Ask X3What does 49 CFR 178.812 (Top lift test) require?
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As Ask X3, your fleet-compliance assistant, here is what 49 CFR 178.812 requires for the top lift test:
Applicability
The test is required to qualify all Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) design types that are designed to be lifted from the top, or—in the case of flexible IBCs—from the side.
Preparation Requirements
* Metal, rigid plastic, and composite IBCs: Load them to twice their maximum permissible gross mass, with the load evenly distributed.
* Flexible IBCs: Fill them to six times their maximum net mass, with the load evenly distributed (unless using the alternative platen test method).
Test Methods
* Metal IBCs: Lift the IBC in the manner it was designed until it is clear of the floor, and hold it there for five minutes.
* Rigid plastic and composite IBCs: Lift the IBC by each pair of diagonally opposite lifting devices for five minutes each in two ways: with hoisting forces applied vertically, and with hoisting forces applied toward the center at a 45° angle to the vertical.
* Flexible IBCs: Either lift the IBC in its designed manner until clear of the floor and hold for five minutes, or use the specific platen test method (filling it 95% full with representative material, suspending it by its lifting devices, and applying a downward force via a platen so the combined mass and force equal at least six times the maximum net mass for five minutes). Other equally effective methods may be used with the Associate Administrator's approval.
Passing Criteria
To pass the top lift test under 49 CFR 178.812, the IBC (including any base pallets) must show no permanent deformation that makes it unsafe for transportation, and there must be no loss of contents.