Lifting Gear & Equipment Inspection

Lifting gear and equipment inspection in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the UAE — third-party thorough examination of slings, shackles, wire rope, eyebolts and lifting accessories onshore and offshore, with proof load testing and certification by an ISO 17020 accredited, ADNOC approved inspection body. Last reviewed: August 2026.

Lifting accessories fail without warning and rarely give a second chance. A sling that has been dragged over a sharp edge, a shackle with a replaced pin of unknown grade, a wire rope with corrosion inside the core — none of these are obvious to the person about to use them. Independent examination at defined intervals is how they are found.

Equipment inspected

• Chain slings and components
• Webbing and round slings
• Wire rope slings and grommets
• Wedge sockets and rope terminations
• Shackles of all types
• Eyebolts and lifting points
• Pad eyes and welded lugs
• Plate clamps and steel clamps
• Turnbuckles and rigging screws
• Sheave blocks and snatch blocks
• Lifting beams, spreaders and frames
• Pallet stackers and drum handlers

What the examination covers

• Verification of identification marking, safe working load and traceability to the original certificate
• Chain slings examined for stretch, wear at the bearing points, nicks, gouges, bent or twisted links and heat damage
• Webbing examined for cuts, abrasion, chemical attack, UV degradation, heat damage and broken stitching
• Wire rope assessed against the discard criteria of ISO 4309 — broken wires, corrosion, deformation, diameter reduction and core condition
• Shackles checked for pin condition, correct matched pin, distortion, wear at the crown and thread damage
• Eyebolts and pad eyes examined for thread condition, seating, distortion and cracking
• Clamps checked for jaw and cam wear, spring function and pivot condition
• Sheave and snatch blocks examined for sheave wear, bearing condition and side plate distortion
• Non-destructive testing of load-bearing components where condition or standard requires it
• Review of the item's history and previous examination records

Proof load testing

Proof load testing is carried out on new gear, after repair or modification, after replacement of a load-bearing component, and at the intervals your specification requires. The load is applied at the multiple of safe working load stated in the applicable standard, held for the specified period, and the item is examined afterwards for permanent deformation or cracking. Testing is performed with calibrated equipment and recorded values.

Textile slings are generally examined rather than proof loaded, since the test itself can damage the webbing. Where load testing would harm the item or is not called for by the standard, we will say so.

Standards applied

Examination follows ASME B30.9 for slings and B30.26 for rigging hardware, ISO 4309 for wire rope discard criteria, EN 13414 and EN 1492 for wire rope and textile slings, and LEEA codes of practice for lifting accessories. Where a client works to LOLER, examination is planned to meet thorough examination requirements. Manufacturer instructions are applied alongside the standard for item-specific criteria and service life limits.

Examination intervals

Lifting accessories require pre-use inspection by the user and periodic thorough examination by a competent person. Intervals are set by the governing authority and by conditions of use — six months is common for accessories, shorter where equipment is used for lifting persons, offshore, or in corrosive or high-duty-cycle service. Examination is also required after any overload event, after repair, and where the item's history is unknown.

Colour coding and register control

Gear passing examination is colour-coded on site to the current period so that anyone picking it up can see at a glance whether it is in date. Failed gear is tagged for immediate withdrawal and reported for physical removal — defective accessories left in a store find their way back onto a job. Where we hold your lifting equipment register, we track due dates and notify you before certificates lapse mid-project.

Onshore and offshore

Examination is carried out at your site, yard, warehouse or offshore facility. Offshore lifting gear is subject to accelerated deterioration from salt exposure and is normally examined more frequently, with particular attention to corrosion at terminations and inside wire rope cores.

Accreditation and approvals

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Certificates are issued in the format required by the governing authority, including Dubai Municipality and the Dubai free zone authorities, and inspection is carried out across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern Emirates. Examination can be scheduled alongside crane, hoist and fall protection inspection in a single attendance.

What you receive

• An inspection certificate for the gear examined
• A report listing each item by identification number with its individual result
• Clear pass, quarantine or withdraw status for every item, with the reason recorded
• Proof load test results where load testing was carried out
• Photographic evidence of defects found
• Colour-coded tagging applied on site
• Your lifting equipment register updated, where we hold it