Toco Lifting examines, performance tests and certifies lifting tackle in South Africa as an approved Lifting Machinery Entity, LME No. 008, registered with the Department of Labour on 28 April 2005. Approval under Driven Machinery Regulation 18(5) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 covers five categories: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings. Testing is carried out in house at Germiston and Cape Town, and every item leaves with compliance documentation traceable to LME 008.
Quick facts
Approval: Lifting Machinery Entity, LME No. 008, Department of Labour, issued 28 April 2005, active
Authority: Driven Machinery Regulation 18(5), Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993
Scope of approval: examining and performance testing of lifting tackles
Five categories: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings, flat webbings
Oversight: ECSA registered Lifting Machinery Inspector and Team, registered 16 September 2011
Facilities: Germiston head office and Cape Town branch, both in house
Memberships: LEEASA Standard Company Member (LEEASA-SUB-00102), COET Company Member (#8000134)
Toco Lifting has examined, tested and certified lifting tackle in South Africa since 2002, and has held LME 008 since 2005.
What lifting equipment inspection covers
An examination is a documented assessment of an item against the condition it must be in to carry its rated load safely. For the five categories inside the LME 008 scope, that means checking the item for wear, deformation, corrosion, damage to load bearing parts, legibility of identification and rating marks, and correct function of the mechanism where one is fitted.
Examination is not the same as a proof load test. Examination is the assessment. Performance testing applies load. Both sit inside the LME 008 approval, and both produce documentation traceable to the entity number.
For equipment outside the five categories, contact Toco to be advised.
Load testing services and what Toco is approved to test
Toco is approved to examine and performance test lifting tackles in five categories.
| Category | Examples inside the category |
|---|---|
| Chain blocks | Hand chain blocks and lever hoists |
| Steel wire ropes | Ropes supplied by length and as assemblies |
| Chain slings | Single, two, three and four leg chain slings and components |
| Steel wire slings | Wire rope slings, and cable laid grommets |
| Flat webbings | Flat webbing slings and round slings |
Testing is carried out in house rather than sent out, at Germiston and at Cape Town. Equipment already in service is accepted for examination and testing, not only equipment bought from Toco.
Chain block, lever hoist and hoist certification
Chain blocks are the first category on the LME 008 certificate. Lever hoists sit outside the five approved categories and are tested and certified in Toco's own workshop under ECSA-registered LMI oversight. Toco supplies, repairs and certifies both, and is the sole authorised distributor of Vital® chain blocks and lever hoists in the Republic of South Africa.
Toco works to three intervals on chain blocks and lever hoists:
| Interval | What happens |
|---|---|
| Every 3 months | Quarterly inspection |
| Every 6 months | Maintenance inspection |
| Every 12 months | Annual maintenance examination with performance (load) testing, the DMR 18(5) requirement |
An item that has been repaired is tested before it goes back into service. See chain block and hoist repairs.
Wire rope, sling and webbing inspection
Steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings are all inside the approval. Slings made up by Toco are tested and documented before they leave. Slings already in service are accepted for periodic examination.
Browse chain slings and components, steel wire rope slings and nylon slings.
Certification for equipment outside the five categories
If the item is not a chain block, a steel wire rope, a chain sling, a steel wire sling or a flat webbing, it falls outside LME 008. Lifting machinery such as cranes, overhead travelling cranes and forklifts is a different approval class and Toco does not hold it.
What Toco can do in those cases is examine, test and certify the tackle that hangs below the hook and carries the load. Contact Toco to be advised on the item in front of you rather than assume either way.
Compliance programmes for multiple sites
Operations with a large registered inventory of lifting tackle across more than one site usually need a rolling programme rather than a single visit: a schedule per site, a register that stays current, and documentation that is ready when an inspector asks for it.
Tell Toco how many items, how many sites, which provinces, and when the next examination is due, and the work can be planned around your shutdowns rather than against them.
Testing and certification in Germiston and Cape Town
Germiston, head office
19 Harriet Avenue, Driehoek, Germiston, Gauteng, 1400
011 345 8800
Cape Town branch
Unit 3, The Square, Prime Park, Printers Way, Milnerton, 7441
021 529 1340
Trading hours: Monday to Thursday 07:45 to 16:30, Friday 07:45 to 15:15.
Both branches carry in house testing and repair facilities. See certifications and accreditations for the certificates behind LME 008, the ECSA registration, LEEASA and COET, and DMR 18 explained for what the regulation asks of an employer.
Frequently asked questions
What lifting equipment can Toco Lifting test and certify?
Toco Lifting is approved under LME 008 for the examination and performance testing of lifting tackles in five categories: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings. Steel wire slings is the category that carries cable laid grommets. For equipment outside these five categories, contact Toco to be advised.
Can Toco load test a forklift, a crane or an overhead travelling crane?
No. Those are lifting machinery, and LME 008 approves Toco for lifting tackles, not lifting machinery. Toco can examine, test and certify the tackle used with that machinery, which is the chain blocks, slings, steel wire ropes and webbings that carry the load. For the machine itself, contact Toco to be advised on the correct route.
Who is allowed to issue a lifting equipment certificate in South Africa?
Under Driven Machinery Regulation 18 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993, examination and testing must be carried out by an approved Lifting Machinery Entity working under a registered Lifting Machinery Inspector. Toco Lifting holds LME 008 and operates with a dedicated Lifting Machinery Inspector and Team registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa under the Engineering Profession Act, 2000.
What does Driven Machinery Regulation 18 require of an employer?
DMR 18 places the duty on the user of the lifting equipment. In broad terms the employer must ensure lifting equipment is examined and tested by an approved entity, that records of those examinations are kept, and that equipment found defective is taken out of service. Toco issues the documentation that supports that duty for the tackle within the LME 008 scope.
What happens if an item fails examination?
It is withdrawn from service and reported. Depending on the item and the fault, it is either repaired and retested, or condemned. Toco does not certify an item that has not passed. Chain blocks and hoists can be repaired in house, see chain block and hoist repairs.
Do items bought from Toco already come certified?
Yes. Lifting equipment supplied by Toco leaves the facility with compliance documentation traceable to LME 008.