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Safety latches on marine terminal crane hooks

Summary An engineering organization asked when marine crane hooks need safety latches. OSHA said the marine terminal rule requires crane hooks to be latched or otherwise secured against accidental load disengagement. It said the longshoring rules did not require latches on ship’s gear hooks, but required cargo handling bridles left on hoisting gear to use a positive attachment such as shackles.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1992-12-16-2
Date issued
December 16, 1992
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA marks this page as an archive document and says it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1917 OSHA 1918 Cranes Longshoring
Source
View the official document

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About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

December 16, 1992

Mr. Doug Dixon
Det Norske Veritas
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Dixon:

The purpose of this letter is to confirm your November 25 phone conversation with Mr. John Salkauskas of this office concerning safety latches on hooks. Section 29 CFR 1917.45(e)(2) of the Marine Terminal Standard requires that crane hooks be latched or otherwise secured to prevent accidental load disengagement. This obviously pertains to cranes in the marine terminal.

The longshoring regulations do not require safety latches on hooks for ship's gear. Section 29 CFR Part 1918.81(b) does require that cargo handling bridles which remain attached to the hoisting gear during successive draft be attached by shackles or some other positive means to prevent accidental disengagement.

We appreciate your interest in safety and health matters.

Sincerely,
Roy F. Gurnham, Esq., P.E.
Director
Office of Construction and Maritime
Compliance Assistance

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