A rigging system including an arbor operable to support one or more counterweights. The rigging system includes a hand line coupled to the arbor and a brake. The rigging system further includes a brake actuator operable to activate the brake and a sensor configured to sense a movement of the hand line. A controller for the rigging system includes an electronic processor and is operatively coupled to the sensor and the brake actuator. The controller is configured to receive a measurement signal associated with the movement from the sensor, determine a speed of the hand line based on the measurement signal, and activate the brake actuator when the speed of the hand line exceeds a threshold.