As manufacturers of circus equipment, we often get asked about winches for human loading. Although we own a winch that we use in our training studio, we are not winch experts; so we prefer to direct our clients to specialists like Theatre Safe Australia (TSA) for expert clarification on which winches are suitable for human loading.
Winches suitable for circus use/human loading are expensive and rarely within the economic range for one-off aerial gigs. Because of this, aerialists and event co-ordinators often ask us about using chain hoists for circus performances. Chain hoists are less expensive and far more commonly available than specialised winches manufactured for human loading. Our response is always very simple: chain hoists are designed for materials handling, not human loading, so to use them for human loading would be outside manufacturer’s specifications and a hazardous deviation from the intended use of a chain hoist. Standard chain hoists comply with material handling standards (like ASME B30.16), which do not include the redundant safety factors required for human loads.
Since this question comes up so often, I referred the question back to David Fish, Co-Founder and Director of Operations at TSA for his expert advice. Here is what he had to say:
Your understanding is generally correct. Standard entertainment chain hoists are designed and certified for lifting suspended loads, not for lifting or supporting people. Many hoists now incorporate features such as double brakes, overload protection and high safety factors; however those features alone do not make them suitable for human suspension.
Once a live human load is involved, the requirements change significantly. Human suspension equipment is typically designed to higher standards and incorporates additional layers of redundancy, fail-safe design and risk management that simply aren’t present in a conventional chain hoist.
From a safety perspective, the decision shouldn’t be based solely on whether a hoist is physically capable of lifting a person. It should be based on whether the complete system has been designed, engineered and intended for that purpose. If it hasn’t, and there is an accident, it’s difficult to justify its use from either a technical or Workplace Health and Safety perspective. Most, if not all chain hoist manufacturers, will specify that you cannot suspend a person from a hoist ever.
David went on to explain the world of circus rigging is not always so clearly black and white, there are areas of grey that must be handled with consistent risk mitigation and educated decision making:
…On occasion, there may be a reason to use a chain hoist as a static positioner for an aerial point. Once in position, the hoist must be isolated from operation and the slack chain must be managed and secured within the chain bag so it cannot feed out or fall onto the performer. The system effectively becomes a static suspension point rather than an active lifting device. It would not be used or operated during a show at all.
It is important to remember that this isn’t a generic approach or something that would be recommended without careful consideration. This decision would be assessed based on the specific application, documented engineering methodology, detailed risk assessments, rescue planning, backed by training and documentation and agreed operating procedures for the task being undertaken.
As with so many of the hard and expensive questions, it comes back to refer to the manufacturer’s specifications and consider the intended use of the equipment. If something goes wrong, it could be catastrophic, costing you your livelihood and another person their life.
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