Malaysia Lift CoF: The 15-Month and 3-Month Rules
By Sujit Katariya, ElevatorPlus · Published 22 August 2026 · Last updated 22 August 2026 · ~9 min read · Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya
In short: Malaysian lift compliance runs on two separate clocks that most contractors treat as one. The Certificate of Fitness is valid for fifteen months. A separate comprehensive examination by a competent person is required every three months. This is written for lift companies operating in Malaysia after the Factories and Machinery Act was repealed, and it covers what replaced it and what each duty actually requires.
Key takeaways
- The Factories and Machinery Act 1967 was repealed on 1 June 2024. If your compliance documentation still cites the FMA or the 1970 Regulations, it is citing a repealed instrument.
- The live source is P.U.(A) 99/2024, the Occupational Safety and Health (Plant Requiring Certificate of Fitness) Regulations 2024, gazetted 2 April 2024 and in operation from 1 June 2024.
- The certificate is valid fifteen months, but you cannot inspect whenever you like. Regulation 6(2)(a) blocks inspection before the first day of the twelfth month after the previous inspection month, so the practical window is months twelve to fifteen.
- A separate three-month duty exists and it catches people out. Regulation 14(1) requires a comprehensive examination of every lift, escalator, walkalator, tower crane and passenger hoist by a competent person at least once every three months.
- Only an officer or a licensed person issues the Certificate of Fitness. A competent person does not. Those are different roles under different provisions.
What this guide covers: what replaced the FMA · the fifteen-month certificate · the inspection window · the three-month examination · who does what · the steps before a CoF · FAQs.
What actually replaced the Factories and Machinery Act
This gets misreported often enough that it is worth setting out precisely, because the wrong instrument in a compliance document is the kind of detail a DOSH officer notices.
The FMA 1967 was repealed by the Factories and Machinery (Repeal) Act 2022, Act 835, section 3. It was brought into force by P.U.(B) 127/2024, dated 2 April 2024, appointing 1 June 2024 as the commencement date.
It was not repealed by the OSH (Amendment) Act 2022. Act A1648 was commenced on the same day by a separate order, P.U.(B) 128/2024. It amended OSHA 1994. It did not repeal the FMA. Those two instruments are routinely conflated.
One further detail worth getting right: 2 April 2024 is the gazette date, not the commencement date. Commencement was 1 June 2024.
What now governs lifts is P.U.(A) 99/2024, the Occupational Safety and Health (Plant Requiring Certificate of Fitness) Regulations 2024, with the companion OSH (Licensed Person) Order 2024 at P.U.(A) 100/2024. Same gazette date, same commencement.
The fifteen-month certificate, and the window you cannot ignore
Regulation 5(6), verbatim:
"The certificate of fitness issued under subregulation (1) shall be valid for a period of fifteen months from the date of inspection."
Fifteen months from the date of inspection, not from the date of issue. That distinction matters when a certificate takes weeks to come back.
But fifteen months is not a free-running cycle. Regulation 6(2)(a) prevents the periodical inspection from taking place earlier than the first day of the twelfth month after the month of the previous inspection.
So the practical scheduling window is months twelve to fifteen. Inspect too early and it does not count. Inspect too late and the certificate has lapsed.
| Rule | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate validity | 15 months from date of inspection | reg 5(6) |
| Earliest re-inspection | First day of the 12th month after the previous inspection month | reg 6(2)(a) |
| Practical window | Months 12 to 15 | Both, read together |
One scope point: regulation 2 excludes lifts with a rated speed below 0.15 m/s from the definition. Not every vertical transport device in a building needs a CoF.
👉 Managing certificate windows across a Malaysian portfolio? Our free service checklist and report templates are structured so both clocks stay visible per unit.
The three-month duty most contractors miss
This is the one that surprises people, and it carries real penalties.
Regulation 14(1) requires a comprehensive examination of each lift, escalator, walkalator, tower crane and passenger hoist by a competent person at least once every three months, or at the manufacturer's specified interval if that is more frequent.
The penalty runs to RM100,000 and, or, one year's imprisonment.
So a building whose Certificate of Fitness is comfortably in date can still be in breach if the quarterly examinations were not carried out and recorded. Those are two different obligations, discharged by two different categories of person, on two different cycles.
Most of the compliance conversations we have in Malaysia focus entirely on the CoF. The quarterly examination is the one that quietly accumulates exposure.
