• Ensure that the correct rope is used.
• Inspect or examine regularly following the rope manufactures guidelines and the recommendation.
• Never overload.
• Minimize shock loading as overstressing of the rope will occur. In order to ensure that there is no slack in the rope at the start of loading, start the load carefully and apply the power smoothly and steadily.
• Avoid sudden loading in cold weather.
• Never use frozen ropes.
• Take special precautions and/ or use a larger sized rope whenever
• The exact load is unknown,
• There is a possibility of shock loading,
• The conditions are abnormal or severe,
• There is a hazard to personnel.
• Protect rope from sharp corners or edges with padding.
• Avoid dragging the rope from under loads or over obstacles.
• Avoid dropping the rope from heights.
• Avoid rolling loads with ropes.
• Store all unused rope in a clean, dry place.
• Never use wire rope which has been cut, badly kinked or crushed.
• Prevent loops in slack lines from being pulled tight and kinking. Once a kink has been made in a wire rope the damage is permanent. A weak spot will always remain no matter how well he kink seems to have been straightened out. If loop forms don’t pull it out, unfold it.
• Ensure that the drums and sheaves are of sufficient diameter.
• Avoid reverse bends.
• Repair or replace faulty guides and rollers.
• Ensure the sheaves are aligned and the fleet angle is correct.
• Replace sheaves having deeply worn or scored grooves, cracked or broken rims, and worn or damaged bearings.
• Repair faulty clutches.
• Check for abnormal line whip and vibration.
• Ensure that the rope spools properly on the drum.
• Never wind more that the correct amount of rope on any drum.
• Never allow the rope to cross-wind.
• Ensure rope ends are properly seized.
• Ensure that the ropes do not bind in sheaves. New wire rope requires a run-in period before operating at full load and full speed.
• Use thimbles in eye fittings at all times.
• Lubricate regularly according to the rope manufactures recommendations.
• Watch for local wear. Premature wear at one spot is common and can be prevented if the cause is detected. Uneven wear can be minimized by moving the rope at regular intervals so that different stretches of it are at the critical wear points. Changing layer and crossover points is merely a matter of cutting a few feet of rope from the drum end and fastening it. The cut should be long enough to move the change of layer at least one full coil from its former position and to move the crossover points one-quarter turn around the drum. Move the static section on an equalizer sheave three sheave diameter lengths away by cutting off the section on the drum end of the rope. To distribute wear due to vibration, cut off a section next to the anchorage and refasten the rope.

Each of the sections of the wire rope designation described above is variable. There are therefore a large number of combinations of wire rope that can be specified in this manner. The following abbreviations are commonly used to specify a wire rope.