The scope of thorough examinations, often referred to as a LOLER inspection, aims to confirm that lifting equipment is safe for continued use and there are no signs of deterioration that could lead to its failure. Thorough examinations are mandatory and should be carried out as per the recommendation of a Competent Person.
It’s the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) that place responsibility on duty holders to ensure that the lifting equipment provided for use on their site undergoes regular thorough examinations and subsequent inspections.
This blog examines in detail and answers questions such as what are the different types of thorough examinations, how often should they take place, who is deemed a Competent Person under LOLER to carry the inspections and much more. Keep reading.
The LOLER Regulations came into force on 5th December 1998 and were made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HaSaW Act). Therefore, LOLER applies to all situations and premises covered by the HaSaW Act and builds on the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
While LOLER only applies to lifting equipment provided for use at work, the safety of similar types of equipment can be ensured by implementing the same procedures recommended by the Regulations - example being residential passenger lifts or moving walkways. Additionally, even though LOLER specifically applies to lifting equipment, you still have a responsibility to meet your obligations under PUWER as well.
It’s Regulation 9 of LOLER that specifies the requirements for thorough examinations that we will look into more detail now.
There are two different types of LOLER thorough examinations, completed at different key points of the life of your equipment, that you need to be aware of - Initial Thorough Examinations and In-Service Thorough Examinations.
All lifting equipment needs to be thoroughly examined before it’s put into service for the first time in order to ensure that it’s safe to use. However, there are exemptions to this, and in the cases when your lifting equipment comes with an EC Declaration of Conformity(from 1st January 2022 only a UKCA Declaration of Conformity will be valid), which was issued less than 12 months previously, then the initial examination would be considered satisfied.
Initial thorough examinations may require further testing to complete following the inspection in order to ensure the equipment is in fact safe to operate and can sustain the necessary strength and stability of safe working
Please be aware that if any such tests were to be completed on your equipment, you need to ensure that they are agreed with the manufacturer first, so that applying forces which the item is not designed for is avoided
Therefore, Regulation 9(2) of LOLER deals with equipment which safety depends on the installation conditions. Any change to the installation affecting its safety would also require a further LOLER thorough examination before the item could be taken back into service.
Want to learn everything you need to know about LOLER? Check out our complete LOLER manual:
All lifting equipment that can deteriorate to dangerous situations needs to be periodically thoroughly examined to ensure that it’s safe to use. While some equipment can only pose trivial risks should failure occur, most lifting equipment’s failures could lead to disastrous consequences.
Therefore, in-service thorough examinations are set in place in order to measure the hazards arising if the equipment was to fail, considering factors such as the environment in which the equipment is used, its condition, what it’s used for and how often it’s used.
The frequency of in-service examinations would vary depending on the type of the equipment and the level of risk that it poses to operators and the public. Where lifting equipment can suffer deterioration which could lead to unsafe conditions:
The lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined at least every six months if lifting persons or if deemed an accessory for lifting. All other lifting equipment should be subject to thorough examination at least every twelve months.
OR
The examination scheme may be carried out in accordance with an examination scheme provided by a competent person.
However, while the above statements may be true for a large number of lifting equipment types, there are scenarios where the likelihood of failure or level of risk is so high that the Competent Person may decide that more regular thorough examinations are needed.
To find out more about the frequency of LOLER thorough examinations, we recommend you to look at the following SAFed document, which provides specific guidance on the subject. Click here to access the MLC004 document.
Based on our experience and industry knowledge, we wanted to share some examples of deterioration factors that could lead to failure and would, therefore, require for your equipment to be thoroughly examined.
These include:
Under the LOLER Regulations, the person carrying out the thorough examination of your lifting equipment would need to satisfy the following requirements:
A person that has such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses, and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the lifting equipment.
You need to be aware that the term Competent Person doesn’t only refer to the engineer carrying out the inspection, but also to the company that employs them. Therefore, as a duty holder you have a legal obligation to ensure that they both meet the necessary requirements to be deemed eligible to complete the examination of your equipment.
The person carrying out the examination also needs to be sufficiently independent and impartial to allow objective decisions to be made, and they should not be the same person as the person who’s completing your maintenance regime.
Lifting regulations in the UK is a broad topic. For a more well-rounded understanding of the topic, check out our complete LOLER manual:
Discover everything you need to do to adhere to LOLER regulations according to HSE with our Complete LOLER Regulations Manual.