LOLER stands for the Lifting operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. It’s UK law made under the Health and Safety at Work Act and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It sets out the requirements for the safe use of lifting equipment at work, covering everything from cranes and hoists to slings, shackles and passenger lifts.
As specialist suppliers of lifting inspection software, we’re often the first name businesses come across when trying to understand their obligations around lifting equipment. Whether you’re looking for inspection management software or simply want to understand what is relevant to your business, this is our unofficial guide to LOLER. We’ve pulled together the questions we hear most often into one place, so you’ve got somewhere to refer back to.
What does LOLER apply to?
What does LOLER apply to?LOLER applies to any employer or self-employed person who provides lifting equipment for use at work, and to anyone who has control over how lifting equipment is used. In practice, that covers equipment owners, hirers, and the businesses operating it day to day, not just the companies carrying out inspections.
“Lifting equipment” is defined broadly under the regulations: any equipment used at work for lifting or lowering loads, including attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. That spans cranes, hoists, forklifts, mobile elevating work platforms, passenger and goods lifts, and lifting accessories such as chains, slings shackles and eyebolts.
How often does lifting equipment need to be examined?
LOLER requires lifting equipment to undergo a thorough examination (a detailed, systematic check carried out by a competent person) at set intervals:
- Every 6 months for equipment used to lift people, and for lifting accessories (chains, sling, shackles and similar).
- Every 12 months for other lifting equipment.
- Or in line with a written scheme of examination, drawn up by a competent person based on a rigorous assessment of the equipment’s operating conditions and risks, which can set different intervals where justified.
A routine service or preventative maintenance check doesn’t count as a thorough examination under LOLER. It’s a distinct, more formal process with its own legal reporting requirements.
Who can carry out a thorough examination, and what does it involve?
A thorough examination has to be carried out by a competent person: someone with the practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to detect defects and judge how serious they are, and who’s independent enough to give an impartial assessment. It isn’t a specific qualification defined in law, but it’s typically demonstrated through relevant industry certification, training and experience. LEEA membership is a common benchmark in the lifting industry specifically.
The examination itself checks the equipment against its intended use, looking for wear, damage, corrosion and any deterioration that could affect safe operation, and confirms it’s correctly marked with its safe working load. Software that logs who carried out each examination, and when, makes competency straightforward to evidence if it’s ever challenged.
What does a Schedule 1 report need to contain?
What does a Schedule 1 report need to contain?The competent person must produce a written report following Schedule 1 of the regulations. It needs to include the employer and premises details. Equipment identification and location, the safe working load, the date of the last examination, the date the next one is due, details of any defects found and whether they are or could become a danger, and the examiner’s name, qualifications and signature.
If a defect poses an existing or imminent risk of serious injury, the competent person must tell the equipment’s owner immediately and send a copy of the report to HSE or the relevant local authority, even if the defect gets fixed on the spot. Less urgent defects still need to be recorded, with deadline for when they must be addressed.
How are defects categorised, and what happens when one’s found?
LOLER talks in terms of defects that are dangerous now versus ones that could become dangerous. Most inspection bodies translate that into a working severity scale: stop using immediately, repair by a set date, or monitor. Whatever system is used, the important part is that a dangerous defect is flagged clearly enough that equipment doesn’t stay in use by mistake.
What happens if an inspection is missed or runs overdue?
Strictly, equipment shouldn’t be used once its examination data has passed. In practice, HSE can issue an improvement notice requiring the equipment to be examined or taken out of use, or a prohibition notice stopping its use outright. Where an incident results from equipment that should have been examined, prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work Act is a real possibility, alongside the reputational and insurance consequences of an obvious compliance gap. Most missed examinations come down to a due date lost in a spreadsheet rather than a deliberate decision, which is why automated tracking has become the industry norm.
What’s the difference between LOLER and PUWER?
What’s the difference between LOLER and PUWER?PUWER (the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) sets general safety requirements for all work equipment. LOLER sits on top of that specifically for lifting equipment and lifting operations, adding the thorough examination regime, safe working load marking, and requirements around planning and supervising lifts. Lifting equipment has to comply with both: PUWER for its general safe use, LOLER for the lifting-specific requirements.
This guide is intended as a general introduction to LOLER, not a replacement for professional advice. If you’re unsure of your specific obligations, a qualified inspection company will be able to advise on your situation.