Michigan Administrative Code
Department - Labor and Economic Opportunity
MIOSHA
General Industry and Construction Safety and Occupational Health Standards
General Industry Safety Standards
Part 59 - HELICOPTERS
Section R. 408.15922 - Providing and training ground employees; checking size, weight, and connection of load; tag line, pressed sleeve, hoist wire, or other gear; static charge; rated capacity of load line

(1) Ground employees shall be provided, and they shall be properly trained to ensure that helicopter loading and unloading operations can be performed safely.

(2) The size and weight of loads, and the manner in which loads are connected to the helicopter, shall be checked by the pilot in command. A lift shall not be made if the helicopter pilot in command determines that the lift cannot be made safely.

(3) A load shall be properly slung. A tag line shall be of a length that does not permit it being drawn up into the rotors. A pressed sleeve, swedged eye, or equivalent means shall be used for a freely suspended load to prevent a hand splice from spinning open or a cable clamp from loosening.

(4) A hoist wire or other gear, except for a pulling line or conductor that is allowed to "pay out" from a container or roll off a reel, shall not be attached to any fixed ground structure or allowed to foul on any fixed structure.

(5) The static charge on the suspended load shall be dissipated with a grounding device before ground personnel touch the suspended load, unless protective rubber gloves are being worn when touching the load.

(6) A load line shall have a working load rating of not less than the rated capacity of the helicopter.