How Often Must I Inspect My Overhead Crane?

How often should you inspect your overhead crane? I can tell you that this question gets asked to me quite often. Depending on the use of the crane, the class, or the location of the overhead crane, will change the answer to that question quite a bit. Here, I will give you the guidelines and you can decide which category your crane falls into.

To know the frequency of inspection will require you to understand the usage of your crane.  The inspection intervals are broken up in three usage categories. You have Normal Usage, Heavy Usage, and Severe Usage. Most overhead cranes fall under normal usage but let me give you the guidelines for each usage so you can decide for yourself which category your cranes fall under.

Normal Service – Around 5 lifts an hour, Can pick up over 50% capacity but not over 50% of loads at rated capacity

Heavy Service – Pick up over 50% of rated capacity, 5 to 10 lifts an hour and 65% of loads at rated capacity

Severe Service –Pick up near capacity on most loads, 20+ lifts an hour

According to ANSI B30.2-2011 there are five categories for overhead crane inspections; Initial, Functional, Test, Frequent, Periodic, and “Crane not in regular service”.  All these inspections require a qualified person to determine which deficiencies are safety issues.

Initial Inspection

The initial inspection is a documented visual inspection that is required after the installation of a new crane or hoist, and equipment that has been reinstalled from alteration, modified or repaired.

Functional Test Inspection

This is your pre-shift inspection. Every shift your overhead crane operates, this test must be performed.  You will be testing all the functions of the overhead crane and performing a visual and audible inspection. In addition to the functional test, the upper limit of the hoist is also required to be tested, and the wire rope or load chain requires a visual inspection as well.  Documenting this inspection is not required but it is advised. Documentation will show that the overhead crane has been tested so other operators on that shift know it is safe to use. The documentation will also show that you are pro-active when it comes to safety in your facility which will help greatly if an accident ever does occur within your facility.

Frequent Inspection

A frequent inspection is another visual and audible inspection of your overhead crane. The frequent inspection is based upon the usage of your crane. There are three different categories of the frequent inspection. Which one does your crane fall into?

Normal Service – Monthly

Heavy Service – Weekly to Monthly

Severe Service – Daily to Weekly

During this inspection you would do everything on the functional test inspection, and you also check the “operating mechanisms”. The hoist brake is the most important component to inspect next to the wire rope or load chain. This will have to be checked and made sure that it functions properly and any adjustments would need to be made at this time. The inspector should be listening for any abnormal sounds. The hook and latch requires an inspection as well. The frequent inspection does not require a record like the functional test inspection but “should” be made.

Periodic Inspection

The periodic inspection is the inspection that many overhead crane owners call their annual inspection. The usage of the crane again depends on the frequency of inspection.

Normal Service – Yearly

Heavy Service – Yearly

Severe Service – Quarterly

Please note however the periodic inspection is not in the state of California. In California annual inspections are required on all overhead cranes, and also quarterly preventive maintenance is required regardless of the service class or crane capacities.

Now what about that crane you have that you rarely use? If you have a crane that has not been used for more than a month but it is under 1 year, then you will be required to perform an inspection on it prior to use. The same applies if it has been more than one year as well. My suggestion to you is that if you know you’re going to use it, then get it inspected. If you know you are not going to use it, and it will not be used in any emergency then wait to get it inspected when you need it.

In addition to the five categories of inspections, the manufacturer of your overhead crane will sometimes require additional inspections. If this is the case on your overhead crane, then this must be followed as well. These additional inspections could include quadrennial gear case, motor coupling, bottom block, or load brake inspections. Your owner’s manual will list these requirements so make sure you have a copy of one.

There are several overhead crane owners that I know of that simply either cannot afford to do the required frequency of inspection or feel that they can get away with just an annual inspection. However, just doing an annual inspection does not make you compliant and if the reason you’re doing the annual inspection is to stay compliant, then you would need to do all the required inspections. A crane that is used often can be unsafe to use if the frequency of inspection is not followed. If someone was to get hurt in your facility from a faulty overhead crane component and OSHA was to investigate, doing one annual inspection is not going to reduce any penalties. You still missed the daily, monthly, and frequent inspections. You’re also creating a lot of wear and tear on your crane that can easily be preventive with routine maintenance. Your overhead crane operators  are required to have operator safety training as well. I am willing to bet if your not doing the inspections then your definetly not doing the training either. This is how accidents happen. Having cranes that are not maintained and operators that are not trained. Not only is it against regulations, you are putting your employees at great risk. Take the time to know what inspections are required of your crane. Talk to a reputable overhead crane company that can consult with you and help ensure that your cranes are inspected at the correct frequency.

