16.9.4 Thorough examination
The webbing sling must regularly be thoroughly examined by a Competent Person to check whether it remains safe to use. This is to be done within a maximum period of 6 months unless a written scheme of examination (for guidance refer to LEEA 032 Guidance to Written Schemes of Examination), drawn up by a competent person is in place and operating.
Reports of thorough examination should be compliant with the legal requirements or the LEEA template report documents, retained and cross referenced to the sling’s historical records for inspection by the Competent Person or the enforcement authority.
Any defects found by the examination should be reported to the owner of the equipment, who must assess the root cause of the defect and implement procedures to prevent reoccurrence, e.g. training of operators, increased inspections, etc., before remedying the equipment and returning it to service.
The competent person may deem it necessary to supplement their examination with testing. Such testing could be NDT, overload testing, etc. The nature and extent of testing is always at the discretion of the competent person in support of their thorough examination.
Unless a mandatory requirement of the applicable national legislation or manufacturer, LEEA does not recommend the routine overload testing of slings. This is because overload testing has few benefits and number of disadvantages;
Some manufacturers do not recommend overload tests, except in ‘exceptional’ circumstances.
Repeated overloads can cause deterioration of the equipment over time.
Most failures are the result of defects such as tears, cuts, etc. that will not be revealed by an overload test but can be identified during thorough examination.
Defects such as tears, cuts, etc. can be made worse by overload testing but may still not be identified by the test.
Inspection bodies do not recommend it as there is no defined structural or mechanical benefit