Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Tanzania
Lifts are regulated as workplace plant under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2003 (Act No. 5 of 2003), enforced by the Chief Inspector (OSHA Tanzania). Section 35 requires every hoist or lift to be soundly constructed and properly maintained, enclosed with gated hoistways and interlocked cage doors, and thoroughly examined at least once every six months by a person authorised in writing by the Chief Inspector, with the result recorded on a prescribed form; section 36 requires the safe working load to be marked. Factories and workplaces must be registered under Part III. The Occupational Safety and Health (Lifting Appliances and Gears) Rules, 2015 are described in an East Africa Law Society training paper as covering lifting appliances including passenger lifts and escalators, which must be registered, inspected and tested by an authorised plant inspector, with the user keeping a record for each appliance (Rules text and GN number not seen). Lift/escalator contractors register with the Contractors Registration Board as specialist contractors; the 1999 Contractors Registration By-Laws list lift or elevator installation among the specialist trades.
Who regulates lifts
Chief Inspector under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2003 (Occupational Safety and Health Authority, OSHA Tanzania); Contractors Registration Board for contractor registration
Periodic inspection
Thorough examination at least every 6 months by an authorised plant inspector (OHS Act 2003 s.35(2)); under the OSH (Lifting Appliances and Gears) Rules 2015 passenger lifts and escalators are registered, inspected and tested by an authorised plant inspector (secondary source)
Installer and maintenance licensing
Examiners must be authorised by the Chief Inspector. Installers register with the Contractors Registration Board as specialist contractors (lift/elevator installation listed as a specialist trade in the Contractors Registration By-Laws 1999, GN 340/1999; a lift firm reports Class One specialist registration for elevators, escalators and walkways).
Laws, codes and standards
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 2003 (Act No. 5 of 2003), ss.35–36 (2003) — Occupational Health and Safety Act — Hoists and lifts; maximum load of a hoist or liftMandatory · Act of Parliament · United Republic of Tanzania; enforced by the Chief Inspector / OSHA
- Contractors Registration By-Laws, 1999 (GN 340 of 1999) (1999) — Contractors Registration By-Laws, 1999 — specialist contractor trades incl. lift/elevator installationMandatory · Contractors Registration Act; amended (incl. GN 744 of 2022) · Contractors Registration Board
- Occupational Safety and Health (Lifting Appliances and Gears) Rules, 2015 (2015) — Occupational Safety and Health (Lifting Appliances and Gears) Rules, 2015Mandatory · Made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2003 · Ministry responsible for labour / OSHA Tanzania
Lift associations and bodies
- Contractors Registration Board (CRB)
Last verified 2026-10-19. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.