ASCCSAFE Spring 2025

Ground-Level Rigging for Safer Column Form Handling

Swing-lock column forms (such as those from Gates or Atlas) present two primary hazards during setting and stripping: the risk of falls when workers climb to attach or detach rigging, and the risk of tipping when forms aren’t properly secured. Recognizing these hazards, one crew implemented a smart solution: pre-attaching dedicated metal wire rope slings to the manufacturer-approved hoisting points at ground level using proper rigging practices and hardware such as shackles.

The slings are purchased at a specific length, allowing the eyelets to hang low enough that they can be accessed from the ground or a secure platform when it’s time to hoist the column form into place or remove it after stripping. This eliminates the need to climb the column, significantly reducing both fall and tipping hazards.

Additional benefits of this approach include:

• Durability: Metal cable slings are more resistant to the elements than synthetic slings, which can degrade from UV exposure or be damaged by concrete splatter.
• Inspection compliance: Select slings with metal tags stamped with manufacturer information, rather than nylon tags, which can tear or fade over time. Proper identification ensures slings can be inspected and maintained per OSHA and manufacturer requirements.
• Less equipment required: This method reduces the need for ladders or scissor lifts, freeing up space on tight decks and minimizing congestion around work areas.
• Fewer touchpoints, more efficiency: With rigging installed once and left in place, crews spend less time handling gear and more time placing forms safely and productively.

This trick has proven to be a safer, cleaner, and more efficient way to handle column forms—one that improves workflow and minimizes exposure at every step.

Have a “Trick of the Trade” that makes your job safer or more efficient? Share it with us! Contact Joseph Whiteman, Director of Safety Services with ASCC, at jwhiteman@ascconline.org to be featured in a future issue.