Who does what ?
The roles are distinct in law and using the wrong term in a contract or a client report creates a problem that is easy to avoid.
The Certificate of Fitness is issued by an officer or a licensed person. OSHA 1994 section 27D(1): plant may not be operated "unless the plant has a certificate of fitness issued by an officer or a licensed person." An officer is a DOSH inspectorate appointee under section 5. A licensed person is licensed under P.U.(A) 100/2024. Periodical inspection under section 27E(1) works the same way.
The three-monthly comprehensive examination is carried out by a competent person under regulation 14(1). That is a different category and it does not confer any power to issue a Certificate of Fitness.
| Duty | Who | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Issue Certificate of Fitness | Officer or licensed person | On inspection |
| Periodical inspection for renewal | Officer or licensed person | Months 12–15 |
| Comprehensive examination | Competent person | Every 3 months |
Before you can get a Certificate of Fitness
There is no standalone registration application in the way the old FMA had one, which is a genuine change and causes some confusion. What exists instead is a sequence.
Design verification by the Director General before installation, under regulation 4(1)(a).
Written approval to install, under OSHA 1994 section 27C(1) and regulation 4(2). This is required again on relocation under regulation 4(3), which catches modernisation projects that move a machine room.
Then the Certificate of Fitness.
A registration number does exist in practice. Regulation 18 requires the owner to mark and prominently display the plant's registration number, and the CoF forms carry a registration number field. But the standalone registration procedure that used to sit in the FMA is gone.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Malaysian lift Certificate of Fitness valid?
Fifteen months from the date of inspection, under regulation 5(6) of P.U.(A) 99/2024. Note it runs from the inspection date rather than the issue date.
When can the renewal inspection be carried out?
Not earlier than the first day of the twelfth month after the month of the previous inspection, under regulation 6(2)(a). Combined with the fifteen-month validity, the practical window is months twelve to fifteen.
Is there a separate examination requirement in Malaysia?
Yes. Regulation 14(1) requires a comprehensive examination of every lift, escalator, walkalator, tower crane and passenger hoist by a competent person at least once every three months, or more frequently if the manufacturer specifies.
Who issues the Certificate of Fitness?
An officer or a licensed person, under OSHA 1994 section 27D(1). A competent person carries out the three-monthly examination but does not issue the certificate.
Was the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 repealed?
Yes, by the Factories and Machinery (Repeal) Act 2022, Act 835, brought into force on 1 June 2024 by P.U.(B) 127/2024. It was not repealed by the OSH (Amendment) Act 2022.
Do all lifts in Malaysia need a Certificate of Fitness?
No. Regulation 2 excludes lifts with a rated speed below 0.15 metres per second from the definition.
Is there a registration step separate from the Certificate of Fitness?
There is no standalone registration application as under the old Act. The sequence is design verification by the Director General, written approval to install, then the Certificate of Fitness. A registration number must still be marked and prominently displayed under regulation 18.
What happens if the three-monthly examination is missed?
Regulation 14 carries a penalty of up to RM100,000 and, or, one year's imprisonment. A valid Certificate of Fitness does not cure a failure to carry out the quarterly examinations.
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Malaysia's regime changed on 1 June 2024 and a lot of compliance documentation in circulation still points at the repealed Act. That alone is worth an afternoon's review.
But the more expensive gap is structural rather than historical. Two clocks, twelve to fifteen months apart on one and three months on the other, discharged by two different categories of person. A portfolio that tracks only the certificate is tracking the visible half.
The quarterly examination is the one that produces a compliance failure nobody sees coming, because the certificate on the wall still looks current.
👉 See both clocks tracked per lift across a Malaysian portfolio. Book a demo →
Related reading
- Elevator service software for Southeast Asia
- Elevator Service Software Singapore and Southeast Asia 2026
- Elevator Software Southeast Asia 2026: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia
- The Complete Lift Maintenance Checklist for 2026
About the author. Sujit Katariya is part of the ElevatorPlus team, which builds the Elevator Business Operating System used by 200+ elevator companies across 20+ countries. Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya.
Sources: OSH (Plant Requiring Certificate of Fitness) Regulations 2024, P.U.(A) 99/2024, DOSH (PDF) · Commencement of Act 835, P.U.(B) 127/2024, DOSH (PDF) · Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia
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