wire rope clips osha price

This responds to your June 1, 1999, letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), requesting information on wire rope and Crosby clips used around the perimeter of buildings as a guardrail. You also requested clarification on when employees must tie-off when a guardrail system is removed to facilitate hoisting operations. We apologize for the long delay in providing this response.

Question 1: How many Crosby clips are required to be used when setting up a wire rope guardrail? Is it permissible to splice two wire ropes by overlapping or must the connections be turned back into eyelets and properly secured?

Answer: For construction work covered by 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, §1926.502(b) sets forth the criteria that must be met when using wire rope as a guardrail. The standard requires guardrails to meet several specific criteria. For example, 1926.502(b)(3) states that the guardrail shall be capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge, in any outward or downward direction, at any point along the top edge. Section 1926.502(b)(4) states that when the 200 pound test load noted in §1926.502(b)(3) is applied in a downward direction, the top edge of the guardrail shall not deflect to a height less than 39 inches above the walking/working level. Section 1926.502(b)(9) states that the top rail and mid-rails shall be at least ¼-inch nominal diameter or thickness to prevent cuts and lacerations. These and other criteria must be met when using wire rope as a guardrail around the perimeter of a building.

The OSHA standard does not specify a minimum number of clips when using wire rope as a guardrail. However, as a practical matter, it is unlikely you could meet the specific requirements under §1926.502(b) unless you follow the manufacturer"s recommendations for the number of clips to be used on wire ropes of different diameters (for example, the Crosby Group Inc. general catalog, 2000 edition has tables showing their recommendations for their clips). Also, note that OSHA"s standard for rigging equipment used for material handling, 29 CFR §1926.251, has a table for the number of clips required for wire rope ½-inch and greater. Although that standard does not apply to wire rope used for guardrails, when you design a rope system to meet the §1926.502 requirements, following those tables will normally ensure that you have enough clips.

If you need additional information, please contact us by fax at: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, Office of Construction Standards and Guidance, fax # 202-693-1689. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail.

This is in response to your letter dated February 4, 2003, to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). You ask for an interpretation of our fall protection standard §1926.502 (fall protection systems criteria and practices) regarding the use of U-bolt-type clamps. We apologize for the delay in providing this response.

Under Subpart M, is it permissible to use U-bolt-type clamps in the design of a wire rope horizontal lifeline attached to a billboard, with the saddle on the live side of the cable?

a supported scaffold consisting of a platform supported by brackets which are secured in place around the circumference or perimeter of a chimney stack, tank or other supporting structure by one or more wire ropes placed around the supporting structure.

…Where wire rope is used to secure brackets, U-bolt clips shall not be used because a segment of damaged dead end could later become part of the live end due to an increase in the circumference of the structure. By contrast, the standard allows U-bolts in other applications, such as where the U-Bolt is used at the end (dead end) of the wire rope and that part of the wire rope is never moved into the live section… [Emphasis added.]

As explained in the preamble to the scaffold standard, the reason this prohibition was included in the scaffold standard for repair bracket scaffolds was that the U-bolt clips often pinch and decrease the strength of the rope. Since repair bracket scaffolds must be expanded as the work progresses, the pinched (and weakened) part of the wire rope would eventually wind up in the "live end." This, then, was a concern that was specific to repair bracket scaffolds, and therefore the prohibition was included only for that type of scaffold.

As you indicated in your letter, there is no similar restriction on the use of U-bolt clips in Subpart M. As long as the strength and other criteria requirements in §1926.502 for horizontal lifelines are met, the U-bolt clips may be used. When rigged with the saddle side of the clip on the live (loaded) portion of the line, the pinching/damage will typically be limited to the dead end of the rope, and thus not decrease safety.

Note, though, that if you were to reconfigure the system after the clips had damaged part of the wire rope so that the damaged section became part of the "live end" of a horizontal lifeline, it is unlikely that you would be able to meet the strength requirements in §1926.502. Also, under §1926.502(d)(21):

If you need additional information, please contact us by fax at: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, [Office of Construction Standards and Compliance Guidance], fax # 202-693-1689. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail.

