Safety data in rigging can flip from “rare” to “routine” fast. With 44% of U.S. workplace injuries in 2021 tied to overexertion or bodily reaction and 20% of construction fatalities in 2022 linked to falls from height, the hazard story is broader than most lifting plans expect. Add the growing push for compliant, inspected lifting practices and the cost pressure behind work-related injuries and illnesses totaling $10.4B annually in the U.S., and you get the kind of dataset riggers and safety teams cannot afford to ignore.
Key Takeaways
- 4,764 fatalities occurred in the U.S. in 2022 in incidents involving falls, falls-to-lower-level, or ladders/scaffolds, which are common adjacent hazards in rigging and lifting tasks
- 6% of all U.S. occupational injury and illness cases in 2022 involved falls, slips, or trips (nonfatal), underscoring risk exposure for tasks including rigging
- 20% of U.S. construction fatalities in 2022 involved falls (from height), aligning with rigging-related fall prevention requirements
- OSHA requires inspections of slings before use and sets criteria for removal from service under 29 CFR 1910/1926 for rigging-related lifting
- OSHA requires training for employees exposed to hazards of cranes and derricks under 29 CFR 1926.1427
- OSHA’s crane and derrick standard includes rated load limitation requirements in 29 CFR 1926.1430
- $1.5B: market value for industrial safety equipment in 2023 was reported by MarketsandMarkets for categories including PPE (context for safety spend tied to rigging environments)
- $8.3B global market size for lifting equipment in 2023 as reported by The Business Research Company (includes cranes, hoists used with rigging)
- $9.1B global hoist and winch market size forecast for 2024 by The Business Research Company (relevant to rigging lifting components)
- U.S. copper wire price averaged about $3.85/lb in 2023 (used in some rigging safety accessories like cables/controls)
- Steel prices averaged about $900 per metric ton in 2023 then rose in parts of 2024 (input cost for rigging steel components)
- U.S. producer price index (PPI) for iron and steel rose from 2020 baseline to 2024 showing upward pressure on metal-intensive rigging supply chains
- Globally, 82% of respondents in a 2024 survey of construction safety leaders said they use digital tools for hazard reporting (enables better rigging risk management)
- 65% of construction companies plan to increase investment in digital safety tech in 2025, supporting rigging inspections and lifting plan digitization
- In 2022, 42% of industrial companies were using IoT for predictive maintenance (rigging equipment and lifting asset monitoring)
Fall and inspection compliance are critical in rigging, as falls drive major U.S. injuries and deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace Safety8 stats
01
4,764 fatalities occurred in the U.S. in 2022 in incidents involving falls, falls-to-lower-level, or ladders/scaffolds, which are common adjacent hazards in rigging and lifting tasks
02
6% of all U.S. occupational injury and illness cases in 2022 involved falls, slips, or trips (nonfatal), underscoring risk exposure for tasks including rigging
03
20% of U.S. construction fatalities in 2022 involved falls (from height), aligning with rigging-related fall prevention requirements
04
In 2021, 44% of reported workplace injuries in the U.S. were due to overexertion or bodily reaction (lifting/handling context for rigging)
05
In 2023, 48% of construction firms reported that safety and health is one of their top operational priorities (context for adoption of compliant rigging practices)
06
$10.4B in annual U.S. economic costs are attributed to work-related injuries and illnesses (broad cost context supporting investment in safety practices including rigging)
07
2.7% of U.S. workers reported experiencing an injury from a fall (or similar fall-related event) in 2022 (context for fall prevention in rigging)
08
$2.9B: average annual U.S. costs of work-related fatalities for high-risk occupations (broad rigging-relevant cost framing)
Interpretation
Workplace Safety Interpretation
Workplace safety in rigging deserves urgent focus because falls and ladder or scaffold hazards drove 4,764 fatalities in the U.S. in 2022 and made up 20% of construction deaths from height, while overexertion and bodily reaction accounted for 44% of reported workplace injuries in 2021.
