When the load is hanging from the crane, there is no room for guesswork...
Is sling-angle and leg-tension math harder to verify than it should be?
Are outdated charts, small print, damaged equipment, or uncertainty about applicable standards slowing down lift decisions?
Does the crew need a practical reference that explains not only what to do, but how to check the decision before moving the load?
Industrial Rigging Handbook 2026-2027 is built as a practical field reference for qualified riggers, crane operators, signalpersons, foremen, apprentices, and other lifting personnel. It connects rigging theory with the decisions made on real industrial jobsites-from identifying the load and locating its center of gravity to selecting equipment, calculating forces, inspecting hardware, communicating movement, and controlling the lift. The handbook covers OSHA requirements, ASME B30 guidance, manufacturer information, employer procedures, and NCCCO Rigger Level I preparation while emphasizing verification against the requirements applicable to the actual task.
Inside, readers will learn how to:
- Identify load weight, dimensions, pick points, and center of gravity
- Select wire-rope, synthetic web, and roundsling configurations
- Apply vertical, choker, and basket hitches correctly
- Understand sling angles and calculate leg tension
- Evaluate unequal load sharing and offset loads
- Inspect slings, hooks, shackles, eyebolts, and other hardware
- Recognize defects and make defensible remove-from-service decisions
- Build practical lift plans from pre-task review through landing
- Verify rated capacity before committing the load
- Conduct controlled trial lifts and recognize unexpected load behavior
- Use hand signals, radios, and communication procedures effectively
- Manage blind lifts, swing-radius hazards, and line-of-fire exposure
- Approach irregular, flexible, tandem, and specialized lifts
- Understand modern HMPE, synthetic, soft-shackle, and wireless-monitoring equipment
- Prepare with terminology, calculations, scenarios, and practice questions for NCCCO Rigger competency areas
This is not a substitute for formal training, competent supervision, engineering review, manufacturer instructions, employer procedures, or applicable regulations. Instead, it gives working professionals a clear system for learning, checking, explaining, and verifying rigging decisions.
The practical format is designed for real-world use: readable explanations, worked examples, diagrams, inspection guidance, standards-navigation tools, formulas, checklists, dual-unit references, field scenarios, and certification preparation. Whether it is used in the truck, gang box, crane cab, training center, or at home before an exam, the goal is straightforward: know the load, know the equipment, know the forces, verify the limits, communicate the plan, and stop when the conditions are not understood or controlled.
If you want to build stronger rigging, inspection, calculation, and lift-planning skills, then make Industrial Rigging Handbook 2026-2027 part of your field reference library.
