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Compliance & Security you can defend in an audit.

LiftSafe was designed from day one around the actual regulatory framework that governs lifting equipment in South Africa — not generic “inspection software”.

Primary Legislation & Standards

OHS Act 85 of 1993 + Driven Machinery Regulations (DMR 18)
Governs most general industry lifting machinery and tackle. LME registration with ECSA, inspector competencies (LMI/LTI), certificate of fitness requirements.
DMR 18(5) — Full machine thorough examination + performance test by LMI, ≤12 months.
DMR 18(6) — Ropes, chains, hooks, attaching devices, sheaves, brakes and safety devices forming part of the machine: thorough examination ≤6 months. LiftSafe tracks this as a distinct integral_6mo schedule — separately keyed from the full annual, with its own register section and 30-day reminder.
DMR 18(7) — User (client) must keep a register on premises with full particulars of every examination and test. LiftSafe's DMR Register screen satisfies this obligation for both LME and client-side staff.
Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) + DMR
Underground and surface mines. Additional requirements for lifting at mines. Our 6-section structure and NDT/Wire rope modules directly support mine compliance.

Key SANS / ISO Standards Implemented

Every form and certificate is mapped field-by-field from the governing standard. The 6-section index in the mobile app mirrors the regulatory scopes (LMI vs LTI vs LI vs NDT).

  • SANS 19:2018 — Mobile cranes
  • SANS 10375:2018 — Overhead & monorail
  • SANS 500:2023 — Chain blocks & lever hoists (in-service)
  • SANS 10388:2019 — Lift trucks (forklifts, telehandlers, pallet)
  • SANS 18893 — MEWPs / EWPs
  • SANS 1545-5 (and 1545-1/2/4) — Goods & passenger lifts
  • SANS 1126 / 1614 — Vehicle jacks & support stands
  • EN 1493 — Vehicle lifts (2-post / 4-post)
  • SANS 2972 / 687 / 1824 — Lifting tackle & attachments
  • SANS 50363 + EN 363 series — Fall arrest / personal fall protection
  • SANS 4309 / 10369 — Wire rope inspection & MFL
  • SANS 9934 / 3452 / 17640 / 9712 — NDT methods & personnel
  • ASME B30.7 / B30.24 — Winches & container cranes
  • Many more (full list in mobile inspections index)

POPIA & Data Residency (Critical for South Africa)

All customer data (clients, assets, inspections, certificates, signatures, photos) is stored on Supabase self-hosted on Xneelo VPS in Johannesburg (jnb1). No cross-border transfer of personal or operational data for normal operations.

AI “brain” queries (standards_facts + document_chunks) contain zero PII — only public SANS text and embeddings. All AI calls go through the liftsafe-brain Edge Function (never direct from client).

RESPONSIBLE PARTY = YOUR LME COMPANY. LIFTSAFE IS THE OPERATOR.

Technical & Security Controls

  • • Row Level Security (RLS) on every table — lme_company_id isolation enforced at the database. Company A can never see Company B’s data.
  • • All mutations go through SECURITY DEFINER RPCs (submit_inspection, next_certificate_number, log_audit, etc.). No raw writes from client.
  • • Certificates are immutable once created. Amendment records required for corrections.
  • • Full audit_log for privileged actions (inspection submit, certificate issuance, profile changes, inspector management).
  • • No API keys in mobile or web client bundles.
  • • Signatures captured on-device → PNG → embedded. Photos compressed ≤800px.
  • • Every certificate carries the exact normative references and legal declaration required under OHS/MHSA.
  • • CoF hard-gates: inspector ECSA number, full name, and live digital signature are all required fields. Submission is blocked at both mobile app and RPC level if any are missing.

Fleet Status & Traffic Light

Real-time fleet status propagation
Any does-not-conform result (LMI inspection or client pre-use check) immediately sets the unit to DOES NOT CONFORM / QUARANTINED across all platforms — mobile app, web admin, client portal, and barcode scan.
Failed units are blocked from receiving a new Certificate of Fitness until the defect is rectified and re-inspected. No certificate can be issued over a quarantined unit.
Client pre-use clears restore ACTIVE status only on the client-initiated hold — LME-issued fails are never auto-cleared by a pre-use pass.
Traffic light expiry dashboard
●GREEN — cert valid >90 days. No action required.
●AMBER — cert expiring 31–90 days. Plan renewals and schedule inspections.
●RED — expiring ≤30 days, expired, failed, quarantined, or locked out. Immediate action required.
Traffic light overrides cascade: a unit with a valid cert that also has a failed/quarantined status shows RED regardless of the cert expiry date.

Client Pre-Use Inspection System

SANS standards require pre-use checks before every rigging operation (tackle) and every shift (machines). LiftSafe's client portal provides a formal, recorded pre-use system for client-side staff.

  • • Client operators (planner, rigger store, safety officer) can record pre-use checks on their own mobile devices.
  • • A failed pre-use immediately sets the unit to OUT OF SERVICE / QUARANTINED and shows RED on every platform — independent of the LME-issued certificate status.
  • • A passed re-check by the same client restores the unit to ACTIVE (only for client-initiated holds).
  • • All pre-use records are timestamped, signed, and permanently attached to the machine master file — satisfying the SANS requirement for formal pre-use records.
  • • Failed pre-use blocks scan-to-use: any tag scan on a quarantined unit returns “NOT SAFE TO USE — QUARANTINED” before the operator can proceed.

AI Standards Assistant — Guardrails

LiftSafe Brain is a SANS/ISO/DMR 18 standards reference assistant available to LMI/LTI inspectors in the field. It is strictly advisory.

  • • No pass/fail verdicts — the assistant cannot mark any unit as conforms or does-not-conform. All inspection decisions are the sole responsibility of the certified LMI/LTI.
  • • No auto-fill — AI responses cannot be fed directly into checklist state or inspection results. All entries are made by the inspector.
  • • Citation required — every answer must cite an exact SANS/ISO clause reference. Answers without a traceable source are labelled as industry knowledge, not standards fact.
  • • Zero PII in AI calls — only anonymised standards text and embeddings (no client data, equipment data, or inspector data) reach the AI pipeline.
  • • Non-dismissible disclaimer strip on every AI screen: “Standards guidance only — all inspection decisions are the sole responsibility of the certified LMI/LTI. This assistant cannot pass or fail equipment.”
This is not generic “compliance software”. The entire data model, form library, PDF templates and certificate rules were built to satisfy the exact requirements an LME will be audited against by the Department of Labour, ECSA, LEEASA, and mine inspectors.
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