Raising standards - reinventing the LMI pathway

South Africa’s lifting industry is expanding and adapting as new technologies, methods and ideas are introduced. From harbour cranes and warehouse forklifts to truck tail lifts, lifting equipment keeps our economy moving—supporting exports, warehouse logistics and retail supply chains. As machinery and operational practices evolve, the sector that safeguards safety and compliance must evolve too.

An LMI inspector conducts a thorough examination of a crane hook at a busy shipping yard, ensuring compliance with safety standards.

The Lifting Machinery Entity (LME) and Lifting Machine Inspector (LMI) community play a critical role in ensuring machinery meets OH&S requirements and relevant SANS standards. To keep pace with industry change, this sector must embrace new talent, fresh ideas and structured pathways for training and certification.

A crucial entry point is registration as a Candidate LMI with ECSA. Today, however, the registration process lacks clear, structured documentation and an engaging enrolment pathway to attract younger candidates. Without an accessible, professional onboarding process, the industry risks losing promising entrants.

We must modernise the candidate LMI pathway - clear registration steps, objective assessments and active mentoring will bring the next generation into a vital industry and protect the standards we rely on.

In an industrial workshop, a mentor instructs a student, showcasing careful and expert handling of the equipment.

Assessment is another key issue. There is no formal exam for Candidate LMIs; instead, candidates undergo interviews. While interviews are conducted by industry professionals, including registered LMIs, the process is open to human bias and inconsistency. Relying solely on interviews also creates the same limitations for certified LMIs seeking scope extensions.

ECSA’s abeyance policy allows unsuccessful interviewees to return within 10 months to reattempt once they have gained more experience, at no extra cost. However, many applicants are unaware of this option and therefore miss the opportunity it provides.

Communication and consultation have also been lacking. Recent changes to documents affecting Candidate LMIs were made without adequate consultation with LMEs and LMIs, leaving many stakeholders uninformed and unable to provide input. With an ageing cohort of certified practitioners, the industry must actively encourage registration of younger candidates and support current LMIs in extending their scopes.

LMI trainers engage in a detailed discussion with a trainee, reviewing plans and strategies.

The future LMIs of our country need mentoring, transparent communication and fair evaluation. Transparent communication and fair, consistent evaluation are not optional. They are essential if we want to keep South Africa’s lifting sector safe, competitive and ready for the future.”

To secure the lifting industry’s future, we need clear enrolment processes, fair and objective assessment mechanisms, better stakeholder consultation, and mentoring programmes that attract and retain new LMI talent.