A suspended load will rotate and swing. The question is whether anyone is in
the way when it does.
Why hands will not do
Steering the load by hand puts you against it, in crush risk, with no way clear
if it moves quickly. § 18-3 is precisely about preventing anyone being exposed to
danger when a load is lifted. See the article Nobody under the load.
The tag line
- Long enough that you stand outside the load’s path, including as it swings
- Attached so it cannot snag or be carried up with the load
- Never wrapped around hand, arm or body — it must be droppable
- Free of knots and damage that make it catch in the grip
- One person per line, with an agreed task
The line controls rotation. It will not stop a load that is starting to swing in
earnest — the answer there is to set it down, not to catch it.
Rotation that should not be steered away
If the load rotates because the hook sits off the centre of gravity, that is not
a job for the tag line. The load goes down and is re-rigged. See
centre of gravity and
balance.
Wind
A load with a large surface catches wind like a sail, and the tag line becomes a
rope between you and something that pulls. The wind limits are in the crane’s
documentation — see wind for current conditions.
The capacity is on the sling, not on this page. This section explains the geometry and the method. It states no working load limits and no reduction factors for hitch types — those differ between slings and belong to the equipment's own marking, its certificate, and the assessment made at sakkyndig kontroll. Calculate the force with the calculator; read what the sling will take off the sling. If the two do not agree, the lift does not happen.