There is a lot of unnecessary confusion in South Africa when it comes to the goods hoist regulations.
However, the short version is fortunately very simple: if you buy a new goods hoist, the law explicitly states that it must comply with all of the 117 pages in SANS 1545-5. To confirm that the unit complies, it must be signed off by an ECSA registered lift inspector. The unit must also be registered with the Department of Labour, and maintained by a suitable service provider.
Additionally, if you have an existing unit that was installed after 30 September 2015, it must also comply with SANS 1545-5 and the above requirements by the 30th of September 2020.
From October 2020, the Department of Labour will start punishing anyone who has not complied with these requirements. Furthermore, if there was an injury on the property that led to an investigation, the reality is that the business owner and his/her representatives would be placed in an extremely difficult situation on top of everything else they would already have to deal with.
What if your unit was installed before the 30th of September 2015? In this case, the owner must ensure that the unit is inspected by a registered lift inspector, that the unit is registered with the Department of Labour, that the unit is maintained by a suitable service provider, and that the unit meets the new minimum requirements that were introduced to improve the original Driven Machinery Regulations. While these new minimum requirements are not as comprehensive as SANS 1545-5, they can still require some fairly major upgrades in certain situations.
With all of the above, it can be extremely difficult for a business owner to determine if his/her goods hoists are compliant. If you need assistance, please feel free to contact us so we can put you in touch with one of our partners in your area.
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