Your Overhead Crane Inspection Report

Often when I go and visit prospects, or new customers I find one thing in common that they are all lacking. Paperwork. It typically doesn’t matter what competitor they are using, they rarely have sufficient paperwork that provides proof of inspections, and or proof of an inspection program that has been performed on a continuing basis. Typically they have several manila folders in a couple different places in their office that has a few service reports and other folders that have crane manuals at best. Then the actual report for the inspection sometimes cannot even be found. If it can, many times it is incomplete, or it is not comprehensive enough to even tell you what the inspector inspected on the crane. A pass or fail for an inspection is just not enough to inform you of your crane issues nor will it keep you compliant. An established paper trail will prevent huge OSHA fines if any accidents were to happen. Companies are fined after major accidents and if they had a paper trail showing they were taking the necessary steps to stay in compliance and keep their facility safe for their workers then the fines would have been nothing near what they received. Let me give you a couple examples of OSHA fines and then I will talk about what is out there on the market for your inspection paperwork.

The first two examples are from an OSHA inspection sweep that was conducted on several companies that had a track record for injured employees. The last one was from a company that had a bad track record of accidents as well but the inspection was conducted because of a related accident.

1. Last year a steel fab shop in Alabama was targeted for an OSHA inspection, not because they had an accident, but because they were targeted for having a higher than average injury and illness rate. They found several serious violations during this walkthrough. Fines totaled $48,510.00. Two of the fines were crane related. They had no inspection records, and someone had welded the hook and no load test was ever conducted.

2. In September of last year Stowe Woodward was fined for similar violations with the same consequences. $49,000 in fines. No frequent crane inspections were ever performed. This is a place that had machinery related fatalities in 1999 and in 2005. I can’t believe after a history like that, a company would not take safety as their number one priority.

3.One of the biggest fines I have ever seen was in Michigan at V&S Detroit Galvanizing in 2009. They were fined a total of $245,000. What struck me was that many were crane related. A $70,000 penalty was charged for moving a rack with a crane over the head of a maintenance employee. Another 70k penalty was charged when the inspector saw the same thing again, only this time they were moving the rack over the employees who were loading the racks below. They were penalized for two additional crane violations, a $7,000 fine for not having an audible warning device on overhead cranes and a $7,000 fine for not performing daily and periodic inspection of overhead cranes.These were all numerous violations that can be found in the state of Michigan’s General Industry Safety Standard, Part 18, Overhead and Gantry Cranes. You can read on more OSHA fines and enforcement information at http://www.osha.gov/dep/index.html.

Go back and look at your inspection paperwork and ask yourself these ten questions..

1. Was it easy to find?
2. Is it up to date?
3. Does it include all your hoisting equipment in your facility?
4. Do you understand the discrepancies?
5. Do you know what your safety items are?
6. Do you know what crane components were inspected?
7. Do you know what crane components were not inspected?
8. Do you know what the priorities are of the discrepancies found?
9. Do you know if any of those items were repaired?
10. Do you know the investment involved to repair those items?

So, how did you do? Are you comfortable with the reports you currently have? If you answered yes to all ten questions then you have an inspection report that far surpasses most in the industry. You are one step ahead and are taking the necessary steps to keep your employees safe and your company in compliance. Great Job!

If you answered “no” to several of these questions then please take a look at what is available to you from Konecranes. The Konecranes MAINMAN inspection report  is comprehensive and not only will you be able to answer yes to all these questions, you will have much more. With the MAINMAN maintenance report, you will have….

1. A complete equipment list of all your overhead cranes.

2. A condition summary where Konecranes will rate your overhead cranes on a scale from zero to a hundred so you know which cranes should be focused on during the repair process.

3. The MAINMAN will take that one step further and will create a Planning Overview. This will list how many components were inspected on each overhead crane or hoist. The report will then list out of those components, how many had safety related issues, and how many had production issues. This is a great report that will help you organize your repairs once the inspection has been completed.

4. A Work Order follows that list all discrepancies by priority and the condition of each component. This is also the sheet that the crane technician will sign off once the repair of the component has been completed. This will be an important tool for you to tell which component has been repaired and which one still needs to be scheduled.