The 3/8" drop forged wire rope clips are use for horizontal lifeline systems to form loop end connections. 3/8" Thimbles should be used along with this type of set up.

SafelineFP’s Personnel Safety Netting (PSN) systems are tested and compliant with ANSI A10.11 2016 for use as fall protection. Our handrails comply with OSHA standards and are tested and exceed ANSI A10.11 safety requirements.

Employers must not use improved plow-steel wire rope and wire-rope slings with loads in excess of the rated capacities (i.e., working load limits) indicated on the sling by permanently affixed and legible identification markings prescribed by the manufacturer.

An eye splice made in any wire rope shall have not less than three full tucks. However, this requirement shall not operate to preclude the use of another form of splice or connection which can be shown to be as efficient and which is not otherwise prohibited.

Wire rope shall not be used if, in any length of eight diameters, the total number of visible broken wires exceeds 10 percent of the total number of wires, or if the rope shows other signs of excessive wear, corrosion, or defect.

Except for eye splices in the ends of wires and for endless rope slings, each wire rope used in hoisting or lowering, or in pulling loads, shall consist of one continuous piece without knot or splice.

Cable laid and 6 × 19 and 6 × 37 slings shall have a minimum clear length of wire rope 10 times the component rope diameter between splices, sleeves or end fittings.

Fiber core wire rope slings of all grades shall be permanently removed from service if they are exposed to temperatures in excess of 200 °F (93.33 °C). When nonfiber core wire rope slings of any grade are used at temperatures above 400 °F (204.44 °C) or below minus 60 °F (15.55 °C), recommendations of the sling manufacturer regarding use at that temperature shall be followed.

Wire rope slings shall have permanently affixed, legible identification markings stating size, rated capacity for the type(s) of hitch(es) used and the angle upon which it is based, and the number of legs if more than one.

When a rope bridle is used to suspend the personnel platform, each bridle leg must be connected to a master link or shackle (see paragraph (g)(1) of this section) in a manner that ensures that the load is evenly divided among the bridle legs.

Cable guardrails are commonly seen on construction projects. Although they can provide adequate protection at perimeter edges, they often have issues with the way they are installed. Risk Managers should keep the below in mind to share with their workers and safety committees. If properly constructed and maintained, cable guardrails can provide compliant fall protection in numerous situations.

Typically, cable guardrails are erected by ironworkers at the final interior and exterior perimeters of floors upon completion of installing the deck. However, cast-in-place concrete structures may transition from wood guard rails to cable guardrails installed by carpenters. As part of the floor turnover process for a steel or concrete building, controlling contractors often times direct the contractor who installed the system to leave the perimeter cables in place until the fall exposure is removed by setting windows or curtain wall. At this point, the controlling contractor inspects and accepts control of the fall protection if it meets the following criteria set forth by OSHA 1926 Subpart M regulations:

It is highly recommended anyone who installs or maintains safety cables be trained and authorized. These systems are initially compliant, but when tampered with or removed by others throughout the course of construction and not replaced properly, they can be a safety concern.

Excessive Deflection or Sagging – incorporate turnbuckles to allow for easy tightening of the cable. Another option is to keep a cable puller and wire rope grip attachment handy in order to tighten cable guardrails easily.

System Not Properly Terminated – common issues include wire rope clips installed backwards, not enough wire rope clips, and the cables are improperly spliced. The U-Bolt of the clip should be applied to the dead end of the wire rope and the saddle on the live end. This is what the phrase,“Never saddle a dead horse!” refers to. There should be at least two clips installed for wire rope that is ¼” – 3/8” in diameter. Lastly, the preferred method to terminating the wire rope or splicing two wire ropes together is to turnback the ends through each eye as seen in the diagrams.

An alternative method to splicing two wire ropes together is to lay the wire rope ends parallel and correctly apply the proper amount of wire rope clips as depicted in the diagrams.

