Rigging

Rigging is the slings, shackles, chains and spreader gear used to connect a load to a crane, and the licensed trade that selects, sets up, and inspects that gear for a lift. It is high-risk work requiring a rigging licence, which comes in three levels.

The gear (slings, shackles, spreader bars, lifting beams, eyebolts) has to be rated for the load and set up so the load is balanced, the angles are within the slings’ capacity (sling tension rises sharply as the angle from vertical increases), and nothing can slip or shock-load. Choosing and rigging that gear correctly is what the licence covers.

The licence levels build up:

• Basic rigging (RB): structural steel, hoists, mast climbers, safety nets, and the like.
• Intermediate rigging (RI): adds cranes/conveyors/dual-lift, precast tilt panels, and more complex work.
• Advanced rigging (RA): gin poles and shear legs, flying foxes, complex demolition rigging.

Dogging is the separate, lower licence for slinging a load and directing a crane; rigging is the step up that includes setting up the lifting gear and systems. Both are nationally recognised high-risk work licences.

For a builder the practical points are to make sure rigging is done by a correctly-licensed person for the class of work (a tilt-panel lift needs at least intermediate rigging, not just dogging), to confirm the gear is rated, tagged and inspected (and not a random chain off the ute), and that the rigging is part of the lift plan. Worn or wrongly-rated slings and bad sling angles are common causes of dropped loads.

Also known as: Rigger (the trade), lifting gear setup.

Category: WHS / Cranes and lifting.

Related

• Crane / Hiab operator
• Dogger

See also

• Lift plan

References

• Safe Work Australia: licensing for high-risk work (verified 2026-06-03)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03. Verified: 2026-06-03. Quarterly review for currency.