5. In the Quote section you will get an itemized quote that list the cost for labor and parts for each component requiring repair or replacement.

6. Business Review is provided annually or upon request to show you to total annual investment. This is like a report card. This will help gauge our partnership ensuring that your overhead crane investment is being invested in the right way. Expenses are broken down by inspections, repairs, breakdowns, modernizations, new equipment, training, safety deficiencies, and an equipment score for each piece of equipment. This helps optimize the maintenance schedule reducing your overall investment.

7. Last will be the Condition Detail. This section list every component inspected on your crane regardless of the condition. It is color coded for easy glance so you can just go to the components that have an issue. This section also satisfies your requirements from OSHA keeping you in compliance.

All of these pages come bound together so the pages do not get lost and there is no need for various folders. You will get one book for every annual and quarterly inspection. The quarterly inspection booklet is not as in depth as the annual but still will list the vital information. This information will also all be provided on the Konecranes website MyCrane.com.

When choosing your overhead crane inspection company ask about their inspection paperwork. Make sure you know what you are getting for proof of inspection. These reports are vital to keeping you compliant and your employees safe.

So, what kind of inspection paperwork do you have for your overhead cranes? Are you comfortable with what you have? What would you like to see in your inspection paperwork?

What Do I Need to Know About Crane Operator Training?

There are two key factors you will find when accidents occur in a facility. Either it is caused by complacency or ignorance. There is only one way to reduce this thinking of employees. That is to make safety a value shared by all in the company. Safety must be a culture created by the management of the company. It needs to be believed in by all. If everyone does not buy into then it will not become a culture. When you have a culture of safety committed personnel, ignorance and complacency are no longer factors. The only way to create this culture is to make safety your number one priority above all else including productivity and profitability. If employees believe that the company they work for cares more about their well being than the profit of the company then they will take pride in that and not only will they work safer, they will also watch out for others to ensure the safety for those that work around them .

One key ingredient in creating a safety oriented culture is by providing ongoing safety training. Refreshing employees on safety steps they can take in the facility to make their work day safer will help keep safety in the forefront if their minds daily. Ongoing safety training would include daily and weekly safety talks, monthly safety meetings, and annual training on major safety issues. One major safety issue in your facility is your cranes. Out of all the regulations required by OSHA and ANSI the one that get missed the most would have to be qualifying crane operators. Many companies know to inspect their cranes but they fail to think about the people who are actually operating them. Many will even put an operator on a crane that doesn’t even have any experience operating one. A company will invest in inspections and repairs but will then fail to take that next step to ensure their employees are fully trained in operating the equipment. Not only is this against various codes, and regulations set forth by governing bodies, it is also a great liability.


Barclays California Code of Regulations Section 5006 qualifies an operator by stating, “Only employees authorized by the employer and trained, or known to be qualified, in the safe operation of cranes or hoisting apparatus shall be permitted to operate such equipment.” It is also written in the regulations, “Trainees may be authorized to operate cranes or hoisting apparatus provided they are under the supervision of a qualified operator.”

ASME B.30.2 regulations are what OSHA will reference for crane operator training requirements. ASME requires that cranes be operated by ONLY designated persons, trainees under the direct supervision of a designated person, maintenance and test personnel, when it is necessary in the performance of their duties, and inspectors. Now to be considered qualified by ASME, they required that the crane operator SHALL be required by the employer to pass a practical operating examination. Qualifications shall be limited to the specific type of equipment for which the operator is being examined.

There are many things to consider when providing crane operator training for your employees. For one you need to ensure that it is adequate for the type of equipment you have in your facility. You don’t want to provide a basic 15 minute video on crane safety and a test for a facility that has several bridge cranes. The higher the capacity and more complex the operation the longer you should expect the class to be. Minimally, there are FIVE items you want to discuss and test on in the training class that you’re going to be providing for your employees.

1. Daily Crane and Hoist Inspections

This is the most important part of the class. This rarely gets done in most facilities and typically is because the operators not knowing it is their responsibility. There is actually a lot that goes into a daily check and the larger the crane the more intense the daily check will be. A daily check is vital for safe operations in your facility. This also helps the operator have a better understanding of the equipment they are operating. If it is checked on a daily basis than something that is not ordinarily there will be more easily noticed by the operator and will be picked up potentially preventing an accident.