Safety cable guardrails can provide OSHA compliant fall protection for employees on a construction project. However, they must be continuously inspected and maintained to ensure compliance with OSHA 1926 Subpart M standards.

Let me take you back a few years to discuss sling changes. Three underlying causes for this evolution are reliability, handleability, and cost. OSHA, in 1971, left sling capacity up to the users. Tables listed; construction of rope, type of Eye end connections, rope diameter, and how used (choker, etc.) for the user to ponder capacity!

The Flemish eye, Molly Hogan, or a Farmer’s eye – all synonyms – are preferred, reliable. To construct, untwist (open) the rope with three strands on one side and three strands plus the core on the opposite. The loop develops (eye) when the “two-sides” are re-formed back together. A sling with a thimble is shown in Fig. 2. Reliable is achieved when the sleeve is swaged up to 300 tons pressure.

Tests show the frictional grip of the strands, under tension, will hold up to 22% of the breaking strength of the rope before failure. Even with no fitting applied, that would equal a 5 to 1 factor of safety. Today, the two-sides are cut off at the “crotch” of the eye. A tapered steel sleeve is slipped over the crotch and crimped to hold the eye, to as much as 90% of the ropes breaking strength, keeping the ends locked.

Back in the day, the two-sides were closed to the crotch; the excess is pulled over the rope and re-laid together, forming a “pigtail.” Fig. 3. Wire rope clips were used to secure the live end to the pigtail dead-end, locking the eye just as the swaged fitting today. Thus, a rigger, on the tailgate of his truck, in 15 minutes, could fabricate a completed “field splice.” A thimble clip-on was available.

A field splice is a term I first heard around the Post Korean Wartime era. It meant precisely that. The sling, being very adaptable, were used for many types of work – in the “field.” A guy would form an eye in a wire rope, when and where it was needed! Those eyes were hand tuck, wire rope clips, wedged sockets, Flemish eyes, and pored zinc spelter sockets. These slings were used to pull equipment, haul logs, tie-down trucks, and lift loads.

“The times they are a-changing boys.” And how! The building is faster, higher, heavier, and more costly. People in the field are erecting towers, build skyscrapers, or replacing heat exchangers. It’s just too expensive to be sitting around, whittling away on wood or forming make-shift eye splices from used rope, ah, the good ole days.

So, the “certified sling” with a capacity tag attached to the rope, load tested to 150% of capacity, and the quality control program of the fabricator was born. (But the kids should know, some of us could do it right – out in the field.)

(a) Scope. This section applies to slings used in conjunction with other material handling equipment for the movement of material by hoisting, in employments covered by this Part. The types of slings covered are those made from allow steel chain, wire rope, metal mesh, natural or synthetic fiber rope (conventional three strand construction), and synthetic web (nylon, polyester, and polypropylene).

“Cable laid endless sling-mechanical joint” is a wire rope sling made endless by joining the ends of a single length of cable laid rope with one or more metallic fittings.

“Cable laid grommet-hand tucked” is an endless wire rope sling made from one length of rope wrapped six times around a core formed by hand tucking the ends of the rope inside the six wraps.

“Cable laid rope sling-mechanical joint” is a wire rope sling made from a cable laid rope with eyes fabricated by pressing or swaging one or more metal sleeves over the rope junction.

“Master link” or “gathering ring” is a forged or welded steel link used to support all members (legs) or an alloy steel chain sling or wire rope sling. (See Fig. N-184-3.)

“Strand laid endless sling-mechanical joint” is a wire rope sling made endless from one length of rope with the ends joined by one or more metallic fittings.

“Strand laid grommet-hand tucked” is an endless wire rope sling made from one length of strand wrapped six times around a core formed by hand tucking the ends of the strand inside the six wraps.

“Strand laid rope” is a wire rope made with strands (usually six or eight) wrapped around a fiber core, wire strand core, or independent wire rope core (IWRC).