What equipment does LOLER apply to?

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require employers to make sure that any lifting equipment used at work is strong, safe, and regularly inspected. A LOLER inspection, formally called a "thorough examination," proves that standard has been met. It's a legal requirement.

LOLER covers two distinct categories. Lifting equipment refers to the machines and structures used to raise or lower loads. Lifting accessories are the components that connect the load to the equipment.

Common examples include:

• Lifting equipment: passenger lifts, goods lifts, cranes, forklift trucks, hoists, and mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs such as cherry pickers and scissor lifts)
• Lifting accessories: slings, chains, shackles, eyebolts, hooks, and spreader beams

If you are unsure whether a specific item falls under LOLER, a competent person or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can advise. Operating equipment without confirming its LOLER status puts you at legal risk in the event of an incident, and the inspection schedule that follows depends entirely on getting this classification right first.

When are LOLER inspections needed?

LOLER inspections are triggered in two ways: a fixed recurring schedule, and specific events in the life of the equipment. Missing either can result in enforcement action from the HSE.

Standard LOLER inspection frequency

The regulations set default intervals based on how the equipment is used. A written scheme of examination, drawn up by a competent person, can adjust these intervals where the risk profile of the equipment justifies a shorter or longer cycle.

Treat these as maximum intervals. High-use or high-risk environments often need inspecting more often to stay ahead of wear and deterioration.

Other situations that trigger a thorough examination

Scheduled inspections are not the only trigger. Three specific circumstances require a thorough examination regardless of when the last inspection took place:

• Before first use: new equipment must be examined before it enters service, unless it arrives with a valid Declaration of Conformity that is less than 12 months old, and the equipment wasn't assembled or installed on site. Anything put together on your premises, a platform lift or a tower crane, for example, always needs a first-use examination regardless of how recent the declaration is, since its safety depends on how it was installed
• After installation at a new site: if equipment is reassembled or repositioned, it must be re-examined before use at the new location
• After exceptional circumstances: following damage, severe weather, or a long period out of service, the equipment must be checked before it is used again. A missed trigger here is just as much a compliance gap as a missed scheduled date, since the HSE doesn't distinguish between the two when something goes wrong

What does a LOLER thorough examination involve?

A thorough examination is a formal, structured assessment, more rigorous than routine maintenance or a quick visual check, carried out with enough rigour to form a reliable view of whether the equipment is safe to remain in service.

A competent person is someone with the knowledge, experience, and independence to assess the equipment objectively. This is usually an engineer from an accredited inspection body. The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) sets a widely recognised accreditation standard, and you can use it to verify that the person you appoint meets the required level of expertise.

During the examination, the engineer will assess:

• Structural integrity: checking for cracks, corrosion, wear, and deformation in load-bearing components
• Safety devices: testing brakes, limit switches, overload protection, and interlocks
• Load markings: confirming the safe working load (SWL) is clearly displayed and accurate
• Accessories condition: inspecting slings, chains, shackles, and other accessories for damage or deterioration

Most businesses create standardised LOLER inspection checklists, even though the law doesn't prescribe a specific format, to make sure the same checks happen consistently across every asset. Every thorough examination must result in a formal written report.

What should a LOLER inspection report include?

After every thorough examination, the competent person must produce a written report. In the regulations, this is called a Schedule 1 report. It is the official record of what was found and what action is required.

The report assigns every defect to one of three categories:

• No defect: the equipment is safe to continue in service
• Defect requiring attention: a fault that needs repair within a set timeframe, but does not prevent immediate use
• Immediate danger: the equipment must be taken out of service straight away, and the HSE must be notified

Beyond the defect outcome, a complete LOLER certificate must also record the equipment description and serial number, the date of the examination, the confirmed SWL, the next examination due date, and the details of the competent person who carried out the work.

The initial thorough examination report for lifting equipment must be kept for the life of the equipment, unless a valid Declaration of Conformity meant no initial examination was required in the first place. In-service examination reports are then kept until the next report supersedes them. Records for lifting accessories must be kept for at least two years following each examination. In practice, most businesses keep every record for the full working life of the asset regardless of the legal minimum, since a complete history matters most exactly when there's an incident, an audit, or an insurance claim to respond to.

A complete, accessible audit trail is what protects you when the HSE or a client requests proof of compliance. For businesses managing many assets across multiple sites, this is where a paper-based approach starts to break down.

How Joblogic helps you manage LOLER compliance

LOLER inspections require accuracy and planning. When you need to manage hundreds of them across a large estate, a missed date or a lost certificate can go unnoticed until it's too late. For a Contract Manager, that gap usually surfaces at the worst possible moment, an HSE inspection or a client audit, rather than catching it internally first.

For businesses running planned preventative maintenance (PPM) contracts that include lifting equipment, the problem is compounded. When inspection schedules are managed separately from the rest of your contract obligations, due dates slip through the gaps and audit trails become fragmented across different files and folders. The mobilisation stage of a contract is where this risk is highest. If asset lists are incomplete or inspection frequencies are not correctly set up from the start, the entire contract term is affected.

Joblogic gives you a digital asset register where every piece of lifting equipment is recorded with its SWL, inspection history, and next due date. Engineers can complete LOLER checklists on site through the mobile app and attach photos, defect notes, and certificates directly to the asset record as they work. When an ad-hoc inspection is raised following damage or an exceptional circumstance, the job can be created with the relevant asset already linked, so the engineer arrives on site with the full inspection history already in front of them.

Compliance dashboards give you a live view of upcoming, overdue, and completed inspections across your entire estate. When the HSE or a client requests evidence, you can pull the full audit trail from one place without searching through paper files or chasing colleagues.

If you're managing lifts or other lifting equipment specifically, our guide to lift maintenance software covers the features that matter most for that equipment type. If you want to see how Joblogic works in practice more broadly, book a demo and speak to one of our specialists.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between LOLER and PUWER?

LOLER applies specifically to lifting equipment and accessories. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) covers all work equipment more broadly, and some equipment falls under both sets of regulations.

Does a LOLER inspection cover maintenance?

No. A LOLER thorough examination assesses whether the equipment is safe to use. Routine servicing and maintenance are separate activities and do not replace the inspection requirement.

What qualifications does a LOLER inspection engineer need?

There is no single mandatory qualification, but LEEA accreditation is widely recognised as the industry benchmark. The HSE's bar is genuine competence, demonstrated experience and judgement built up over time, more than a certificate from a short course can provide.

Can the same engineer who maintains the equipment also inspect it?

Not usually. The competent person must have sufficient independence to assess the equipment objectively. In most cases, an engineer from a separate accredited inspection body is required to carry out the thorough examination.

Does LOLER apply to all businesses regardless of size?

Yes. LOLER applies to any business that uses lifting equipment as part of a work activity. The size or sector of the organisation does not affect whether the regulations apply.