The Role of OHSA in Lifting Equipment Standards

SANS Codes and Their Practical Impact

Load Testing Standards

Understanding South Africa’s Usage Regulations

1. Regular inspection and testing All lifting machinery in active service must undergo comprehensive examinations and performance testing by a certified lifting machinery inspector before being placed into operation. Ongoing inspections are required annually to confirm safe operations; however, additional inspections are mandatory after any disassembly and reassembly carried out for maintenance, repair, or refurbishment.

2. Load indicators and limiting devices Power-driven cranes, where required by regulation, must be fitted with load indicators that clearly display the mass of the load being handled. Load-limiting devices are also required to automatically prevent lifting operations that exceed the machine’s safe working load, providing an essential safeguard against overloading.

3. Maintaining records Employers are required to keep accurate and thorough records covering performance tests, statutory examinations, alterations, and repairs completed throughout the machinery’s service life. These records provide traceability, confirm regulatory compliance, and play a vital role in ongoing safety management.

Trust the Compliant Engineering Expertise of Condra

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Crane Installation in South Africa: Engineering Design and Site Considerations

Manufacturing, Logistics, and Planning

Assembly and Crane Alignment

Crane Commissioning

The Importance of Inspections

Industry-Specific Solutions

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Engineering Design Features of Overhead Cranes and Portal Crane Systems

1. Overhead crane Often referred to as a bridge crane, these cranes are permanently installed within a building and operate from a structural framework for support. This allows the crane to move smoothly along its overhead fixed runway rails while maximising usable floor space below. Manufacturers can offer a wide range of configurations to ensure the system best suits the operating environment and the specific application demands. The most effective way to determine the right solution is by consulting a technical advisor who can provide expert guidance and carry out a site assessment if needed. Configurations may include single or double girder options, specialised end carriage mountings, and alternative rail interfaces, such as top riding or underslung.
2. Portal crane Also known as a goliath crane or gantry crane. A portal crane shares many functional similarities with an overhead crane, but it differs in how it is supported. Instead of being fixed to a structure,it is a standalone structure that moves on “portal legs” with end carriages that run along ground-level runway beams. Despite their structural differences, the basic movement and operating principles of both systems are remarkably similar. The key differentiators are where each crane is installed and how each is supported.

Important Selection Factors

1. Operational span The span of a portal crane refers to the horizontal distance between the centre lines of the two rails and effectively determines the width of the crane’s main working area. Rather than asking how wide the crane can be, it is far more important to consider how wide it needs to be. This requirement is driven entirely by the layout and constraints of the site itself. The widest extents of the entire operating zone must be identified to allow additional clearance on both sides for safety and access.
2. Structural compatibility: Mounting options Evaluate the readiness of your existing facility. Is your building structurally capable of accommodating an overhead crane precisely where the lifts need to occur? If not, it is advisable to consult with a technical advisor about having a free-standing overhead or gantry designed and installed to suit your intended lifting zones and exact requirements.

Tailored Heavy-Lifting Solutions

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📅 DECEMBER 9, 2025

This Condra 4-ton overhead crane with suspended helicopter fuselage accurately replicates helicopter motion in the hover, allowing simulated but realistic training of emergency rescue teams.

They are part of the University of Johannesburg’s newly opened Rescue Centre.

By lifting, rotating and tilting the suspended Eurocopter A365N3 helicopter fuselage above a five metre deep survival pool, the crane helps deliver an authentic, low-risk training experience at economical cost, allowing trainees to prepare for real world rescue conditions.

Officially opened in October 2025, the Rescue Centre is a four storey high, 3000 square-metre building equipped with a plethora of specialised machinery to immerse trainees in controllable air rescue conditions of high wind, rough seas and heavy rain.

Hundreds of hours of design work went into the integration of crane and helicopter through a complex system of electronics and control systems.

UJ’s Rescue Centre addresses a critical gap in regional training capabilities by providing an accessible environment to train and re-train coast guard teams,

 oil-rig rescue and multiple other crews who execute land-sea emergency rescue missions.

