Chain Hoist Classes (D8 / D8+ / C1)

D8, D8+ and C1 are designations used in the entertainment industry to state whether an electric chain hoist may hold or move a load above people. They come from German practice. The code of practice SR2.0, revised in 2010 as IGVW SQ P2, defines them with reference to the accident prevention rules BGV D8 (now DGUV Vorschrift 54, on hoists and winches) and BGV C1 (now DGUV Vorschrift 17, on event and production venues). A D8 hoist is a standard industrial chain hoist built to EN 14492-2. It may lift loads only when nobody is underneath, and holding a load above people requires a secondary safety; manufacturers such as ChainMaster and GIS state a 5:1 chain safety factor for their D8 models. A D8+ hoist may hold a load at rest above people without a secondary safety, but not move it over them. It has two independent brakes, and the components in its load path are dimensioned for twice the rated capacity. Under SQ P2:2018 a static coefficient of 8:1 is sufficient for the load chain, and some manufacturers go further (Columbus McKinnon states at least 10:1 for its Lodestar D8+). A C1 hoist may move and hold loads above people, including during a show. It adds a double set of limit switches and, depending on the model, overload and slack-chain detection, and manufacturers commonly state a design factor of 10:1. The European standard EN 17206:2020 now covers stage machinery through use cases ranging from a single hoist with nobody underneath to performer flying, and it has replaced BS 7905-1 and BS 7906-1 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, ANSI E1.6-1 covers powered hoist systems and ANSI E1.6-2 electric chain hoists of 2 tons or less, without the D8 or C1 labels.