2. Components of a Crane

An operator will be unable to do an appropriate daily inspection if they do not even know the correct terminology of the crane components. The daily inspection checklist has several crane components listed. Without knowing the correct terminology it could lead to an incorrect inspection results and a crane that could be potentially unsafe. If your operators do know the correct terminology they will be able to not only write it up properly but they will be able to inform the crane vendor of any issues that they are having with the crane that won’t be misinterpreted by the vendor. This will allow a more precise diagnosis and lowering your investment by spending less on time spent troubleshooting.

3. Safe Operation of a Crane

Do your operators know how to stop a load swing if it was to occur in your facility? Do they know what to do if they have a runaway crane? Do all your employees know where the main crane disconnect is located in your facility? These are all important questions and if your training does not incorporate any of these items in your training then you do not have the appropriate training program.

4. Hands On crane operation of a crane in the facility

This part is where they take what they learnt in the class and incorporate into some hands on that the crane operators can try out and get confident while you have a professional crane operator instructor in your facility. If you go back to the OSHA and ASME regulations you will see that the regulations require you to pass a “practical operating exam”. This test will suffice for this part of the regulation.

5. Basic Rigging

The number one reason for a crane accident that is caused by operator error is poor rigging. Anything you do with a crane will require some form of rigging. Your operators MUST know the proper way to rig the load. Regardless if you’re using slings, shackles, spreader bars, or other rigging attachments there is still a proper way to use them. A basic rigging instruction will help them be more efficient and safe operators.

In 2011 the Konecranes Training Institute conducted a study that analyzed crane accidents and the fatalities from those accidents. The information from this study was taken from 10 years of public OSHA Inspection Reports. The findings were very alarming if you are a crane operator. This study found that 58% of people injured or killed were crane operators. 37% of crane incidents a person were crushed by a load. This was the result of load drops, or load swings. You can see how serious these findings are. If there is a crane accident, there is a great chance the crane operator will be hurt or killed. This study analyzed that 70% of these accidents were preventable with proper operator safety training.

In closing, it is the crane operators’ responsibility to ensure that they are operating the crane safely; however it is the employer’s responsibility to train their employees with the knowledge to operate the cranes in a safe and efficient manner. When you’re incorporating crane operator training into your safety program, ensure that you have the appropriate material for your employees. Look into a training program that will discuss your equipment, and all five important items to discuss during training.

An Interview With A Crane Inspector

When I go to a customer’s site I never look at myself as a salesman. I look at it more that I am a consultant to my customer. I try to show them the appropriate steps that they need to take to be compliant, safe, and proactive in with their crane maintenance. I try to see what their needs are and try to find the perfect fit for them. I never try to sell them something that they don’t need, nor do I push anything unless I have established a relationship with that customer, and it is a safety issue.


One issue I have faced as a salesman a few times is the fact that I am not always taken as serious as if I was an inspector or technician. Coming in as a salesman especially with someone that I have not developed a relationship with and try to convince them of what they need is not always the easiest thing to do. You get those looks like you’re just a sales guy trying to sell them something. Sometimes I feel like I could get more across to a customer when I was a technician.

At my work I am fortunate to have a lot of talent out in the field that I can rely on when I have questions regarding cranes, and various regulations on them. We have a very knowledgeable work force that is out their working on our customers cranes every single day. The training program we have in place is unsurpassed by any competitor. We have our own crane institute that is designed for all careers at our company from technician, to inspector, or manager to salesman. Barry Conway is one of those guys that I rely a lot. I know if a customer asks me something that I am not sure of, Barry is the first person that I call. I know he will either know the answer or at least know where to find the answer. He is a valuable asset to our organization and that is why I wanted to do my first interview with him. I know what my answers are to the following questions but I thought the answers were so much more valuable coming from someone who is on the cranes everyday and sees the programs that customers have implemented daily. So lets see what he has to say….

How Long have you been a crane inspector?
I have been an approved and licensed Cal OSHA crane inspector for 21 years and have worked in the crane industry for 26 years.

What do you like about your job?:

I enjoy the places I go, most are very interesting and I have met some very knowledgeable and interesting people along the way.


What is the biggest issue that you find that your customers are unaware of?:

A lot of my customers are unaware of the regulation from Cal OSHA regarding their equipment, the record keeping, the training of the operators, having a maintenance program in place. A lot of the break downs are due to improper operation by the employees. Proper training can reduce or even eliminate them.

