Qualified rigger: what it means for the CHST

When a qualified rigger is required

Two places in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC name the qualified rigger:

• Assembly and disassembly. Rigging work during assembly or disassembly of the crane is done by a qualified rigger, under 1926.1404(r).
• Work in the fall zone. Under 1926.1425, when workers are hooking, unhooking or guiding a load, or making its initial connection to a structure, and they are within the fall zone, the load must be rigged to prevent it slipping or shifting, hooks need self-closing latches or an equivalent, and the materials must be rigged by a qualified rigger.

Outside those cases, the general rule is to keep workers out of the fall zone altogether.

The rigging terms around it

• Fall zone. The area where it is reasonably foreseeable that a partly or fully suspended load could fall if something went wrong, including but not only the area directly under the load. It is defined in 1926.1401.
• Tag line. A rope attached to the load and held by a worker to control swing and rotation, keeping their hands off the load and their body away from it.
• Working load limit. The most a sling or fitting may carry in service, as rated by its maker. It goes down as the sling angle flattens.
• Qualified signal person. The person giving signals to the operator when signals are required, qualified under 1926.1428.
• Competent person. Rigging equipment is inspected before use on each shift under 1926.251(a)(1); the competent person is named for specific sling types, such as alloy steel chain slings in 1926.251(b). See competent vs qualified person for the difference.

Planning the lift

A lift plan or job hazard analysis for a pick names who rigs, who signals, where the fall zone is and how people stay out of it. The plan is also where power line clearance and the swing radius of the crane are settled before anyone rigs.

Common mix-ups

• Qualified rigger is not a certification title. It is a capability the employer must be able to show.
• The fall zone is not only under the load. It covers where the load could foreseeably fall.
• A tag line does not make it safe to stand under the load.

On the CHST exam

Cranes and rigging are among the common hazards in the hazard and risk identification and control domain, 36.6% of the CHST.

Practice it

Our cranes and derricks guide maps Subpart CC section by section. Every term in this set is in the CHST terms glossary.

Know the terms? Take the free 10-question check

Take the free 10-question check. It covers the four CHST domains, needs no signup and explains every answer, so you see which domain to study first. The CHST study guide shows where each topic fits in a six-week plan.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by BCSP.

Sources

Show the list

• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, Cranes and Derricks in Construction, OSHA.
• 29 CFR 1926.251, Rigging equipment for material handling, OSHA.
• CHST Examination Blueprint (CHST5, V.2022.04.12), Board of Certified Safety Professionals.