Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Lesotho

Until 2024 Lesotho had a lift rule in the Labour Code Order 1992 (Order No. 24 of 1992), Sixth Schedule para. 26 'Hoists and lifts', applied through s.93(2)(f): every hoist or lift had to be soundly built and maintained and thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every six months with a record kept, liftways enclosed with interlocked gates, maximum load marked, and passenger lifts fitted with overrun devices, gated cages and at least two ropes plus a safety device. The Labour Act 2024, in force 2 April 2024, is reported to repeal the Labour Code Order 1992, and Lesotho passed an Occupational Safety and Health Act 2024 in March 2024; whether the new Act or its regulations keep a lift examination rule was not found. The Building Control Act 1995 empowers the Minister to make building regulations but does not mention lifts. Lesotho's standards are not fully developed and it relies on South African standards; the Lesotho Standards Institution was set up under a 2021 Act.

Who regulates lifts

Ministry of Labour and Employment (Labour Commissioner / labour inspectorate) for workplace safety; Minister and Building Control Board under the Building Control Act 1995

Periodic inspection

Formerly 6-monthly thorough examination by a competent person (Labour Code Order 1992, Sixth Schedule para 26(2)); that Order was reported repealed on 2 April 2024 and the successor rule under the OSH Act 2024 was not found

Installer and maintenance licensing

Not found

Laws, codes and standards

Building Control Act 1995 (1995) — Building Control Act, 1995 (Act No. 8 of 1995)
Mandatory · Act; s.39 lets the Minister make building regulations (inspections and tests, safety of occupiers, compulsory installation of equipment) · Parliament of Lesotho
Labour Code Order 1992 (Order No. 24 of 1992), Sixth Schedule para. 26 (1992) — Labour Code Order 1992 – Sixth Schedule (Health, Safety and Welfare), para. 26 Hoists and lifts
Superseded · s.93(2)(f) of the Code required conditions complying with the Sixth Schedule; para 26(2) six-monthly thorough examination by a competent person · Government of Lesotho
Occupational Safety and Health Act 2024 — Occupational Safety and Health Act 2024
Mandatory · Passed by Parliament in March 2024 (Government of Lesotho) · Parliament of Lesotho / Ministry of Labour and Employment

Lift associations and bodies

Lesotho Standards Institution (LSI)

Last verified 2026-10-21. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.