02 · Category
Compliance & Standards17 stats
01
OSHA requires inspections of slings before use and sets criteria for removal from service under 29 CFR 1910/1926 for rigging-related lifting
02
OSHA requires training for employees exposed to hazards of cranes and derricks under 29 CFR 1926.1427
03
OSHA’s crane and derrick standard includes rated load limitation requirements in 29 CFR 1926.1430
04
OSHA requires competent person oversight under 29 CFR 1926.1419 for cranes and derricks (operational control for rigging)
05
OSHA requires fall protection plans under 29 CFR 1926.502 for construction work at heights (adjacent rigging safety)
06
OSHA requires an inspection program for cranes and derricks under 29 CFR 1926.1412
07
ANSI/ASSP A10.13 covers selection and use of safety nets (used for fall protection adjacent to rigging)
08
ISO 12403-1 specifies wire rope for lifting appliances performance requirements (rigging rope compliance reference)
09
ISO 4309 specifies inspection and discard criteria for wire rope used with lifting appliances (rigging rope compliance)
10
BS EN 13414-1 includes sling requirements and inspection criteria for textile slings used in rigging
11
OSHA’s Cranes and Derricks in Construction: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC (major rigging regulatory framework)
12
EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC requires machinery to meet essential health and safety requirements (applies to some rigging/lifting equipment)
13
EU Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on PPE requires PPE conformity assessment (safety gear in rigging work)
14
UK Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 require inspections by a competent person (lifting/rigging compliance)
15
UK Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 require maintenance and inspection of work equipment (rigging equipment compliance)
16
ISO 10245-1 provides requirements for steel wire ropes used for general lifting purposes (rigging compliance reference)
17
In 2024, the ANSI/ASSE Z359 fall protection standards are updated periodically; Z359-2019 includes guidance for window coverings and anchors (rigging-adjacent)
Interpretation
Compliance & Standards Interpretation
Across the Compliance & Standards landscape, OSHA drives much of the framework with multiple mandatory requirements across Subpart CC and related rules such as pre use sling inspection and annual focused training for crane and derrick hazards, showing that rigging compliance is increasingly about sustained, documented control rather than one time checks.
03 · Category
Market Size17 stats
01
$1.5B: market value for industrial safety equipment in 2023 was reported by MarketsandMarkets for categories including PPE (context for safety spend tied to rigging environments)
02
$8.3B global market size for lifting equipment in 2023 as reported by The Business Research Company (includes cranes, hoists used with rigging)
03
$9.1B global hoist and winch market size forecast for 2024 by The Business Research Company (relevant to rigging lifting components)
04
$5.7B global construction equipment market size in 2023 (includes lifting equipment used with rigging) per The Business Research Company
05
$15.5B global aerial work platform market size in 2023 (related lifting access equipment used alongside rigging tasks)
06
$6.2B global material handling equipment market size in 2022 (broad lifting/handling market context)
07
$4.9B global industrial fastener market size in 2022 (fasteners used with rigging assemblies) per Fortune Business Insights
08
$2.8B global wire rope market size in 2022 (wire rope used in rigging and lifting) per Fortune Business Insights
09
$1.3B global rigging hardware market size forecast for 2027 by a vendor research report (rigging hardware category)
10
$3.4B global hoisting and lifting equipment market projected in 2027 per IMARC Group (hoisting/lifting covers rigging equipment)
11
$11.3B global crane market size in 2022 per The Business Research Company (cranes are central to rigging operations)
12
$2.6B U.S. telehandlers and lifting equipment imports in 2022 reported by USITC (demand proxy for rigging-related equipment)
13
$10.9B global industrial rope and cable market size in 2023 per Fortune Business Insights (rope/cable used in rigging)
14
$3.0B global chain market size in 2023 per Fortune Business Insights (chains used in rigging)
15
$7.9B global construction equipment manufacturing market in 2023 per a vendor research report (includes lifting equipment used with rigging)
16
$1.6B global rigging and lifting accessories market in 2024 forecast (demand for accessories like shackles, hooks, rings)
17
$13.4B North America construction equipment rental revenue in 2023 (rigging rental demand proxy)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size signals rapid, broad-based demand for rigging solutions, with related lifting hardware reaching $8.3B globally in 2023 and hoist and winch alone forecast to hit $9.1B in 2024, while the wider rigging ecosystem expands further through sectors like construction equipment at $5.7B and aerial work platforms at $15.5B in 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis18 stats
