Equipment operators scammed
Users and owners of lifting equipment are warned about a scam artist who claims that he can test it and issue load-test certificates as required by the driven-machinery regulations
BURGERSFORT – Users and owners of lifting equipment are warned about a scam artist who claims that he can test it and issue load-test certificates as required by the driven-machinery regulations.
It is alleged that a Mr James van der Westhuizen is posing as an agent for Culmen Consultants and Waterweights, but both companies denied having any acknowledgement of him as a registered agent.
“The certificates Van der Westhuizen is issuing to people are printed on Culmen and Waterweights’ letterheads. He is using the exact templates of both companies, but all these certificates he is creating are illegal and could have serious implications on the health and safety of these people buying them from him as they are not qualified to operate lifting equipment,” said Mr Pierre Terblanche of Culmen Consultants.
This was only realised when a certificate of a lifting machine was questioned as it was printed on documentation used by Culmen. A safety officer at one of the local mines called the company to verify whether the certificate was valid, it had no records of it on its database. Both Culmen and Waterweights are opening fraud cases against Van der Westhuizen. The companies also added that all attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
The law requires that any person performing load testing must be registered as a lifting-machinery inspector registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa, and must be registered with the Department of Labour.
If anyone has information regarding Van der Westhuizen’s whereabouts, they should contact Mr Pierre Terreblanche from Culmen Consultants at 083-254-2604 or Mr Amelia Oostendurt on 012-804-8244, Ms Bronwyn Loock from Waterweights on 011-425-0015 and Mr Thinus Labuschagne from Sterling Access on 082-674-2494.