It is the only facility of its kind in Africa, establishing Johannesburg as the continent’s hub for advanced rescue training. Teams that previously had to train abroad for mandatory certification can now train closer to home at lower cost and without any need to use actual helicopters in potentially dangerous weather conditions.

Visit Condra’s website: www.condra.co.za

________________________________________________________________

Issued on behalf of Condra (Pty) Ltd
Further information: Marc Kleiner (managing director)
Telephone: +27 11 776-6000
Fax: +27 86 669-2372
E-mail: sales@condra.co.za

P O Box 752639, GARDENVIEW, 2047, SOUTH AFRICA

Issued by The Press Agency
Further information: Alan Thrush
Telephone: +34 633 01 8008
E-mail: thrush.elpajaro@yandex.com
Calle Vázquez de Mella 18 4-D, Alicante 03013, Spain

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📅 NOVEMBER 10, 2025

💵💵💵 Condra is running a competition to find the company’s oldest working crane, showcasing product durability and offering cash prizes for the three longest-working machines discovered.

The contest is part of the run-up to diamond jubilee celebrations, aiming to reinforce a core company concept of delivering value over time. Open to hoists, original cranes and refurbished machines (to highlight the viability of upgrading veteran cranes to modern, fit-for-purpose standard), entry is free.

Condra will turn sixty in 2026.

Managing director Marc Kleiner said that buying new is not always the best option.

He listed the two principal advantages of crane refurbishment – an immediate realisation of cost savings, and the continued use of an as-new machine already familiar to operators. This avoids any need for retraining, he said. Production can continue as before, with no change to established procedures.

“We need about three weeks to refurbish to top standard,” said Kleiner. “The cost is almost always less than buying a new crane, and we can upgrade to incorporate any kind of modern technology the customer wants.

“If the crane is one of ours, then refurbishment is usually worthwhile,” he said. “We encourage it because new crane prices are about 60% higher today than they were ten years ago. If needed, we can change crane capacity and span. Even cranes twenty years or older can usually be improved by installing variable frequency drives to facilitate easily changeable speeds. “By refurbishing, we deliver back to the customer a crane much faster and lighter than before, and we can automate it, too, upgrading the mechanicals to work with new electrical equipment. “These options are offered during any refurbishment, from standard 2M workshop cranes to the higher performing machines such as Class 3 and Class 4,”

“I believe it’s fair to say that the Condra product not only works, but also lasts because it has 60 years of manufacturing and service experience behind it.” Kleiner admitted the difficulty of competing with the sale price of imported machines in the absence of South African tariffs or other protective mechanisms. “It’s not easy,” he said, “but where we are more than competitive is in the overall lifetime cost of the crane, because imported parts are expensive and often not readily available. “We compete on product reliability and durability. Many operators don’t factor into their cost projections production losses caused by downtime. The purpose of an overhead crane is to move what the factory is producing. If the crane isn’t working, the factory isn’t producing. It isn’t making money. “Initial price is not what overall cost effectiveness is all about.”  

2026 will mark sixty years since Condra’s formation as a general engineering company offering a range of locally made, competitively priced hoists. Crane manufacture began in 1971. Today the company is headquartered at a 22 000m² factory site in Germiston, with a second factory in Cape Town. There are subsidiary companies in Bulgaria and Chile.

Full details of the contest to find Condra’s oldest crane can be found at the company website: www.condra.co.za .

ENDS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Oldest Condra crane? (When it was still new, of course.)

______________________________________________________________________

Issued on behalf of Condra (Pty) Ltd
Further information: Marc Kleiner (managing director)
Telephone: +27 11 776-6000
Fax: +27 86 669-2372
E-mail: sales@condra.co.za
P O Box 2639, BEDFORDVIEW, 2008, SOUTH AFRICA

Issued by The Press Agency
Further information: Alan Thrush
Telephone: +34 633 01 8008
E-mail: thrush.elpajaro@yandex.com
Calle Vázquez de Mella 18 4-D, Alicante 03013, Spain

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Considerations When Selecting Overhead Cranes in South Africa

• Load capacity requirements: Assess the maximum weight to be lifted and moved. This determines the necessary rating capacity to ensure the crane can safely and effectively handle the heaviest loads.
• Facility space and layout: Evaluate your facility’s physical constraints and floor plan. This dictates which crane configuration is the most appropriate fit for your operational space.
• Frequency of operation: Ensure durability and sustained performance for applications involving continuous or heavy-duty operations with a sturdy option, such as a double-girder crane.
• Operating environment: Consider using a bridge-type crane if it is to be used outdoors or within a hazardous or corrosive environment, as its structure is better suited to withstand external elements compared to typical indoor overhead cranes.

