How this list was made
LOLER applies to all lifting equipment used for work, and the regulations define lifting equipment as work equipment for lifting or lowering loads. That is broad, so HSE's approved code of practice gives examples. This list takes 12 groups from those examples and from the paragraphs on lifting accessories, refuse vehicles and patient hoists. Entries are in A to Z order, so position says nothing about importance.
Intervals are the ones regulation 9(3) writes down. A competent person can set a different schedule through an examination scheme, so treat the interval as the default. For which of LOLER, PUWER and PSSR applies to a given machine, see the statutory inspection comparison rather than repeating it here. For a step-by-step check, use the LOLER compliance checklist.
The 12 types
1. Cranes
Overhead, mobile and tower cranes. HSE lists cranes first among the equipment LOLER covers, names mobile cranes as mobile lifting equipment and tower cranes as equipment that is taken down and put up again.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months, or every 6 months where the crane is used to lift people.
- Watch for
- HSE gives tower cranes as an example of equipment that needs examining after assembly and before use at each new location (regulation 9(2)). A cradle hung from a crane hook is a carrier for lifting people.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(a), 108, 109 and 126(d)
See also: Overhead crane inspections
2. Excavators and tractor loaders adapted for lifting
A front-end loader on a tractor raising a bale, or an excavator fitted with forks, grabs or lifting magnets and used for lifting.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- HSE says the excavator is outside this entry when it is doing normal earth-moving. The same machine can be in scope on a lifting day and out of scope on a digging day.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(m) and 28(n)
3. Goods lifts and passenger lifts
Lifts provided for people at work, for example in an office block or hospital. HSE says the owner of an office block that provides a lift for people working in it holds the duty.
- Interval
- A passenger lift carries people, so at least every 6 months. A goods lift is at least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- A lift in a block of flats is primarily for residents, so HSE says it is not work equipment and falls under section 4 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 instead.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(d), 47, 48 and 125
4. High-lift pallet trucks
Manual and powered pallet trucks that can raise the forks above 300 mm.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- The HSE wording turns on the ability to raise the forks above 300 mm.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraph 28(c)
5. Hoists and slings for lifting people
Hoists and slings used to lift patients from beds and baths in hospitals and care homes. The hospital trust or care home owner is the dutyholder.
- Interval
- At least every 6 months, as equipment for lifting people.
- Watch for
- HSE says LOLER does not apply where a member of the public buys or is loaned equipment to use solely at home.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(o), 50, 51 and 125
6. Lift trucks and telescopic handlers
Forklift trucks and telehandlers, including trucks on long-term hire.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- On long-term hire, HSE says the user must make sure the truck is thoroughly examined at appropriate intervals, and the user or the hire company can arrange it by agreement.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(b) and 52
See also: Forklift truck inspections
7. Lifting accessories
Slings, removable eyebolts, chains, ropes, shackles, grabs, magnets, vacuum lifters, crane forks, lifting beams and spreaders.
- Interval
- At least every 6 months.
- Watch for
- The accessory has its own, shorter cycle from the crane or truck it hangs from, so one visit may not cover both.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraph 29 and regulation 9(3)(a)(i)
See also: Lifting accessories inspections
8. Lorry loader cranes and refuse vehicle loading arms
A loader crane on a lorry used to raise bins, and the mechanism on the rear of a refuse collection vehicle that lifts bins into the compactor. HSE also lists skip collection vehicles, car transporters and vehicle recovery equipment.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- HSE says the rear mechanism of a refuse collection vehicle is lifting equipment and is covered by LOLER.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(p), 28(q), 28(s), 28(t) and 49
9. Scissor lifts and MEWPs
Scissor lifts and mobile elevating work platforms.
- Interval
- At least every 6 months, because the equipment lifts people.
