We sell a variety of ratchet lashings here at SafetyLiftinGear; today, we're going to take a look at the finer details of the products we offer, helping you to select the right ratchet strap for your requirements.

• Materials: Our ratchet straps are made of high-quality, hard-wearing polyester yarn. This makes them very strong and inherently shock absorbent.

• Hooks: The majority of our ratchet lashings come with hooks for attachment, and the type of hook varies from product to product. Some have rave hooks, while others have claw hooks or delta links; we also supply several endless ratchet straps with no hooks fitted.
  
  
• Strength: One of the most important things to look for when purchasing a ratchet lashing is the minimum breaking strength (MBS), which denotes how much force the strap can withstand without snapping. Each of the ratchet straps we sell has a different MBS, ranging from 500kg to 10 tonnes - before making a purchase, please ensure that your chosen product has a suitable MBS for your requirements, as exceeding the minimum breaking strength can be very dangerous.
  
  
• Length: Our range is very flexible in terms of length - most of our ratchet straps come in several different sizes, so you can select a length that suits your needs. Available lengths range from 4 metres to 20 metres in some cases.
  
  
• Accessories: In addition to the ratchet straps themselves, we also sell a variety of additional products, including wear sleeves (designed to extend the lifespan of ratchet lashings) and corner protectors (ideal for protecting your straps from sharp corners).

Click here to see our full range of ratchet straps, or watch the video below to see how they are used.

Load restraint isn't a particularly complicated science: all you have to do is make sure that your goods don't fall off the vehicle that's transporting them from A to B. Not exactly brain surgery, is it?

And yet we still see far too many instances of half-hearted load restraint, which all too often results in a scene like this:

Improper load restraint can be very costly if your goods get damaged, but more importantly, an accident like the one pictured above can be life-threatening. What if your unsecured load crashes into another vehicle, or hits a passing pedestrian?

The need for adequate load restraint is very pressing indeed, though if you're reading this, you've probably recognised that already. Here, then, are a few tips that will help you to keep everything secure and protect the people around you:

• Use the right ratchet straps. We sell a variety of ratchet straps here at SLG, and each one has a different lashing capacity and minimum breaking strength. The lashing capacity is the maximum tension that the strap in question is capable of sustaining; the minimum breaking strength is the maximum force that the strap will withstand when properly secured. Check this information when purchasing ratchet lashings, and ensure that the products you use are suitable for the task at hand.
  
  
• Ensure that lashings are properly secured. Ratchet lashings are available with a variety of different fittings (including claw hooks, delta links, and rave hooks); obviously, you'll need to select the right fitting for your requirements, but on an even more basic level, you MUST ensure that all straps are properly attached and secured before setting off. Even the very best load restraint products are useless if not properly used!
  
  
• Consider additional/alternative load restraint measures. Ratchet lashings are the preferred method of load restraint, but you may benefit from using other products such as bungee cords, loadbinders, and cargo bars to make absolutely sure that nothing is going anywhere.

In a nutshell, our advice is this: assess your loads properly, choose an appropriate load restraint method (or methods) for the job, and ensure that everything has been properly secured before beginning your journey.

SafetyLiftinGear's full collection of load restraint equipment can be found here - feel free to email sales@safetyliftingear.com if you have any further questions.