Lifting equipment rules across the GCC: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain

A contractor with crews in Abu Dhabi, Jubail and Ras Laffan works under three different sets of lifting rules, and a fourth set from each client. Some are detailed public codes; some are national product regulations; some are client standards that are not published at all. This guide sets out what we could verify from public sources in October 2026, country by country, and is clear about where we could not. It is a map, not legal advice — confirm with the authority and your client.

/01Country by country.

/02UAE.

The UAE has the most detailed public rules in the region, set at emirate level. Our guide to lifting equipment inspection in the UAE covers Abu Dhabi’s and Dubai’s requirements in detail, and the lifting equipment register covers the records they expect.

/03Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia regulates lifting equipment and accessories nationally through SASO’s technical regulation, in force since 2022: suppliers need a certificate of conformity; used and newly installed equipment needs a notified-body inspection certificate before use; periodic examination is required; marking and Arabic labels are specified. Client standards — Saudi Aramco’s most prominently — add site requirements. See lifting equipment rules in Saudi Arabia.

/04Qatar.

In Qatar’s energy sector, the clearest public requirements come from QatarEnergy. Its self-assessment for lifting equipment service providers asks whether every inspector holds a LEEA or equivalent qualification, whether the company is certified to ISO 17020 (inspection bodies) and ISO 17024 (certification of persons), and requires permanent inspection staff in Qatar. Certification bodies also cite a QatarEnergy standard for lifting equipment and operations (QP-PAI-STD-005), which is not public. Inspection intervals come from that standard, the project specification or the site’s procedures.

/05Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Oman’s occupational safety regulation for establishments under the Labour Law (Ministerial Decision 286/2008, as amended) sets general duties, but we found no public lifting-specific clauses to cite; the major operators’ lifting standards, which govern most heavy lifting, are not public. For Kuwait and Bahrain we found no lifting-specific public rules. In all three, the client’s standards and the project specification govern — ask for them at tender.

/06The common baseline.

Where local rules are thin, Gulf sites and client standards commonly draw on two references. The UK’s LOLER regime requires thorough examination of lifting accessories at least every 6 months and other lifting equipment every 12 months (or to a competent person’s examination scheme), and after exceptional circumstances such as damage or long periods out of use. The US ASME B30 standards — B30.9 for slings, B30.10 for hooks, B30.26 for rigging hardware — set inspection levels and removal criteria. See ASME B30.26 explained.