What crane discrepancy do you find the most and why do you think that is?:

With new customers I find a lack of record keeping and a lack of proper maintenance of their equipment.. These are both OSHA requirements.

Is there any suggestions that you make to your customers on a regular basis?:

Yes, to start a maintenance program on their small units. There seems to be a misconception that maintenance and record keeping does not need to be performed on units of 6,000 lbs or less. That is not true.

Are there any regulation that you would like to implement or suggest to CAL-OSHA?:

I would like to see more stringent requirements for certifiers implemented. There are a lot of safety devices on cranes. An inspector needs to have a through understanding of how a crane operates and all of the safety devices that are incorporated in them. Some seem to not understand fully about them.

Any additional comments that you would like to make?

A good maintenance program, proper operator training can go a long way in reducing overall expenses and down time. Keeping spare parts on their shelf can reduce down time and reduce other cost by eliminating additional travel time. Brakes, wire ropes, even spare motors and VFD Drives, especially if the unit is a critical crane.



In closing I want to thank Barry for taking the time to answer my questions. It still amazes me that there is such a lack of record keeping with crane equipment. Close to 90% of all crane accidents are fatal. With statistics like that you don’t want to become part of those statistics. The only way to improve your chances is to take care of your equipment, record keeping, and training. It is our job to help companies’ fine tune their record keeping and keep on a strict maintenance schedule. Contact me today and I can help you with your crane needs.

Load Testing Reinstalled Equipment in the State of California.

Recently I had a customer who wanted to have load testing done on his monorails. His monorails were three ton capacity. Now, Load testing in the State of California is required on initial installations and every four years for equipment over three tons. However they often move the hoist to different locations and on different monorails throughout the facility. The question that arose was if we had to load test them every time a hoist gets re-installed on a different monorail.

In a letter from 1994 written by CAL-OSHA they state that if the hoist is not an integral part of the machine, then the monorail does not have to be load tested or certified. Then they go ahead and define a monorail as “a crane whose hoisting mechanism is suspended from, and is an integral part of, one or more trolleys mounted on a single track.” So what the heck does integral mean anyway? OSHA commented to us that this is a confusing part for people trying to interpret what the regulations mean, and I can definitely see why. CAL-OSHA does not explain what they are referring to with the word, “integral”. Even under the definitions it is not listed. What he told us was that if it is not defined in Title 8 then it should be referenced from a dictionary. He went on and referenced Webster’s Dictionary and stated that the term integral as, essential to completeness, 2. Composed of integral parts, 3. Lacking nothing essential. So what I gather from this is that all hoists are integral to any monorail.

The following is an excerpt from the email sent to us from CALOSHA. , A hoisting unit is integral to all monorail cranes. Without a hoisting unit, a monorail crane is not complete and cannot perform its intended function. Section 5022 requires that a proof load test be performed on a monorail crane every four years. It is silent when it comes to reinstalling the hoisting equipment on the monorail crane. ASME B30.11 requires an operational test on reinstalled equipment. It also says that a load test should be performed on reinstalled equipment as determined by a qualified person. The problem is that our code in 4884 requires that such cranes be designed, installed, and constructed to the ASME requirements. Cranes need to be inspected, tested and maintained per Title 8. Since Title 8 is silent on the issue of reinstalled equipment, my opinion is that a load test should be performed based on your recommendation. What does the manufacturer recommend?

So, in the end it is up to the manufacturer’s or crane servicing company’s recommendation. Now he did state that he suggest a load test be performed every four years per Title 8 5022, and a load test on reinstalled equipment be performed as determined by a qualified person as per ASME B30.11. However I don’t really get it. They put all these regs in place and state all these regulations that are required to be followed on all equipment over three tons. Then when asked about it they pretty much say below three tons it should be done as well but it is up to the discretion of a qualified person. I thought that these regulations were in place to keep people from using their own discretion? If my customer comes to me with these questions, I would recommend quarterly inspections on all their equipment but only load testing above 3 ton capacities unless it is a class C or D crane then I would recommend every four years as well. Anything below three ton it really depends on the severity of use of the crane or hoist. If it is used a lot then it really needs to be treated as a piece of equipment that has a capacity over three tons. I’ll leave you with this, do you really think 6,000 lbs is going to hurt any worse than 8,000 lbs?