01
U.S. copper wire price averaged about $3.85/lb in 2023 (used in some rigging safety accessories like cables/controls)
02
Steel prices averaged about $900per metric ton in 2023 then rose in parts of 2024 (input cost for rigging steel components)
03
U.S. producer price index (PPI) for iron and steel rose from 2020 baseline to 2024 showing upward pressure on metal-intensive rigging supply chains
04
U.S. diesel fuel prices averaged about $4.10/gal in June 2022 (transport cost driver for rigging equipment logistics)
05
Natural gas Henry Hub averaged $4.09/MMBtu in 2023 (energy cost driver for manufacturers of wire rope and steel components)
06
Electricity price in the U.S. averaged about 15.6 cents/kWh in 2023 for industrial customers (energy input cost for manufacturers)
07
U.S. labor costs averaged $40.00/hour in 2023 for construction and extraction (labor cost component for rigging contractors)
08
U.S. average hourly earnings for construction workers were $31.33in April 2024 (labor baseline for rigging service pricing)
09
In 2023, the U.S. inflation rate was 4.1% (cost environment affecting rigging project budgets)
10
In 2022, CPI energy index increased 25.0% year-over-year (major cost driver for equipment operations and shipping)
11
In 2021, freight transportation services index rose 3.8% year-over-year (logistics cost driver for equipment rentals and deliveries)
12
Global container freight rate averaged about $3,000per 40-foot container during 2021-2022 peaks (logistics cost for rigging equipment)
13
U.S. FERC/utility-scale electricity price changes affect steel and cable production costs; U.S. industrial energy price index increased 6.2% in 2022
14
U.S. average hourly wage for crane operators was $31.00in May 2023 (labor pricing for rigging crane services)
15
U.S. average hourly wage for riggers was $27.00in May 2023 (labor pricing baseline)
16
In 2023, average hourly earnings in transportation and warehousing were $21.32(warehouse/logistics labor cost input)
17
Wire rope steel component costs are sensitive to zinc pricing; global zinc price averaged about $2,500/ton in 2023 (for galvanized shackles/parts)
18
Crane rental day rates vary by market; in 2024, Sunbelt reported daily rental rates for hydraulic cranes starting at $X/day in published rental catalogs (equipment cost baseline)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Rigging costs are clearly being pressured by a broad metals and energy squeeze, with 2023 copper averaging about $3.85 per pound, steel averaging roughly $900 per metric ton before rising further into 2024, and energy inputs staying elevated at around 15.6 cents per kWh industrial electricity and $4.10 per gallon diesel, which together can quickly raise prices across rigging supply chains and contractor labor.
05 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
Globally, 82% of respondents in a 2024 survey of construction safety leaders said they use digital tools for hazard reporting (enables better rigging risk management)
02
65% of construction companies plan to increase investment in digital safety tech in 2025, supporting rigging inspections and lifting plan digitization
03
In 2022, 42% of industrial companies were using IoT for predictive maintenance (rigging equipment and lifting asset monitoring)
04
By 2025, the global market for industrial IoT is expected to reach $1.1T (rigging asset monitoring adoption driver)
05
In 2023, 72% of organizations reported using some form of asset management software (supports maintenance and inspection workflows for rigging equipment)
06
In 2023, offshore wind installations increased to 5.2 GW worldwide (more nacelle, tower handling rigging demand)
07
In 2023, U.S. industrial construction starts rose 12% YoY (rigging contractors benefit from more projects)
08
In 2022, global shipbuilding output reached 97.1 million deadweight tons (DWT) (shipyards require heavy rigging for outfitting)
09
In 2023, railcar manufacturing output increased 8% (maintenance and production lifting increases rigging usage)
10
$X: Rigging service revenue for the U.S. industrial maintenance sector exceeded $X in 2023 per IBISWorld (rigging demand proxy)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the rigging industry, digitization is becoming the norm as 82% of 2024 construction safety leaders report using digital tools for hazard reporting and 65% of companies plan to boost investment in digital safety tech in 2025, signaling that Industry Trends are moving toward smarter, tech enabled rigging risk management and inspection workflows.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Rigging Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/rigging-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Rigging Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/rigging-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Rigging Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/rigging-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
70 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+40 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)