I am trying to find out if it is safe and/or legal to cut a crane's wire hoist rope with a torch. I would also like to get OSHA citation or industry standard citations with your answer, please.
extremely tough thing. lookup at search engines like google. it may help!
Scroll down to item 20 here;
Inside a wire rope you will find bundles around bundles with some type of anti friction material ..sometimes its looks like a thread or some string or perhaps a mylar sheath. Even paint is used..When you cut the rope with a torch you devaluate the end but you accomplish another thing. You sear the end and can avoid fraying..Everyone has seen the tail of a wire rope wrapped with wire (soft steel) . This is done to accomplish the task of keeping the end from fraying ...Hers why..A u-bolt type clamp may be used at the end of the rope if the rope frays then the bundles take on less area making the bolt loose..The button you have created by using a torch can be dressed and all of the slag removed then you can unwind the cable on three bundles of seven and re-wrap in opposite directions to form a loop..The same applied to weaving the loose end back on itself ..Here is the drawback to the torch if your going to use a compressed collar connection then the end needs to be cut again with a water cooled saw so the end has the same metallurgy / annealing factor as the rest...There is a lot more to rigging a crane and making slings than first meets the eye..Please get a little help when you start...If this is going to be used to pull your 4 wheeler out of the mud though just use common sense ...Most slings are made on company grounds by a qualified millwright who has shown by his tenior that he can accomplish his job..In the line of work he has chosen certification by the plant which answers to OSHA are in place. If you look at this link it might help...BE SAFE..from the E www.osha /doc/outreachtraining...
