Lifting equipment rules in Saudi Arabia: what SASO’s technical regulation requires

Contractors moving rigging into Saudi Arabia — from the UAE, or from anywhere else — meet two layers of rules: the national technical regulation that governs what may be placed on the market and put into service, and the client’s own standards on site. This guide covers the first, from the English text of the SASO regulation, and points to the second. The Arabic text is the legally authentic version; read it, or have it read, before relying on any detail.

/01The regulation and what it covers.

SASO’s Technical Regulation for Machinery Safety – Part 3: Lifting Equipment (No. 01-05-21-182) was approved on 14 October 2021 and published in the Official Gazette on 17 December 2021, with transition periods for suppliers to comply. It covers lifting equipment and lifting accessories. Its definition of lifting fittings expressly includes slings and their parts, and its annex references the European standards for chain slings and Grade 8 chain (EN 818 series), webbing and round slings (EN 1492), chain components (EN 1677) and wire rope slings (EN 13414), adopted as SASO GSO standards.

/02Certificates.

/03Marking and labels.

The regulation requires lifting fittings to be marked with their working load limit and, where needed for safe use, their material. Chains, ropes and webbing must carry the maker’s name and address, nominal size, construction, material, any special heat treatment, the test method and the WLL. Labels and instructions must be in Arabic. Rated items we supply ship marked with their WLL and with the manufacturer’s test certificate; tell us if a shipment to Saudi Arabia needs Arabic labelling or specific conformity documents, and we will confirm what can be provided. See shackle markings explained.

/04Client standards on site.

Major clients add their own requirements. Saudi Aramco, for example, has general instructions on lifting — including GI 7.025 on testing and certifying heavy equipment operators — and its contractors work to Aramco’s lifting and rigging procedures, which are not public. Their inspection intervals, colour codes and inspector qualifications are set by the client and the contract; get them from the client’s documents, not from general articles. The SASO regulation is the floor; the contract is usually stricter.