US Navy Adopts ESTA Standards

The June 2016 edition of NAVFAC P-307, a publication of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Navy Crane Center Weight Handling Program Management, has a new section 13 entitled "Entertainment Hoists." The section calls out hoists systems identified in their equipment history files as being "entertainment hoists" and conforming to the design and manufacturing requirements in ANSI E1.6 as being different from hoists and cranes used for material handling and construction, and therefore being subject to different rules for their use and maintenance. Those rules include being maintained and operated in accordance with the ANSI E1.6 standards and the OEM recommendations.

Adoption of ESTA's standards by others is one of the important reasons for the Technical Standards Program's existence. Without an American National Standard for hoists in entertainment applications, the only standards available would be those for hoists in factories and warehouses. Those standards prohibit anyone from standing under a suspended load, which is exactly what people need to do on stages and at special events. ESTA's TSP helps build the business of show business by providing reasonable guidance for safe events, guidance that can be adopted by the military, government, and other standards-drafting organizations.

NAVFAC P-307 can be downloaded from https://www.navfac.navy.mil/ncc. NAVFAC P-307 JUNE 2016 is at the top of the "USEFUL LINKS" list on the right.

ANSI E1.6 is really a suite of standards:
• ANSI E1.6-1 - 2012, Entertainment Technology -- Powered Hoist Systems
• ANSI E1.6-2 - 2013, Entertainment Technology -- Design, Inspection, and Maintenance of Electric Chain Hoists for the Entertainment Industry
• ANSI E1.6-3 - 2012, Selection and Use of Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry; and
• ANSI E1.6-4 - 2013, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry

They may be downloaded from the ESTA website at http://estalink.us/freestandards. The download is free, thanks to the sponsorship of ProSight Specialty Insurance. The standards also may be purchased for $40 each from ANSI and IHS_ at http://webstore.ansi.org/ and https://global.ihs.com/ respectively.