What should you do if there is a near-miss or equipment failure during rigging?

• A. Stop work, secure the area, report the incident, document root causes, and implement corrective actions; retrain if necessary.
• B. Continue working after a brief pause to check equipment mentally.
• C. Hide the incident from the supervisor.
• D. Replace only damaged parts and continue with the lift.

Answer: (A)

When something goes wrong in rigging, the immediate priority is to control the hazard and learn from it. Stopping work and securing the area prevents people from being exposed to a continuing danger and keeps the load and rigging from moving unexpectedly. Reporting the incident flags it for the safety system so it can be investigated and tracked. Documenting the root causes means examining equipment condition, maintenance history, procedural gaps, and human factors to understand why the near-miss or failure happened. Then you implement corrective actions to address those causes—this could involve repairs or replacements, changing procedures, adding safeguards, or adjusting how loads are managed. Retraining ensures workers understand any new controls and know how to spot earlier warning signs in the future. This approach protects people now and reduces the chance of recurrence later. Skipping steps, like continuing to work after a brief pause, hiding the incident, or simply replacing components without investigation, fails to address the underlying risk and can lead to a repeat of the same problem.