South Africa’s LMI shortage is impacting the lifting sector, raising concerns

Lifting Placements, the leading recruitment agency for Lifting Machine Inspectors (LMIs), recognises the pressing concern in the lifting industry caused by the scarcity of qualified and active LMIs across the country, emphasising the critical need for skilled professionals to ensure safety and compliance.

The Lifting Machinery Inspectors (LMIs) shortage is fast becoming a critical issue in South Africa, causing significant disruptions in the lifting sector and raising concerns about safety standards. LMIs are crucial in ensuring the proper functioning and safety compliance of lifting equipment, including cranes, hoists, and forklifts. The scarcity of these skilled professionals has created a challenging situation with potentially far-reaching consequences. According to Surita Marx, the scarcity of LMIs is primarily attributed to a combination of factors, including an increasing demand for their services, a lack of qualified individuals, and limited training opportunities.

As the South African economy expands, the construction and industrial sectors have witnessed a surge in lifting equipment usage. The need for LMIs to conduct regular inspections, certify machinery safety, and issue permits has skyrocketed.

“Unfortunately, the country’s capacity to produce and train LMIs has not kept pace with this growing demand,” explains Marx. “The rigorous certification process and specialised training required to become an LMI restrict the influx of new professionals. Additionally, the lack of awareness about career prospects and limited incentives to pursue this profession further exacerbate the shortage.”

The impact of the LMI shortage is being acutely felt in the lifting sector, says Marx. “Construction projects, industrial operations, and logistics companies heavily rely on lifting equipment to perform essential tasks. Without timely inspections and certifications from LMIs, such equipment becomes risky, potentially compromising worker safety and causing costly delays. Construction sites have reported project setbacks and increased downtime due to the unavailability of LMIs, leading to financial losses for both companies and individuals.” Placing LMIs with companies has become increasingly difficult.

“We are inundated with requests for LMI placements and simply cannot meet the demand.

We must change the situation and drastically increase the number of LMIs in the country.”

Marx highlights the challenging landscape in LMI placement, attributing the scarcity of professionals to the rising difficulty in recruiting and employing LMIs. With limited supply and high demand, these specialists wield the power to negotiate their salaries, making them a costly but necessary investment for organisations in need of their expertise. “We are finding that many LMIs are calling their salaries and there is not much companies can do but accommodate these very high wages. This makes it extremely difficult for companies that cannot necessarily afford these very high and expensive professionals.”

A concerning consequence arises when companies, unable to afford the inflated salaries demanded by LMIs, are compelled to compromise by hiring individuals who may not possess adequate training or qualifications, ultimately risking compromised safety standards and potentially hazardous work environments.

The increasing demand for qualified professionals in the lifting equipment industry places significant pressure on recruitment services like Lifting Placements. However, as a trusted provider of specialised recruitment services exclusively for the lifting sector, Lifting Placements remains steadfast in its commitment to connecting employers with top-quality placements, ensuring the industry’s continued growth and success. “Our comprehensive and integrated approach focuses on matching talented professionals with rewarding career opportunities in various roles such as Lifting Machine Inspectors, Lifting Tackle Inspectors, Crane Technicians, Sales Managers, Technical Sales Engineers, and other essential positions that support the lifting sector,” says Marx.

Dealing with the challenges

Several industry experts that Lifting Africa spoke to highlighted the concerns raised by Lifting Placements. Most prefer not to be named for fear of retribution by authorities.

“The shortage of LMIs is particularly worrisome as the average age of these professionals is significantly higher than that of other trades in South Africa,” says one source. “This raises concerns about transferring valuable knowledge from experienced LMIs to the younger generation before they retire. Without proper knowledge transfer, the industry risks losing valuable expertise, which may harm safety standards.”

Adding to the challenges, many LMIs currently need to be in better standing with the Engineering Council of South Africa. Please uphold registration fees and participate in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities, required every five years, which has compromised their status. This further exacerbates the shortage and limits the available pool of qualified LMIs. “While it is difficult to calculate the exact number of LMIs required to ensure legal compliance within South Africa due to the vast amount of lifting machines, the unconfirmed total of ECSA registered, active paid up LMI is 150 members with various categories,” says another source.

The industry highlights numerous challenges, from the need for dedicated plans evident from DoEL for the LMIs of the future to the lack of clear and concise guidelines and future development of LMIs.

There is also uncertainty around the process of LMI ECSA registration with regards to RPL versus existing National Qualification. “Currently, the process only provides the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). However, National Certificate: Lifting Machinery Inspection (58496) is the following National Qualification there is. However, no ownership for the national mentioned above certificate and no recognition is given to this under the Merseta,” says another source. Following the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, Driven Machinery Regulation 18 (DMR 18), it is legally required to perform visual inspections and performance tests on all lifting tackle and lifting machines.

Trends that are overwhelming the industry are that “candidate” unregistered employees are doing the testing work and that this is being signed off by registered LMIs in the company that are acting as mentors. Some companies do this very well, following strict protocols, but in many instances, even untrained or poorly trained inspectors are sent out to do the work on behalf of the short-staffed LMIs.

Other employers are reaching out to try and train their future LMIs, but this is costly.

Dealing with the consequences

The ramifications are significant, says Andries Agenbag, LEEASA Vice Chairperson. The organisation has been working closely with the authorities and industry to address some challenges. He says it is critical to highlight and increase awareness of possible career opportunities for LMIs in the industry. An in-depth interaction between DoEL, ECSA and LEEASA is also required to correct the current activity and bring the fierce registration and development plan into control. ECSA is the registration body, but DoEL and LEEASA must form a solid alliance to change the process and ensure legal compliance and individual upliftment.

Many in the industry are also calling for a candidacy programme to be implemented to allow the beginner or less experienced group of practitioners to gain sufficient knowledge and experience to enable them to qualify or register as LMIs and, in that way, start their development program.

Lifting Placements

+27 (0) 87 700 9834

info@liftingplacements.co.za

www.liftingplacements.co.za