Guide
Comply with lifting equipment regulations (LOLER)
How to meet your legal duties under LOLER 1998. Covers thorough examination requirements, competent person inspections, safe working loads, and record keeping for all lifting equipment.
If your business uses any equipment for lifting loads or people - from forklift trucks and cranes to passenger lifts and hoists - you have legal duties under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
These regulations require all lifting equipment to be regularly examined by a competent person, properly maintained, and used safely. Failure to comply can result in serious accidents and significant penalties.
What equipment is covered?
LOLER covers a wide range of equipment used for lifting:
The regulations also cover lifting accessories - the components used to attach loads to lifting equipment. This includes chains, slings, shackles, eyebolts, and hooks. These accessories must also be examined and marked with their safe working load.
Thorough examination requirements
All lifting equipment must undergo thorough examination at specified intervals:
What is a thorough examination?
A thorough examination is more comprehensive than a routine maintenance check. It's a detailed examination by a competent person to detect defects and assess whether the equipment is safe to continue using. It must:
- Be carried out by a competent person independent of daily maintenance
- Examine all safety-critical parts
- Result in a written report
- Identify any defects and their severity
- State whether the equipment is safe to use
How to arrange thorough examinations
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Identify all lifting equipment
Audit your workplace to list all lifting equipment and accessories. Include passenger lifts, goods hoists, fork trucks, cranes, vehicle tail lifts, patient hoists, chains, slings, and shackles.
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Appoint a competent person
Thorough examinations must be done by a competent person. This is typically an insurance company engineer or an independent inspection body. Check their competence for your specific equipment types.
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Set up an examination schedule
Based on the intervals required: 6 months for equipment lifting people and lifting accessories, 12 months for other lifting equipment. Schedule examinations before certificates expire.
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Provide access for examinations
Ensure equipment is available when the examiner attends. They may need to operate the equipment, access all parts, and review documentation.
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Act on examination findings
If the report identifies defects, act immediately on serious issues. Keep equipment out of use until safe. Address non-urgent recommendations within the timeframe specified.
Who is a competent person?
LOLER requires examinations to be carried out by a competent person:
Safe working load requirements
All lifting equipment and accessories must be clearly marked:
Never exceed the marked safe working load. If equipment has variable capacity (like mobile cranes which can lift more at shorter reach), ensure operators understand the load chart and current configuration.
Record keeping
You must keep records of all thorough examinations:
What to keep:
- Reports of thorough examinations (until next examination or 2 years minimum)
- EC declarations of conformity for new equipment
- Maintenance records showing inspections and repairs
- Training records for operators
Defects reporting: If the competent person finds a defect that creates imminent danger, they must immediately inform you AND send a copy of the report to the Health and Safety Executive. You must not use the equipment until the defect is remedied.
Safe use of lifting equipment
Beyond examination requirements, LOLER requires safe use:
- Plan lifting operations: Complex lifts should be planned by a competent person
- Supervise appropriately: Ensure competent supervision of lifting operations
- Position safely: Equipment must be positioned to prevent crushing, trapping, or striking people
- Prevent falls: Loads must not pass over people unless unavoidable
- Train operators: Only trained, competent people should operate lifting equipment
Common questions
Do office passenger lifts need examining? Yes. Passenger lifts must be examined every 6 months by a competent person. Most lift maintenance companies can arrange this.
What about equipment we rarely use? The regulations still apply. If equipment is in service (available for use), it needs examining. If it's genuinely out of service, clearly mark it and don't use it without examination.
Can we do our own examinations? For simple equipment, in-house staff may be competent. However, for complex equipment like cranes or lifts, you'll normally need an external competent person.
What's the difference between inspection and thorough examination? Routine inspections are checks by operators or maintenance staff (e.g., weekly forklift checks). Thorough examinations are comprehensive assessments by a competent person at statutory intervals.