$29.95
• ~45 minutes • English & Spanish • Instant printable certificate
Complete the online course at your own pace, pass the written test, and download your Certificate of Completion immediately.
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Overhead crane accidents trace back to a short list of causes: nobody checked the load weight against crane capacity, the rigging was improper or damaged, a side pull set the load swinging, mechanical defects like frayed cables and bent hooks stayed in service, or the travel path was never inspected. In one incident covered in this course, a moving bridge struck a scissor lift and dropped a worker 30 feet — a five-second travel-path check would have prevented it.
OSHA regulates overhead and gantry cranes under 29 CFR 1910.179 and slings under 29 CFR 1910.184 — frequent and periodic inspections, hook and hoist criteria, and rigging removal-from-service rules. Unlike mobile construction cranes, overhead crane operators are trained and qualified by the employer, which makes documented training the backbone of compliance.
This course puts unusual weight on rigging, because rigging is where overhead crane work goes wrong: daily inspection of chains, wire rope, and synthetic slings; removal criteria like three broken wires, missing tags, and visible wear cords; hitch selection and the capacity math behind vertical, choker, and basket configurations; and the shackle and eye bolt rules that prevent improvised — and fatal — connections.
Overhead crane safety is arithmetic plus inspection discipline. The course teaches both with the numbers below.
Safety factor: safe working load = rated breaking strength ÷ safety factor. Course example: a chain rated at 10,000 lbs with a safety factor of 5 carries a safe load of 2,000 lbs. Chains: minimum breaking strength ÷ 4; always confirm your company's factor with a supervisor.
| Hitch / Angle | Capacity (500-lb vertical-rated sling example) |
|---|---|
| Vertical hitch | 500 lbs — full rated capacity, but the load can rotate |
| Choker hitch | ~375 lbs (−25% from compression); pull tight before the lift, never during |
| Basket hitch at 90° | 1,000 lbs (2×) — requires a spreader bar or two lifting devices |
| Basket at 30° | half the strength of a 90° basket; angles under 30° are prohibited, 60°+ preferred |
| Component | Remove from Service When... |
|---|---|
| Hook | Stretched more than 15% of original throat opening or twisted more than 10% |
| Wire rope | 3 or more broken wires on a single strand |
| Chain | Cracks, distorted links, wear, kinks, knots — and grade marking below 5 |
| Synthetic sling | Missing tag, burns, cuts, broken stitching, or a visible red/blue wear cord (destroy the sling) |
| New slings | Must be proof-tested to 2× rated load — certificates available from the manufacturer |
This bridge crane and jib crane training covers inspection, operation, and rigging fundamentals:
These visuals come directly from the Bridge Crane & Jib Crane Training course your team will take — practical, field-tested material, not stock theory.
For overhead and gantry cranes, OSHA places training and qualification with the employer — there is no third-party certification requirement as with mobile construction cranes. That makes your documentation the whole story: formal instruction, written test, and a practical evaluation.
This course provides the first two and equips the third: your employer or trainer uses the included Operator Evaluation Checklist for hands-on verification and the Inspection Checklist for daily crane and rigging inspections.
