The Occupational Safety and Health Administration operates under the United States Department of Labor. This organization trains and certifies workers on proper crane rigging and hoisting methods. Only an OSHA certified worker is qualified to perform crane rigging and hoisting procedures.
Rigging involves attaching a crane's hook or connecting a component to a workload. Properly rigging a workload to a crane is essential in ensuring the workload will be lifted safely. An improperly rigged workload is prone to fail, causing it to come crashing down on a work area, potentially injuring workers.
All cranes feature load limits. The manufacturer of the crane is responsible for informing the buyer of the lifting capacity of the crane. A crane tipping is referred to as an "upset." Lifting a workload that is above the rated lifting capacity of the crane is likely to cause the crane to upset.