Safe working load is the load

Load

Load may refer to:*Structural load, forces which are applied to a structure*Cargo*The load of a mutual fund *The genetic load of a population*The parasite load of an organism...

 that a lifting device such as a crane

Crane (machine)

A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...

, a cherry picker

Cherry picker

A cherry picker , is a type of aerial work platform that consists of a platform or bucket at the end of a hydraulic lifting system.- Design :...

, or a lifting arrangement can safely lift, suspend or lower. Other synonyms include working load limit (WLL), which is the maximum working load designed by the manufacturer. The load represents a mass

Mass

Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...

 or force

Force

In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...

 that is much less than that required to make the lifting equipment fail or yield. The SWL is calculated using a given safety factor (SF) which for lifting slings could be given for example 5:1. The failing load is also known as minimum breaking load (MBL).