Magnetic Load-Control Tools: When Can a Rigger Control Steel Loads Without Touching Them?

For ferrous steel loads, a magnetic positioning tool changes the geometry of the problem entirely — the operator attaches to the load and steers it remotely, without any part of the body entering the line of fire. Here is what that means in practice, and where the limits are.

A different kind of hands-free tool

Push/pull poles and taglines keep the worker at a distance from a suspended load by providing a physical extension between the hand and the load. The worker still has to apply force — pushing, pulling, maintaining tension — but does so from further away.

A magnetic load-control tool operates differently. Instead of the operator applying force through a pole against the load surface, the magnetic head attaches directly to the steel surface of the load and stays there. The operator moves the handle end, and the force is transmitted through the pole and the magnetic interface to the load. The operator's hands never have to be near the load, and the tool maintains its connection without the operator holding it against the surface.

This is a qualitatively different risk profile. With a push/pull pole, the connection is maintained by the operator's force — if the load moves unexpectedly, the tool separates from the load. With a magnetic tool, the connection is maintained by the magnetic pull force, independent of the operator's grip strength and position relative to the load surface.

When is a magnetic tool appropriate?

A magnetic load-control tool is appropriate when three conditions are met:

1. The load is made of, or has a surface made of, ferrous steel — structural steel, plate, pipe, castings, fabricated assemblies in mild or carbon steel
2. The steel surface at the intended attachment point is reasonably clean and flat enough for the magnet to achieve its rated pull — heavily corroded, thickly painted, or highly curved surfaces may reduce pull significantly
3. The forces required to control the load are within the directional force capacity of the tool being used

If any of these conditions is not met, the magnetic tool is not the right choice for that task. Non-ferrous materials — aluminium, stainless steel, timber, concrete, glass-reinforced plastic — will not accept the magnetic attachment.

How the tool works in a typical steel positioning task

Before the lift. The operator selects the attachment point on the load — a flat, accessible steel surface without sharp edges or heavy contamination. The magnetic head is switched off (for switchable permanent magnets) or held away from the surface. The pole is extended to the appropriate working length.

During descent. As the load descends toward its landing point, the operator positions the magnetic head against the selected attachment point and engages the magnet. The operator now has directional authority over the load from the handle end — pushing the handle applies force to steer or stop rotation; pulling draws the load toward the operator. Because the magnet maintains its attachment without the operator applying continuous pressure, the operator can stand in a position that keeps them outside the exclusion zone.

Final positioning. As the load reaches its landing point, the operator uses the tool to make fine directional adjustments — rotating the load, pushing it into alignment, holding it steady while the crane operator gives final slack. All of this happens without the operator's hands in the line of fire.

Detachment. Once the load is landed and stable, the magnet is released and the tool is withdrawn. The load is then de-tensioned through the rigging gear in the normal way.

Understanding the limits — what the magnet cannot do

Magnetic load-control tools are frequently discussed in terms of their rated pull force. It is important to understand what these figures mean in actual load control use.

The rated pull force is the force required to separate the magnet from a flat steel surface in a perpendicular direction (straight pull). In actual load control use, the forces applied are almost never a straight pull — they are directional, often lateral, and may involve a combination of forces depending on how the load is swinging and how the operator is applying the tool.

Lateral (sliding) force required to separate a magnet from a steel surface is typically significantly lower than the rated straight-pull force. A magnet rated for 500 kg of straight pull may release with a much lower lateral force depending on the surface condition and geometry of application.

This does not make magnetic tools unsafe — it makes the selection of the right tool for the task important. PSC recommends that customers discuss specific applications with PSC before selection, so that the tool can be confirmed as appropriate for the task environment and load characteristics.

Australian applications where magnetic load control is relevant

• Structural steel positioning — columns, beams, and plates being lifted into position during construction or maintenance. The combination of a crane, a tagline for swing control, and a magnetic tool for final alignment is an efficient three-point system for steel placement.
• Steel plate handling — road plates, shoring plates, cover plates. Plates typically present clean, flat steel surfaces that are well-suited to magnetic attachment and are common causes of hand injury when handled manually due to their edges and weight.
• Mine maintenance — steel components — plant equipment, wear parts, heavy steel machinery components during shutdowns. In underground and confined plant environments, a magnetic tool can provide steering control from an operator position that a push/pull pole of practical length cannot always reach.
• Fabrication yard lifts — steel fabricated assemblies being moved and positioned in a fabrication yard or heavy engineering workshop. Multiple lifts per shift makes hand injury risk cumulative; replacing hand contact with magnetic tool contact significantly reduces the daily exposure count.

Magnetic tools alongside other controls — not instead of them

A magnetic load-control tool is one control measure in a system of controls for a lifting operation. It does not replace the lift plan, the competency requirements, the equipment inspection, or the exclusion zone.

What it does is change the specific moment when a person would otherwise put a hand on a steel load — from a hand-contact event to a tool-mediated event with the operator at a safe working distance. For Australian sites that handle structural steel or steel components regularly, incorporating a magnetic positioning tool into the standard rigging kit for steel lifts is a practical and proportionate response to the injury pattern the NSW Resources Regulator has documented across multiple years of NSW mining data.