🔗 Standard & approval
LEEA Thorough Examination of Lifting Equipment in KSA
LEEA, the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, is an international trade body for the lifting equipment industry, known for member standards, training and published guidance on the safe use and examination of lifting gear. Thorough examination, the periodic and systematic examination of lifting equipment by a competent person, is the idea behind LEEA-style inspection regimes. Clients in Saudi Arabia sometimes ask for LEEA-standard inspection of slings, shackles, hoists and spreader beams because it gives a consistent, recognised way to examine and report on lifting gear. This page explains what that means for lifting equipment inspection in Saudi Arabia and how EES aligns its thorough examination reports with the same principles.
Our work is aligned with these requirements
EES inspection, testing and training are aligned with the requirements of this standard.
Ask us for our current approval documentation and scope before you rely on it for a tender, contractor prequalification or site-access requirement.
What it means for contractors
- ✓Thorough examination is more than a visual check. A competent person examines each item systematically against criteria for wear, damage, deformation, corrosion, markings and function: wire rope slings against the removal criteria in ASME B30.9, chain slings for stretch, link wear and nicks, textile slings for cuts, abrasion and heat or chemical damage, and shackles and hooks for deformation, thread condition and legible markings. The examiner then states in writing whether the item is safe to stay in use and when it must next be examined.
- ✓Competence and independence both matter. The examiner needs the knowledge, training and experience for the equipment type and must be in a position to give an objective judgement, which is why clients often prefer an examiner who is independent of the equipment owner.
- ✓Intervals follow the scheme in force. The UK Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), often used as a reference point on international projects, call for thorough examination of lifting accessories and of equipment used to lift people at least every six months, and of other lifting equipment at least every twelve months, unless a written scheme of examination sets something different. LOLER is not Saudi law: client and project requirements apply in the Kingdom, so confirm the interval for your site.
- ✓A report has to be specific: the equipment's unique identification, safe working load or working load limit, date, results, defects and whether each is an immediate danger or can be corrected, the next due date, and the examiner's name and signature, kept on file and available to site on request.
- ✓Colour-coding and tagging help at the gate. Many clients use colour-coded tags or bands to show the inspection period at a glance, alongside the item's identification and working load limit. The colour scheme is client or project specific and changes by period.
- ✓The LEEA Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Lifting Equipment is a widely used reference for selecting, using, storing and withdrawing lifting equipment. Thorough examination is one part of that wider picture, alongside pre-use checks by the user and a proper lift plan.
How EES supports compliance
- ✓We run thorough examinations in the way LEEA-style practice describes them: systematic examination of each item, identification, defect classification, and a clear fit-for-use decision with the next due date, against manufacturer criteria and recognised codes such as ASME B30.9 (slings), B30.10 (hooks), B30.16 (overhead hoists), B30.20 (below-the-hook lifting devices) and B30.26 (rigging hardware).
- ✓Item-by-item identification: every sling, shackle, hook, hoist, beam or lifting accessory is identified with a unique mark or tag, and its working load limit is checked against the marking and recorded in the examination report.
- ✓Reports carry the elements listed above (identification, capacity, results, defect class, due date, examiner), so a client reviewer can see at a glance what was examined and what the decision was.
- ✓Proof load testing where it applies: for new, repaired or modified lifting appliances and accessories, or where the client requires it, with the test load and result recorded by a competent person. A proof test supplements thorough examination and never replaces it.
- ✓Lifting-gear registers for yards and project stores, showing what is in service, what is quarantined and when each item is due, so out-of-date gear does not drift back into use.
- ✓Intervals and colour schemes set to your client's instruction: we ask which scheme applies (six-monthly, twelve-monthly, project colour-coding) and set our tags and due dates to match. For membership details and examiner qualifications, ask us for current evidence and we confirm what applies to your scope.
Related services
Inspection, testing and training that support this requirement.
Rigging and Lifting Gear Inspection
Thorough examination and certification of wire rope, chain and web slings, shackles, hooks, hoists and lifting beams, with colour-coding and registers.
Learn more →Lifting Equipment Inspection & Load Testing
Third-party load testing of cranes, hoists, slings, shackles and lifting accessories.
Learn more →Crane Proof Load Testing (Water Bag, Dead-Weight & Pull-Out)
Water-bag, dead-weight and pull-out proof load tests for cranes, davits, lifting beams, pad-eyes and anchors, with the applied load measured and recorded.
Learn more →Crane Inspection & Certification
Mobile, tower, overhead and crawler crane inspection with certificates.
Learn more →Third-Party Certifications
Independent inspection reports, Certificates of Conformity and competency cards.
Learn more →FAQs
What is LEEA and why do Gulf clients ask for LEEA-standard inspection?＋
LEEA is the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, an international trade body for the lifting equipment industry. Gulf clients often ask for LEEA-standard inspection because it describes a consistent way to examine lifting gear: a competent person, a systematic examination, a written decision and a due date. The client's own instruction still decides the exact scheme and interval.
Is EES a LEEA member and are its examiners LEEA qualified?＋
Membership and individual qualifications are specific facts that should be shown to you, not assumed. Ask us for current LEEA membership details and examiner qualification evidence for your scope. Either way, we align thorough examination reports to LEEA-style principles and to the standards your client names, and we confirm in writing what we can provide before work starts.
How often should slings, shackles and hoists be thoroughly examined?＋
Under the UK LOLER model, often used as a reference point on international projects, lifting accessories such as slings and shackles, and equipment used to lift people, are examined at least every six months, and other lifting equipment at least every twelve months, unless a written scheme says otherwise. LOLER is not Saudi law, so your client or project may require a different interval and we set it to their instruction.
What should a thorough examination report contain?＋
The item's unique identification, its safe working load or working load limit, the date and place of examination, the standard and method used, the findings and defects with their severity, a clear statement on whether the item can stay in use, the next examination due date, and the examiner's name and signature.