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The Complete Guide to Becoming A Rigger
What you'll really do, what you'll really earn, and whether you have what it takes to work the load
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Rigger Actually Do?
Let's cut through the mystery. A rigger is the person who plans, sets up, and controls the systems that lift, move, and secure heavy loads. If it's too heavy to carry and too awkward to push, a rigger is probably the one who gets it from point A to point B safely. This job exists in shipyards, on construction sites, in theaters, on movie sets, in factories, and in warehouses. The tools change, but the core mission doesn't: you are the person who makes sure the heavy thing goes where it needs to go and doesn't hurt anyone on the way.
Core Responsibilities
First and foremost, you are responsible for the load. Before a single hook is attached, you have to figure out the weight of what you're moving. You might get this from a shipping manifest, a blueprint, or a weight tag on the equipment. But often, you have to calculate it yourself, especially if you're moving odd-shaped machinery or oddly distributed loads. You'll use math - geometry and basic physics - to figure out the center of gravity and the best pick points.
Then you select the equipment. You'll look at the job and decide if you need slings made of wire rope, synthetic webbing, or chain. You'll pick the right shackles, hooks, turnbuckles, and eyebolts. You'll verify that every piece of hardware has the correct working load limit, which is the maximum weight it's certified to handle. You cannot