Companies looking to land contracts with any of the large players in the mining, energy or construction all industries, will need to have a current and thorough list of accredited OHSA and SHEQ certifications for all relevant personnel, to be considered. From a safety, cost and reputational side, the risks of appointing a non compliant supplier are just too high.
Industrial accidents cost the South African economy millions of rands in unproductive downtime and untold pain and disruptions to not only the workers involved, but also their depenedents who are now left without a source of income due the the breadwinner being injured or disabled. In most cases, these accidents could have been avoided, through the correct training and qualifications being obtained by the people involved in the relevant projects.
Any industrial activity that involves rigging as a component of a larger turnkey project, presents potential hazards to the workers undertaking the rigging work, as well as those people in the surrounding environment.
For a rigging project to be managed safely and efficiently, there needs to be a thorough understanding by everyone involved during the project, of the elements such as the total weight of the load, the hardware being used, the rigging equipment safety parameters, limits of hoisting ropes, chains and slings etc. They must also take note of the environmental factors such as surface conditions, rain, spilled lubricants, winds etc that can affect the safety of the project and the people undertaking it. In the real world, conditions are almost never ideal, so qualified riggers must have the skills to recognize all the potential hazard factors, and work within the safety parameters their training has provided, to complete these projects safely and efficiently.
This is no easy task. Get it wrong, and people can get injured or killed in the blink of an eye. Not to mention the loss of the entire contract as a result. Hence the importance of professional rigger training in today’s sophisticated industrial environment.
Machine Moving and Engineering recognised the critical need for these specialised rigging skills over 46 years ago, and established the Rigging Academy of South Africa. Initially the RASA academy was used to train MME’s own riggers to ensure the safety of projects, but the demand for our certified riggers soon became very high, and the RASA academy started providing training to those individuals who were serious about their career in the rigging industry.
All training at the RASA academy is undertaken by Red Seal Riggers, who have a minimum of four six years of practical experience in the rigging field and possess a written trade test qualification.
For a full list of accredited courses offered to get your riggers certified, please click the link below:
