A draft of NASA-STD-8719.9, Lifting Standard, is currently in review. This new version will replace the current standard, NASA-STD-8719.9, Standard for Lifting Devices and Equipment, which provides requirements for safety of cranes, forklifts, aerial lifts, jacks and other lifting devices and equipment (LDE).

The new Lifting Standard has been updated and streamlined for clarity and ease of use. The current Standard for Lifting Devices and Equipment runs 129 pages and contains just under 1,200 requirements, or “shall” statements. If approved in its current form, the revised standard will comprise 88 pages and contain 256 “shalls.”

This difference results from change in philosophy regarding the document; this version of the standard avoids, as much as possible, repetition of requirements either internally or from other standards.

The previous version of the standard aimed to provide “one-stop shopping” and eliminate the need to refer to other documents, such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. However, the standard did not include all requirements of the reference documents, which led to a false sense of security and occasional errors in LDE design, use, inspection and procurement.

The new Lifting Standard has been reformatted.  Requirements that are common to all types of LDE will appear in a general section in the front, followed by requirements unique to each category of equipment. The reformatting eliminates repetition of common requirements. The NASA OSHA Alternate Standard for Suspended Load Operations remains unchanged as Appendix A, and Appendices B and C provide a Summary of Critical Lift Requirements and LDE Managers’ Roles, Approvals, and Special Permissions, respectively.

This revision is expected to make LDE requirements more understandable and usable and to simplify compliance. To further the progress towards this goal, an effort is currently underway to develop a handbook as a companion to the new Lifting Standard, with applications, discussions and examples of its use.