The Specialised Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) has published a 95 page guide book: Lifting Industry: Weights, Measures and Signals.
The pocket-sized book, compiled by veteran operator Mitch Vaussine, is designed to prevent crane accidents caused by operators and riggers who lack accurate infomation about a load.
The guide book contains reference tables detailing the weight of commonly used materials and other items, ranging from steel and aluminium to portable toilets. It also contains charts for converting fractions and decimals, simple formulas for calculating weights, an illustrated guide to hand signals, and safety tips.
There is also a section covering basic radio signals for boom equipment operation, which according to the SC&RA, appears to be the future of communication between people working on lifting operations.
For more details contact the SC&RA in the USA on +1 703 698 0291