- Watch for
- HSE names a MEWP as equipment designed for lifting people, and a platform on a MEWP as one kind of carrier.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(i), 125 and 126(c)
See also: MEWP and cherry picker inspections
10. Simple and specialist hoists
A rope and pulley raising a bucket of cement, a construction site hoist, a gin wheel, a dumb waiter, pull-lifts, a paper roll hoist on a printing machine and an automated storage and retrieval system.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months, or every 6 months where the hoist carries people.
- Watch for
- The cage of a construction site hoist is a carrier for lifting people. A dumb waiter in a restaurant or hotel is on the same HSE list as a crane.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(e), 28(f), 28(k), 28(l) and 126(b)
11. Vehicle inspection hoists
A vehicle inspection hoist, which raises a vehicle so it can be inspected or worked on.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months.
- Watch for
- HSE uses mechanics working under a car on a raised vehicle inspection lift as its example of a place where the equipment should be properly maintained and thoroughly examined.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraphs 28(h) and 234
See also: Vehicle lift and ramp inspections
12. Vehicle tail lifts
The powered platform on the back of a van or lorry.
- Interval
- At least every 12 months, unless it falls in the 6 month group for lifting people.
- Watch for
- HSE lists it as its own item, separate from the vehicle it is fitted to.
- Source
- HSE L113, paragraph 28(u)
Comparison table
| Type | Default interval | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cranes | 12 months | Other lifting equipment. 6 months if it lifts people. |
| Excavators and tractor loaders adapted for lifting | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Goods lifts | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Passenger lifts | 6 months | Lifting persons |
| High-lift pallet trucks | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Hoists and slings for lifting people | 6 months | Lifting persons |
| Lift trucks and telescopic handlers | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Lifting accessories | 6 months | Accessory for lifting |
| Lorry loader cranes and refuse vehicle loading arms | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Scissor lifts and MEWPs | 6 months | Lifting persons |
| Simple and specialist hoists | 12 months | Other lifting equipment. 6 months if it carries people. |
| Vehicle inspection hoists | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
| Vehicle tail lifts | 12 months | Other lifting equipment |
What LOLER does not cover
HSE also lists equipment that LOLER does not cover. Some of it still needs inspection and maintenance under PUWER, so "not LOLER" does not mean "no checks". The PUWER checklist covers that side.
- Conveyor belts (HSE L113, paragraph 32(a))
- Roller shutter doors (HSE L113, paragraph 32(c))
- Tipper trucks (HSE L113, paragraph 32(d))
- Dentist chairs (HSE L113, paragraph 32(f))
- Escalators, which have their own regulation under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (HSE L113, paragraph 34)
- A lift in a block of flats provided primarily for residents (HSE L113, paragraph 48)
The "certificate" you actually get
Search results use "certification" a lot. LOLER's word is "report". Regulation 10 requires the person who made a thorough examination to notify the employer straight away of any defect that is or could become a danger to people, and to make a written report as soon as is practicable. HSE says the report must carry the information in Schedule 1, including the examination date, the date the next thorough examination is due, and any defects that are or could become a danger.
Keep it. Regulation 11 sets how long reports are kept, and regulation 9(4) says equipment must be accompanied by physical evidence of its last thorough examination if it leaves your undertaking or arrives from someone else's. If a defect carries an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, the examiner sends a copy of the report to the enforcing authority (regulation 10(1)(c)). For what happens if examinations lapse, read the guide to LOLER fines and enforcement.
A free equipment register keeps the 6 and 12 month dates in one place. General guidance, not legal advice.
Sources
Duties, intervals and definitions on this page come from the legislation and HSE guidance listed here. Read the original when you need the exact wording.
- HSE approved code of practice L113: Safe use of lifting equipment (free PDF) Paragraphs 28, 29, 32, 34, 47 to 52, 108, 109, 125 and 126.
- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) Regulations 2, 9, 10 and 11, and Schedule 1.
- LOLER Schedule 1: information to be contained in a report of a thorough examination
- HSE: Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment Source for the report contents, the competent person and the 6 and 12 month intervals.
- HSE: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)