Hoist Maintenance: Everything You Need to Know to Work Safel

Why Hoist Maintenance Is Not Optional

Electric chain hoists operate under load every day. They are transported, rigged, de-rigged, exposed to vibrations, dust, and temperature changes. In environments such as theatres, concerts, trade fairs, and permanent installations, they often operate under demanding conditions.

That is precisely why maintenance is not a discretionary good practice, it is a regulatory obligation, a professional responsibility, and above all, the only concrete way to guarantee three fundamental things:

• Safety: an unmaintained hoist can fail, jam, or behave unpredictably. The consequences, when working with suspended loads above people, can be extremely serious.
• Operational continuity: a failure during an event is not just a technical problem - it is an economic, reputational, and often contractual damage. Preventive maintenance drastically reduces the risk of machine downtime at the most critical moments.
• Regulatory compliance: Italian and European legislation imposes precise obligations regarding the inspection and overhaul of lifting equipment. Failure to comply exposes the company to penalties, civil liability, and criminal responsibility.

 

How Often Should Hoists Be Maintained

There is no one-size-fits-all rule: the ideal frequency depends on intensity of use, type of application, and operating conditions. A hoist working on tour with frequent rigging and de-rigging has very different needs from one permanently installed in a theatre.

That said, regulations and technical best practice point to some clear deadlines.

Before Every Use

Before operating a hoist - even if it was used just a few days earlier - a quick visual check is required. It does not take special tools or much time, but it can make all the difference.

What to check:

• chain condition: damage, deformation, corrosion, lubrication
• upper and lower hook condition: safety latch function, absence of wear or deformation
• brakes: correct response to commands
• limit switches (if present): regular operation
• cables and electrical connections: no visible damage

This check must be carried out before every use and, although it does not require formal documentation, it is an integral part of a professional approach to safety.

Every Three Months

The quarterly inspection is the core of routine maintenance. It involves a more thorough check than the pre-use inspection and must be recorded and logged in a register, which must be kept and made available in the event of an inspection by regulatory authorities.

What the quarterly inspection includes:

• full visual check of the machine, chain, and hooks
• chain lubrication, if necessary
• electrical function test
• brake system test
• limit switch check
• register entry with date, outcome, and signature of the responsible person

Keeping this register up to date is not just a legal obligation - it is also a valuable working tool for monitoring the condition of the machine over time and anticipating potential issues

At Least Once a Year

The annual overhaul is the most comprehensive intervention and must be carried out by INAIL-accredited companies or authorised notified bodies. This is not simply routine maintenance: it is a structured inspection that certifies the hoist's compliance with current safety standards and attests its fitness for use.

It is important to note that this obligation applies to lifting equipment with a capacity of 200 kg or more. Machines below this threshold - such as our Divo One 200 - are not subject to the mandatory annual overhaul by accredited bodies, although they remain subject to the general maintenance and inspection obligations incumbent on the employer.

For those working on tour or with frequent rigging, this overhaul is even more important, as the stress placed on hoists is significantly higher than in fixed installations.

A practical tip: before taking a hoist for its annual overhaul, it is good practice to carry out preventive maintenance with an accredited company first. This way, the machine arrives at the overhaul in optimal condition, reducing the risk of finding issues that could extend turnaround times or increase costs

After Every Tour or Intensive Event

Although not explicitly required by law, anyone working in the sector knows that after an intensive tour, a particularly busy event season, use in severe weather conditions (rain, high humidity), or exposure to sand, dust, or contaminants, hoists should be subjected to an interim inspection.

The stress accumulated through repeated rigging and transport can generate damage that is not visible to the naked eye and only emerges during a thorough technical inspection.

Waiting for the quarterly check or annual overhaul in these cases can mean continuing to use a machine that already has something wrong with it.


What a Professional Maintenance Intervention Includes

Hoist maintenance carried out by a specialist technical centre is very different from a simple visual check. A complete intervention includes:

Full mechanical inspection: checking hooks, chain, brakes, and limit switches, with attention to signs of wear, deformation, or corrosion requiring component replacement.

Functional and electrical testing with operational simulation: the hoist is tested under real operating conditions to verify that all systems respond correctly to commands, including safety systems.

Lubrication and cleaning with certified products: the chain and moving mechanical parts are cleaned and lubricated with appropriate products that ensure optimal performance without damaging the components.

Replacement of wear-prone components: hooks, chains, seals, and other elements subject to deterioration are replaced when necessary, before they become a problem.

Detailed technical report with maintenance certification: at the end of the intervention, a document is issued certifying the condition of the machine, the work carried out, and its fitness for use. This document is an integral part of the maintenance register and may be requested during inspections.
 

How to Organise Maintenance Efficiently

One of the most common obstacles to regular maintenance is not lack of willingness, but the difficulty of managing deadlines when working with many hoists, multiple suppliers, and intensive work schedules.

Keeping track of every machine, knowing when it was last serviced, remembering to book the next intervention before the deadline - all of this requires an organised system.

To address this need, Unirig has developed a dedicated maintenance management portal, available free of charge and designed for anyone working with hoists of any brand, not just Divo. Through the portal it is possible to:

• register all your devices independently
• schedule maintenance interventions with automatic confirmations and reminders
• keep track of deadlines and overhauls
• download certificates and technical reports, always up to date
• receive automatic notifications when the time to intervene is approaching

In this way, maintenance stops being something to remember by heart or manage with spreadsheets, and becomes a structured, documented, and automated process

Are You a Distributor with an In-House Technical Team?
If your company distributes lifting equipment and has qualified technical staff, we recommend taking the next step: become a certified Divo Service Point.
Through our technical training programme, your team will acquire the skills and certifications needed to carry out professional hoist maintenance directly - offering your clients a faster, more integrated service while strengthening your position in the market.
Contact us atinfo@unirig.it to find out how to join the Divo Service Point network.

Conclusion

Hoist maintenance is not a cost, it is an investment in safety, reliability, and operational continuity. When carried out regularly and documented correctly, it protects operators, extends the service life of equipment, and shields the company from regulatory liability.

Italian and European regulations set precise deadlines - quarterly and annual - but technical best practice suggests going beyond the minimum required, especially for those working on tour or in high-intensity operational contexts.

If you would like to book maintenance for your hoists in a simple and structured way, you can register on the Unirig portal by following the instructions in this video tutorial.

For all other enquiries, write to us at info@unirig.it