Double- and Single-Girder Cranes Explained

1. Double Girder A double-girder crane incorporates two parallel beams upon which a trolley moves either between the beams or along the top. This configuration delivers superior rigidity, allowing for higher capacities, accommodating long spans, and facilitating increased lifting height. As the trolley can operate between the girders, the hoist is positioned higher, maximising the hook height, which is a distinct benefit in facilities needing to optimise headroom. Essential additions like maintenance walkways, service platforms, and auxiliary hoists can also be accommodated. This adaptability makes them exceptionally well-suited for demanding, continuous applications such as mining operations and large-scale processing plants.
2. Single Girder This type of crane uses a single main bridge beam that accommodates a trolley and hoist running along its lower flange, offering a straightforward, efficient solution suitable for lighter or moderate-duty applications. A single-girder crane provides advantages in ease of installation and simpler maintenance, coupled with lower overall weight and reduced demands on supporting structural elements. Their compact profile makes a single girder the ideal choice for retrofitting into existing buildings without requiring extensive or costly structural modifications. They are typically used in workshops or warehouses where space may be restricted and lifting cycles less frequent.
3. Specialised Bridge Crane Systems: EOTs An electric overhead travelling crane (EOT) operates along elevated runway tracks installed within industrial or manufacturing facilities. The bridge beam, or girders, together with the hoist, trolley, and end tracks, enable the crane to move heavy loads with precision, performing operations both vertically and horizontally. EOTs are electrically powered and operated through various interfaces, such as wireless remote systems or dedicated operator cabins. The cranes can be either single or double girder, depending on the loading capacity.

Your Trusted Crane Suppliers

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Mechanical Design of Electric Wire Rope Hoists

• Motor: Supplies the electrical energy required to drive the wire rope over the drum. The motor is engineered with various power levels to match the required load weights and operational frequency precisely.
• Gearbox: The gearbox ensures that the motor’s rotary motion is at the required speed and torque to control lifting and lowering.
• Rope drum: The wire rope is precisely wound onto or unwound from this cylinder. The physical size and design of the drum directly influence both the maximum lifting height and the load capacity of the hoist.
• Rope: A high-tensile steel rope physically carries the load. For safe operations, the rope must be subjected to regular, thorough inspection for any signs of wear or damage.
• Hook: Attached at the end of the terminal steel rope is a hook or lifting attachment to safely secure the load.
• Control unit: Hoists include a control unit that gives the operator precise management over the load’s direction and speed. It also allows the operator to make exact starting, stopping, and speed adjustments, ensuring maximum control and safety. The control unit can operate via pendant controls, wireless remote systems, or automatic, integrated systems.

Operational Safety

Importance of Regular Maintenance

• Lubrication: Ensure all moving parts are routinely lubricated. This minimises friction and significantly extends the components’ service life.
• Rope inspection: The rope needs to be frequently checked for signs of wear, such as broken wires or deformed sections. Replace it immediately if damaged to maintain safe operation.
• Electrical check: Inspect all electrical components for any loose connections or damage that can compromise safety or function.
• Specialist servicing: Critical safety and performance components like gearboxes and brakes should be inspected and serviced regularly by a qualified specialist to guarantee reliable operation.

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Condra jib crane

Hoist from Condra’s K-Series

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Cranes under manufacture at Condra’s Raceway Industrial Park factory, outside Johannesburg.

An SH (short headroom) hoist from Condra’s Titan range.

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Rovic’s new factory in Blackheath, Cape Town, with the overhead cranes manufactured by BB Cranes installed and commissioned.

Jan Nel, manager at BB Cranes.

Rovic’s new factory in Blackheath, Cape Town, with the overhead cranes manufactured by BB Cranes installed and commissioned.

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