Section 1918.61 - General (See also appendix IV of this part)(a)Employer provided gear inspection. All gear and equipment provided by the employer shall be inspected by the employer or designated person before each use and, when appropriate, at intervals during its use, to ensure that it is safe. Any gear that is found upon such inspection to be unsafe shall not be used until it is made safe.(b)Safe working load.(1) The safe working load of gear as specified in §§ 1918.61 through 1918.66 shall not be exceeded.(2) All cargo handling gear provided by the employer with a safe working load greater than five short tons (10,000 lbs. or 4.54 metric tons) shall have its safe working load plainly marked on it.(c)Gear weight markings. The weight shall be plainly marked on any article of stevedoring gear hoisted by ship's gear and weighing more than 2,000 lbs. (.91 metric tons).(d)Certification. The employer shall not use any material handling device listed in paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section until the device has been certificated, as evidenced by current and valid documents attesting to compliance with the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section.(e)Certification procedures. Each certification required by this section shall be performed in accordance with part 1919 of this chapter, by a person then currently accredited by OSHA as provided in that part.(f)Special gear.(1) Special stevedoring gear provided by the employer, the strength of which depends upon components other than commonly used stock items such as shackles, ropes, or chains, and that has a Safe Working Load (SWL) greater than five short tons (10,000 lbs or 4.54 metric tons) shall be inspected and tested as a unit before initial use (see Table A in paragraph (f)(2) of this section). In addition, any special stevedoring gear that suffers damage necessitating structural repair shall be inspected and retested after repair and before being returned to service.(2) Special stevedoring gear provided by the employer that has a SWL of five short tons (10,000 lbs. or 4.54 metric tons) or less shall be inspected and tested as a unit before initial use according to paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section or by a designated person (see Table A in this paragraph (f)(2)). Table A
| Safe working load | Proof load |
| Up to 20 short tons (18.1 metric tons) | 25 percent in excess. |
| From 20 through 50 short tons (18.1 to 45.4 metric tons) | 5 short tons in excess |
| Over 50 short tons (45.4 metric tons) | 10 percent in excess |
(g) Every spreader that is not a part of ship's gear and is used for handling intermodal containers shall be inspected and tested before initial use to a proof load equal to 25 percent greater than its rated capacity. In addition, any spreader that suffers damage necessitating structural repair shall be inspected and retested after repair and before being returned to service.(h) All cargo handling gear covered by this section with a SWL greater than five short tons (10,000 lbs. or 4.54 metric tons) shall be proof load tested according to Table A in paragraph (f) or paragraph (g), as applicable, of this section every four years and in accordance with paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section or by a designated person.(i) Certificates and inspection and test records attesting to the tests required by this section shall be available for inspection.62 FR 40202, July 25, 1997, as amended at 65 FR 40945, June 30, 2000