Blog
Practical articles for companies that need industrial work done in South Africa, and for the suppliers who do it. Every article cites its sources and shows when it was last checked.
Hire and site services
What to specify before you hire equipment or site facilities, and what drives the rate.
Container office rental in South Africa: sizes, 2026 prices and what to prepare on site
For container office rental in South Africa, one Gauteng hire company's 2026 list charges R1,600 a month for a 6 m site office, and one Western Cape list R2,600 to R2,700 per container for an unstated period, both before VAT.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Portable toilet hire: what sets the price, how many toilets a site needs and how often they are serviced
In South Africa, mobile toilet hire has no single fixed day rate, says one Western Cape hire company's 2026 cost guide: each quote depends on unit type, number of units, servicing frequency, delivery distance, site access and hire period.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Cherry picker hire in South Africa: choosing the machine, who may operate it and what the hire must include
For cherry picker hire in South Africa, size the machine by working height, outreach, floor or ground and wind rating.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Forklift hire in South Africa: IC, electric or lithium-ion, and what the truck and operator must have
For forklift hire in South Africa, match the power to the site: diesel or LPG for yards and fast refuelling; lead-acid electric for indoor work where exhaust and noise matter; lithium-ion for multi-shift work charged in breaks.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Rent a mini excavator in South Africa: which size, how hire is priced and what delivery adds
To rent a mini excavator in South Africa, size it by trench depth and narrowest access: a 1-tonne machine digs about 1.7 m deep and is about 850 mm wide; a 3-tonne machine, about 2.8 m deep.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Mobile crane hire: how to choose the tonnage and boom length for your lift in South Africa
Choose a hired mobile crane by its load chart at your working radius, not its headline tonnage: one 50 t crane's chart gives 42 t at 3 m but 13.4 t at 10 m.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Compressor hire in South Africa: how many cfm and what pressure your tools need, and the paperwork to ask for
For compressor hire, size by free air delivery, not tank litres.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Inspections, tests and certificates
Which inspections and certificates the law requires, how often, and who may sign them.
Fire extinguisher service in South Africa: how often, who may do it and what to get in writing
In South Africa, only an authorised person employed by a permit holder may service a fire extinguisher, to the standards incorporated into the Pressure Equipment Regulations, such as SANS 1475-1.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Earth resistance test: what is tested, when it is due and who may sign in South Africa
An earth resistance test measures, in ohms, how well an earth electrode connects to the ground, usually by the fall-of-potential method.
Last checked 7 November 2026
AIA inspection: how often a pressure vessel must be inspected in South Africa, and by whom
An AIA inspection is the internal and external inspection and hydraulic test at 1.25 times design pressure that South Africa's Pressure Equipment Regulations require for every pressure vessel and steam generator in use, at least every 36 months.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Electrical certificate of compliance: who may issue a CoC for a commercial or industrial installation
In South Africa, only a registered person may issue an electrical certificate of compliance (CoC).
Last checked 7 November 2026
Maintenance and reliability
How to judge a repair, a test or a service plan before you order it.
Hydroblasting vs high-pressure washing: pressures, uses and what to ask a South African contractor
Hydroblasting cleans with water jets at far higher pressure than pressure washing: one South African supplier's units run from 1,000 to 2,800 bar, one maker's industrial washers 150 to 250 bar; a SAQA unit standard calls jetting above 1,700 bar ultra high pressure.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Laser shaft alignment vs dial gauge: when it is worth paying for and what the job must deliver
Laser shaft alignment clamps laser measuring units to the motor and driven shafts, measures offset and angularity at the coupling and calculates the shims and moves that line the centrelines up.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Electric motor repair: when to rewind, when to replace, and what the workshop should test
Electric motor repair often means rewinding the stator, then testing.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Vibration analysis: route survey, online monitoring or a one-off diagnosis, and how to read the report
Vibration analysis measures vibration at the bearings of rotating machines to find unbalance, misalignment, looseness and bearing wear before failure.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Fabrication and welding
What a fabricator or welder needs from you to price the job, and what to check on theirs.
Steel fabricators: what a quote should include and how to compare rates per ton
Compare steel fabricators on quotes that name the drawings and revision priced, the steel grade, the tonnage and how it was measured, what the rate per ton covers, the coating system, the welding standard and welders' qualifications, delivery, erection and exclusions.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Coded welder: what a welder's code covers in South Africa, and what to check before welding starts
A coded welder has passed a qualification test, called coding in South Africa, to the standard the work calls for, such as ASME IX, AWS D1.1 or ISO 9606 (SANS 9606-1).
Last checked 7 November 2026
Hiring contractors: rules and duties
The legal duties of a company that brings contractors on site, and what to ask them for.
The OHS Act and contractors: what the client answers for, and what to see before work starts
The OHS Act (Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993) is South Africa's law on health and safety at work.
Last checked 7 November 2026
CIDB grading: what a contractor's grade means, how to check it and what it does not tell a buyer
CIDB grading ranks South African contractors from grade 1 to 9 per class of works, written as 6ME.
Last checked 7 November 2026
COIDA registration: how to check a contractor's letter of good standing before work starts
COIDA registration is an employer's registration with the Compensation Fund for its employees.
Last checked 7 November 2026
Construction regulations in South Africa: what the client, principal contractor and contractor must each do
The Construction Regulations, 2014 set South Africa's health and safety duties for construction work.
Last checked 7 November 2026