17.8.1 Marking

Marking should be directly onto the outer cover or on a label attached to the outer cover of the roundsling. This marking must be such that it will not affect the safety of the sling when in use. Depending on the standard being worked to for some slings the material from which the sling is constructed will be identified by the colour of the label: for polyester slings this will be blue, for polyamide (nylon) green and polypropylene brown. Integral fittings and coupling components should be individually marked to identify them with the appropriate record.

In addition to the information required by the applicable legislation and standard the markings on the label should indicate the following minimum information:

  1. SWL in straight pull or for the appropriate range of angles in the case of multi-leg slings.

  2. Distinguishing mark(s). (If the manufacturer has not provided a unique serial number then it is the responsibility of the user to add the identification mark to identify the equipment with the inspection and examination reports)..

  3. Nominal length.

  4. Material of the roundsling

  5. Manufacturer’s name or identification.

  6. Year manufacture

Additionally the label may show the mode factors or SWLs for various modes of use and the grade of fitting if applicable.

Warning

Some slings are dyed with a colour code to indicate the working load limit of the roundsling in straight pull. The WLL may also be indicated by stripes or lines running along the length of the sling, i.e. 1 stripe = 1 tonne, 2 stripes = 2 tonnes and so on. Older slings may be marked with alternative colours or no specific colouring. For these reasons and due to the fact that a large proportion of the working population are colour blind to some degree, the user should always check the label to confirm the WLL of the sling.