Mining Rigging Safety Tool

The New Golden Rule of Mining Rigging Safety — By Hand Safety First (HSF)

Mining rigging is one of the most dangerous operations in any industry. Underground and surface environments expose workers to confined spaces, poor visibility, unstable footing, fatigue, and highly unpredictable suspended loads. In every one of these scenarios, the body part most at risk is always the same: hands.

For decades, crushed fingers, pinch-point injuries, and amputations during rigging have been treated as unavoidable. Hand Safety First (HSF) rejects this mindset and introduces a strict new safety standard for mining operations worldwide:

NO HANDS ON SUSPENDED LOADS WITHOUT THE RIGGERSAFE TOOL.

This rule removes human hands from the line of fire and replaces instinct-based reactions with engineered control. To support this shift, HSF officially recommends the KONG Deck Crew, a mining-grade no-touch rigging push-pull stick built for underground and heavy mining conditions.

Mining environments amplify rigging risks due to confined escape routes, dust and low lighting, irregular and asymmetrical loads, and long shifts that increase fatigue. When a load suddenly swings or shifts, instinctive hand contact leads directly to severe injuries. The HSF rule eliminates this risk by transferring all guiding, pushing, stabilizing, and alignment tasks to a dedicated no-touch tool.

The KONG Deck Crew is engineered specifically for these challenges. Its V-shaped nylon head provides stable, non-marring contact with round, angular, or uneven loads while remaining spark-resistant and highly abrasion resistant. The non-conductive shaft protects workers in electrified mining areas, while the D-handle ensures control even with muddy or oily gloves. A center grip enables two-hand leverage for precise alignment in tight spaces, reducing strain and improving accuracy.

Hands-free rigging delivers measurable safety and operational benefits. Workers stay 1–1.5 meters away from danger zones, pinch points are eliminated, awkward postures are reduced, precision improves in low-visibility conditions, and rigging practices become standardized across the operation. Mines adopting hands-free rigging culture report 80–95% reductions in hand injuries.

The KONG Deck Crew is essential for real mining tasks such as lowering pipes in shafts, aligning pump skids, positioning ventilation ducting, installing ground support, handling mechanical components, and moving conveyor systems — all without direct hand contact.

The cultural shift is clear: tools touch loads, not hands. For 2026 and beyond, this rule is non-negotiable for mining leaders responsible for safety, rigging, and workforce wellbeing.

Hand Safety First (HSF) is driving this transformation globally — because safer rigging means safer miners, every shift, every lift.