In the industrial world, Lashing and Choking are two distinct, safety-critical disciplines. Mixing them up leads to accidents. As the owner of Apex Global Weld Lift& Safety Solutions, you should define these for your clients as follows:
- Lashing is for securing cargo during transport (it stays on the truck/ship).
- Choking is a lifting technique (the load is suspended in the air).
1. Lashing Accessories (Cargo Restraint)
These accessories are designed to prevent cargo from shifting, falling, or toppling during transit.
- What they are: Ratchet straps, load binders, steel chains, turnbuckles, lashing winches, and corner protectors.
- Applications: Securing heavy machinery, palletized goods, containers, and vehicles on transport vehicles.
- Where used: Logistics, trucking fleets, shipping yards, and intermodal transport.
- WLL (Lashing Capacity - LC): Unlike lifting gear, lashing equipment uses Lashing Capacity (LC). It is measured in daN (decaNewtons) or kg.
Advantages:
- Versatility: Can be used on almost any cargo shape.
- Damage Prevention: Prevents cargo from banging against trailer walls.
- Regulatory Compliance: Meets standard transportation safety laws.
2. Choking Accessories (Lifting Technique)
"Choking" refers to the Choker Hitch, a specific way of slinging a load where the sling passes through itself, tightening around the object like a noose.
- What they are: Choker hooks, sliding chokers (for wire rope), and protective sleeves (to prevent the sling from cutting into the load).
- Applications: Lifting bundles of pipes, steel beams, logs, or irregular shapes that cannot be cradled by standard slings.
- Where used: Construction sites, steel fabrication workshops, forestry, and shipyards.
- WLL (The Crucial Safety Detail):You must educate your clients on this. When you "choke" a sling, you are placing it in a configuration that stresses the sling more than a standard vertical lift.
Advantages of Using Professional Accessories
For your business catalog, highlight these three benefits to procurement managers:
- Load Integrity: Using the correct "Choker Sleeve" prevents the lifting sling from cutting into the load (e.g., soft wooden beams) and prevents the load from cutting the sling.
- Safety Through Specialization: A dedicated Choker Hook allows for a smoother release of the load compared to simply knotting or looping the sling, which creates dangerous sharp angles.
- Traceability & Certification: By buying dedicated lashing/choking hardware from Apex Global, the client gets the Test Certificates required by safety inspectors. This removes the liability from their shoulders.