Where do I find regulations for Overhead Cranes?

OSHA 1910.179 is the main source for your overhead crane regulations. All other forms of regulations were either written to clarify or expand on the existing OSHA 1910 regulations. These regulations cover definitions of cranes and it’s components, general requirements, cabs, footwalks and ladders, stops, bumpers, rail sweeps, and guards, brakes, electrical equipment, hoisting equipment, warning devices, inspections, testing, maintenance, rope inspection, handling the load, and other general requirements.

CALOSHA Title 8 was written by the California OSHA as a supplement to the OSHA 1910.179 standards. CALOSHA over-rides all OSHA regulations that contradict one another. The California OSHA made these regulations because certain parts of the OSHA 1910.179 they felt were not stringent enough so they wrote a more stringent set of standards to protect the users of this equipment. Obviously this is lawful only in the state of California. If your state has its own OSHA department then you may have similar supplements to OSHA 1910.179. Here you will find similar regulations that are in OSHA. You should look here first when you’re in the State of California. If you don’t find it here then go to OSHA 1910.179. Operation, Testing, Maintenance, and Inspections of overhead cranes are the three big amendments that CALOSHA made to the OSHA regulations.

ASME B30 was written to expand on monorails and under-running cranes which is not specified in OSHA 1910.179. ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) B30 were written for Cableways, Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Hooks, Jacks, and Slings under the accreditation by ANSI (American National Standard). ASME B30 covers general construction, installation, inspections, testing, maintenance, operation, and definitions of monorails, under-running cranes, and its components. ASME B30 over-rides OSHA 1910.179. If you are found in violation of an OSHA regulation that contradicts ASME then you do not get fined.

CMAA 70-2004 (Crane Manufacturers Association of America) are specifications for top running bridge and gantry cranes including multiple girder cranes. These specifications were written by crane manufacturers to promote a standardization of cranes and equipment. This does not only spec manufacturing recommendations but also technical procedures. The CMAA Specification number 70-2004 has six main sections.

1. General Specifications

2. Crane Service Classification

3. Structural Design

4. Mechanical Design

5. Electrical Equipment

6. Inquiry Data Sheet and Speeds

You would look into NEC 610.31, and 430.101 through 430.113 to get the specifications for electrical disconnect regulations. You could also look into NFPA 70E for De-contactors for maintenance purposes which would include hazard analysis, voltage testing and auxiliary disconnects, mechanical interlocks, flash boundaries, and PPE.

If you have any questions or need further assistance please let me know and I will do my best to provide you with the information that you request. I hope this has been helpful.

CAL OSHA Title 8 Article 100 Cranes and Hoist Inspection and Maintenance

When do you inspect your crane? Annually? Quarterly? Monthly? Daily? Answer: all the above. Daily visual inspections by the operator or other qualified person is a must for all crane owners. You can catch most issues in the daily operations check. Any day something can happen to the hoist that you may not even know about wihout doing an inspection. It could be as simple as the safety latch not working properly. Catching this prior to the use of the equipment can be vital in preventing an accident. CAL OSHA also requires you too perform periodic inspections four times a year. The annual inspection is included in the four periodic inspections. So your required to perform your daily inspections, three quarterly inspections, and your annual inspection. Each one being more thorough than the previous. So how do you know if this is even enough for your equipment? Perhaps your equipment is in a factory that runs 24-7. CAL OSHA helps break this down for you as well. If you run your equipment for more than 750 hours between your quarterly inspections than you need to perform a heavier inspection schedule. So if you have a crane that runs 24-7 for seven days a week then you would need to perform a quarterly inspection every month, and an annual inspection every 4 months. When am I required to perform load test on my equipment? Article 99 section 5022 explains that before initial use all new cranes are required to have a proof load test. They are then required to be proof tested every four years. Any major modifications or repairs require a new proof load test. Often I hear from people, I am not going to do an inspection on this unit because we do not use it often or have not used it in a long time. if this is your idea of saving money think again. If you do not use your equipment for 6 months, you are required to perform all test as if it was a brand new unit. therefore you would be required to perform an annual inspection and a proof load test again. If you don't use a piece of equipment for a month you are required to perform a thorough inpspection on the unit prior to use as well. Save money and time by doing your inspections and load test annualy. It will only cost you more down the road.