devices.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A synthetic web sling has broken stitching in a load-bearing splice. Under ASME B30.9, what may be done with that sling?

    • A.The crew may tape over the splice and use the sling below half capacity
    • B.The sling manufacturer may restitch the splice and return it to service
    • C.The user may restitch the splice if it is proof tested to twice rated load
    • D.The splice may never be repaired, so the sling is permanently retired✓ Answer

    Web slings may be repaired by the manufacturer or a qualified person and then proof tested to twice the rated load, but load-bearing splices are the one part the standard puts off limits, because a restitched splice cannot be proven to develop the original strength. Temporary field repairs such as tape are never allowed.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

16. 16. Under ASME B30.9, nylon and polyester web slings and roundslings must not contact objects or be used at temperatures above which value?

    • A.180 degrees F (82 C)
    • B.194 degrees F (90 C)✓ Answer
    • C.250 degrees F (121 C)
    • D.200 degrees F (93 C)

    ASME sets the synthetic sling working range at 194 degrees F (90 C) down to minus 40 degrees F, because above that the fibers soften and take permanent set long before any visible charring appears. The 180 degrees F figure is OSHA's limit for nylon and polyester, and 200 degrees F is OSHA's limit for polypropylene.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A polyester roundsling has a clean cut through the outer cover, and the core yarns underneath are visible but look undamaged. Under ASME B30.9, what is the correct action?

    • A.Return the sling to service, since the cover itself carries none of the load
    • B.Wrap the cut with tape and make the lift with the load reduced by half
    • C.Remove the sling from service, since exposed core yarns disqualify it✓ Answer
    • D.Mark the tag down to choker use only and keep the sling in the rotation

    The cover of a roundsling is a wear indicator, not a load-carrying part: it exists so that damage shows up before the core is reached. Once a hole, cut, tear, snag or abrasion exposes the core yarns, the condition of the load-bearing core can no longer be verified, and core yarns are never repaired.

    Source: ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

18. 18. Under ASME B30.9 and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, a metal mesh sling must be removed from service when the diameter of the mesh wire is reduced by how much?

    • A.25 percent by abrasion, or 15 percent by corrosion✓ Answer
    • B.10 percent by abrasion, or 5 percent by corrosion
    • C.15 percent by abrasion, or 25 percent by corrosion
    • D.33 percent by abrasion, or 20 percent by corrosion

    The corrosion figure is the tighter of the two because rust does not stop at the surface it is measured on: it works into the wire and into the joints, so less visible loss is tolerated than from clean abrasive wear. Broken welds along the edge, broken mesh wires and locked spirals are separate removal conditions on the same list.

    Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(g)(9); ASME B30.9 SlingsReport a problem with this question

19. 19. A natural fiber rope sling is inspected before use on a construction job. Which finding is listed in OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251 as requiring removal from service?

    • A.A light sheen on the strands from long use in dry work
    • B.Strand tails projecting past the last tuck of a splice
    • C.Powdered fiber found between the strands of the rope✓ Answer
    • D.A thimble seated in the eye splice at the upper end

    Powder between the strands is ground-up fiber, which means the rope has been working internally and losing strength where no one can see it, so it heads the regulation's list along with abnormal wear, broken or cut fibers, variation in strand size or roundness, discoloration or rotting, and distorted hardware. A thimble and projecting strand tails are correct practice, since tails are left long rather than trimmed flush.

    Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251Report a problem with this question

20. 20. A hook attached to a sling is inspected against ASME B30.10. An increase in the throat opening requires removal at what point?

    • A.5 percent, not to exceed 1/4 in., or as the manufacturer states✓ Answer
    • B.10 percent of the original throat dimension, measured at any point
    • C.20 percent, or any opening that lets the latch miss the hook tip
    • D.15 percent of the normal throat, measured at its narrowest point

    A throat that has spread at all means the hook has been loaded past its yield point, so ASME sets a deliberately small allowance and caps it in absolute terms, and it also rejects any visibly apparent bend or twist out of the plane of the unbent hook. The 15 percent and 10 degree figures come from the OSHA sling standard, so the document named in the question decides which threshold applies.

    Source: ASME B30.10 HooksReport a problem with this question

21. 21. A rigger finds a condition on a sling that requires removal from service. What must physically happen to that sling?

    • A.It stays with the crew after the rated load on the tag is cut in half
    • B.It stays in the gang box for light loads until a replacement arrives
    • C.It goes back on the rack with the defect circled in chalk on the body
    • D.It comes out of the work area at once and is tagged out or destroyed✓ Answer

    Removal from service means physical separation, not a note: a defective sling left in the rack or the gang box will be picked up by the next person who needs one, chalk mark or not. Rigging equipment not in use must be taken out of the immediate work area, and a rejected sling returns only if a qualified person approves it after evaluation or repair.

    Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251; ASME B30.9 SlingsReport 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 →