Air Winch Safety

Course Objective

• Provide delegates assigned to operate industrial Air Winches the necessary skills to safely perform their jobs.
• Provide delegates with recommended industry practices to allow safe work with Air Winches.
• Delegates should be able to demonstrate the necessary skills during practical examination and demonstrate knowledge during written examination.

Course Design

• Power Point© / Lecture / Audio Video / Visual Aids
• Demonstrations
• Practical Exercises

Successful Course Completion

• Requires a minimum score of 75% or better.
• Grades shall be calculated by dividing the number of questions answered correctly by the total number of exam questions.
• Delegates will have no more than thirty (30) minutes to complete the exam.
• Successful completion of practical session is mandatory.

Course Content Summary

• Classroom
• Practicals

Breaks: 10 minutes (approximately every hour)

Lunch: 1 Hour (if applicable)

Course Outline
About Air Winch

• Why Training?
• Common Air Winch Applications
• Definitions
  • Qualified Operator
  • Qualified Inspector
  • Qualified Rigger
  • Pre-Use Inspection
  • Red Zone
• Air Compressor Terms
  • Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI)
  • Absolute Pressure
  • Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM)
  • Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute (SCFM)
  • CFM/PSI Example
• Operator Requirements
• Roles and Responsibilities
  • Facility Manager/Yard Manager/Offshore Manager
  • First Line Supervisor/Superintendent
  • Winch Operator
  • Signal Person
  • Personnel Working Near Equipment

Air Winch Safety

• Safety Devices
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Barricading the Work Area
• Air Winch Installation Requirements
  • Pre Installation Requirements
  • Securing Air Winch
  • Power Supplies
• Air Compressors
  • Installation
  • Requirements
  • Test Certificates
  • Air Supply Information
  • Calculating Air Flow
• Snatch Block
  • Requirements
  • Snatch Block Examples
  • Selection
• Proper Sheave/Wire Rope Requirements
  • Sheave Inspection
  • Wire Rope Spooling
    • Spooling Examples
  • Wire Rope Maintenance
  • Wire Rope Alignment Techniques

Air Winch Inspection

• Pre-Use Inspection
  • General Air Winch criteria/examples
  • Wire Rope
  • Synthetic Web Slings
  • Polyester Round Slings
  • Inspection Form Example
• Function Test

Air Winch Operation

• Winch Capacity
• Winch Speed
• Winch Operation
  • Pre Operations
  • Post Operations
  • Winch Brake
  • Winch Operations Example
  • Load Control/Tag Lines

Hand Signals

• Signal Person Requirements
• Hand Signal Review

Practical Session
Practical training shall utilize an air winch, various slings, loads & rigging techniques.
Practical shall verify that the delegate has the ability to complete the following:

• Select and wear appropriate PPE during practical training
• Inspect and identify damaged hardware/rigging gear
• Select the appropriate hardware/rigging gear to complete required lifts
• Communicate with the operator using proper hand signals
• Use tag lines properly to control loads
• Select the appropriate rigging techniques to complete the required lifts Place load(s) in appropriate locations (outside of walkways)
• Maintain hand/body position absent from hazards (pinch points)
• Prevent anyone from standing under a suspended load
• Safely work with others as a team
• Store hardware/rigging gear properly following its use

Training Center Provided Material

• PPE
• Rigging Material

Delegate Requirements

• Air Winch shall be provided by the customer at a customer location
• Must possess good physical health as the practical training is physical demanding.

Reference Material / Documents
Recommended Industry Practices
API RP 2D 7th Edition
OSHA Construction Rigging