LOLER inspections
LOLER thorough examinations
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require lifting equipment used at work to be, in many cases, thoroughly examined by a competent person at set intervals. Here is what that means for your plant, taken from the Health and Safety Executive’s own guidance.
What LOLER requires
LOLER places duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment. That includes all businesses and organisations whose employees use lifting equipment, whether they own it or not.
It requires that all equipment used for lifting is fit for purpose, appropriate for the task, suitably marked and, in many cases, subject to statutory periodic ‘thorough examination’. Records must be kept of all thorough examinations, and defects found must be reported to both the person responsible for the equipment and the relevant enforcing authority.
In most cases lifting equipment is also work equipment, so the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) apply too, including inspection and maintenance.
Which equipment it covers
Lifting equipment is any work equipment for lifting or lowering loads, including its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. HSE lists cranes, fork-lift trucks, lifts, hoists, mobile elevating work platforms and vehicle inspection platform hoists among the equipment LOLER covers.
It also covers lifting accessories: equipment used to attach a load to the lifting equipment that is not a permanent part of the load, such as hooks, ropes, chains, shackles and eyebolts.
Fork-lift trucks
HSE: the lifting chains, forks, hoist mechanism (mast and cylinders) and fork attachments are subject to thorough examination, at 12-month intervals or as specified in the written scheme of examination.
Excavators used for lifting
HSE: allowed if the manufacturer permits lifting, the machine has dedicated lifting points with safe working load markings, it is used to the manufacturer’s instructions, and it has been thoroughly examined.
Chains, slings and other accessories
Lifting accessories are thoroughly examined every 6 months, unless an examination scheme specifies other intervals.
Not sure whether your machine or attachment counts as lifting equipment? Ask us, or read HSE’s LOLER FAQs.
How often
Unless there is an examination scheme specifying other intervals, HSE says thorough examinations should be conducted every:
6 months
Lifting equipment and any associated accessories used to lift people.
6 months
All lifting accessories.
12 months
All other lifting equipment.
Instead of the fixed intervals, examinations can follow an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person, which identifies the parts to be examined, the methods of examination and testing, and the intervals.
Thorough examinations are also needed:
- before first use, unless the equipment has a Declaration of Conformity less than one year old and was not assembled on site;
- after assembly and before use at each location, for equipment that must be assembled or installed;
- after exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise its safety, such as damage or failure, being out of use for long periods, or major changes like modifications or the repair of critical parts.
What the examination and report cover
A thorough examination is a systematic and detailed examination of the equipment and its safety-critical parts, carried out by a competent person who must then complete a written report. What it covers depends on the competent person’s professional judgement, but it must include everything that affects the equipment’s safety, including likely deterioration over time. HSE advises that the competent person should not be the same person who carries out routine maintenance of the equipment, so they are never assessing their own work. Methods include visual examination and functional checks, measurements of wear and, in some cases, non-destructive testing and load testing.
The report must contain the information required by Schedule 1 of LOLER (11 items; there is no set form), including:
- the date of the examination;
- the date the next thorough examination is due;
- any defects found which are, or could become, a danger to people.
Where a serious defect is found, the competent person must tell the dutyholder immediately, follow up with the written report, and send a copy to the relevant enforcing authority. The equipment must not be used until the defect is put right.
‘Safe and successful lifting operations depend, in large part, on the continued safety of the lifting equipment and accessories that are used.’
Source: Health and Safety Executive, Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment; LOLER overview; FAQs. This page summarises HSE guidance; it is not legal advice. Read HSE’s pages for the full position.