Overhead cranes are specifically required by OSHA to be inspected at intervals not to exceed one year. This carries the force of law:
OSHA 1910.179 J-3 -- Periodic Inspection. Complete inspections of the crane SHALL be performed at intervals generally defined in subparagraph (1)(ii)(b) (states: Periodic inspection - 1 to 12 month intervals) of this paragraph depending upon its activity, severity of service, and environment. ...
OSHA does not have specific guidelines for chainfall or lever hoist inspections. The manufacturers’ recommendations and ANSI/ASME industry standards are minimally annual. ANSI/ASME regulations don’t carry the force of law but OSHA states that they can cite them as generally accepted industry standards to issue a citation under OSHA’s general duty clause. Two instances of this are listed below.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 also contemplates that, in the absence of a specific OSHA standard addressing a hazard, employers are required, by the statute's "General Duty Clause" (Section 5(a)(1)), to protect employees from serious recognized hazards. OSHA often considers the provisions of industry consensus standards, such as those published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), when evaluating whether a hazard is "recognized" and whether there is a feasible means of abating that hazard. One such provision that OSHA would consider is Section 2-1.14.5, Hooks, of ASME 30.2-2001, Overhead and Gantry Cranes: “Latch-equipped hooks shall be used unless the application makes the use of the latch impractical or unnecessary.”
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25276
Another is:
Your second question also involves the use of the general duty clause. If the hazard presented by a particular hoist is not addressed by any specific OSHA standard, a citation under the general duty clause may be appropriate. An ANSI standard such as B30.11 might be used by OSHA to establish both recognition of the hazard and the existence of a feasible means of abatement. Although OSHA sometimes makes use of a consensus standard as evidence to support a citation in litigation, this does not mean that the consensus standard has become an OSHA standard having the force of law.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=20573