LOLER — the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 — requires lifting equipment to be strong and stable enough for its loads, safely positioned, marked with its safe working load, used in lifting operations that are properly planned, supervised and carried out safely, and thoroughly examined by a competent person at set intervals: at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment. Two things are widely misunderstood. First, those intervals are not the only lawful option — an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set different ones. Second, LOLER examines equipment, not people: there is no such thing as a “LOLER licence” for operators, and a thorough examination report is not a certificate that the equipment will stay safe until the next one.
At a glance: Nexis CPD’s £9 LOLER Awareness course explains the Regulations — safe lifting equipment, planning lifts, competence and thorough examination. It is CPD accredited and 100% online with a verifiable e-certificate, and any three courses cost £18. It is awareness training only: it does not make anyone a competent person to carry out thorough examinations, and it is not operator training for cranes, lift trucks, MEWPs or hoists.
What is LOLER?
LOLER came into force on 5 December 1998 and applies across Great Britain. It sits alongside the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), which apply to all work equipment, and adds specific requirements for equipment that lifts or lowers loads. HSE’s LOLER overview summarises the core principle: “All lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.”
The Regulations define lifting equipment as “work equipment for lifting or lowering loads”, including its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it, and an accessory for lifting as equipment “for attaching loads to machinery for lifting”. Crucially, “load” includes a person (regulation 2). That one definition is why LOLER matters as much in a care home as on a construction site.
What equipment does LOLER cover?
The scope is very wide. HSE’s leaflet INDG422, Thorough examination of lifting equipment, gives these examples:
- Lifting equipment: cranes, workplace passenger and goods lifts, construction hoists, dumb waiters, scissor lifts, vehicle tail lifts, bath hoists, stairlifts, telehandlers and industrial lift trucks, and vehicle lifts.
- Accessories for lifting: slings, hooks, shackles, eyebolts, and ropes used for climbing or work positioning.
Patient hoists and their slings fall squarely within LOLER wherever they are used by people at work — our guide to moving and handling people explains how this applies in care.
What is not covered by LOLER?
INDG422 lists equipment used in lifting that is not covered by LOLER, although PUWER duties still apply:
- equipment whose principal function is not lifting, such as conveyor belts or the three-point linkage on a tractor;
- items such as pallets, skips, ladles, one-trip slings attached to a load and similar containers, which are treated as part of the load.
Equipment that is not used by people at work is also outside LOLER. HSE gives the examples of stairlifts installed in private homes and platform lifts in shops provided for disabled customers. For lifting equipment used mainly by the public, such as lifts in shopping centres or train stations, HSE says you do not have duties under PUWER or LOLER — but you still have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to make sure the equipment is safe, and following LOLER will help you meet them.
Who has duties under LOLER?
Regulation 3 places the duties on employers in respect of lifting equipment provided for or used by their employees at work, on certain self-employed people for equipment they use at work, and on anyone who has control, to any extent, of lifting equipment, of people who use or supervise its use, or of the way it is used — to the extent of their control. HSE puts it simply: the duties fall on “people and companies who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment. This includes all businesses and organisations whose employees use lifting equipment, whether owned by them or not.”
That is why a hire company, a main contractor and a site user can all have LOLER duties for the same crane.
What are the main LOLER requirements?
The core duties are short and practical:
- Strength and stability (regulation 4) — lifting equipment must be of adequate strength and stability for each load, “having regard in particular to the stress induced at its mounting or fixing point”, and every part of a load and anything attached to it must be of adequate strength.
- Lifting persons (regulation 5) — equipment for lifting people must prevent them being crushed, trapped, struck or falling from the carrier, have suitable devices to prevent the carrier falling, and allow a trapped person to be freed without danger.
- Positioning and installation (regulation 6) — equipment must be positioned or installed to reduce, as low as reasonably practicable, the risk of the equipment or load striking someone, or of the load drifting, falling freely or being released unintentionally.
- Marking (regulation 7) — machinery and accessories must be clearly marked with their safe working loads (where the safe working load varies with configuration, either marked for each configuration or with that information kept with the machinery), accessories must be marked so their characteristics for safe use can be identified, and equipment designed for lifting people must be marked as such — while equipment not designed for lifting people that might be used that way in error must be marked to say it is not.
- Organisation of lifting operations (regulation 8) — every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
- Thorough examination and inspection (regulation 9), reports and defects (regulation 10) and keeping information (regulation 11) — covered in detail below.
How often does lifting equipment need a thorough examination?
Under regulation 9, lifting equipment that is exposed to conditions causing deterioration which is liable to result in dangerous situations must be thoroughly examined:
- at least every 6 months — for lifting equipment for lifting persons, and for accessories for lifting;
- at least every 12 months — for other lifting equipment;
- or, in either case, in accordance with an examination scheme; and
- each time exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise its safety have occurred.
In practice, that puts patient hoists and slings, passenger lifts, MEWPs, chains and shackles on the 6-month cycle, and goods-only equipment such as overhead cranes on the 12-month cycle — unless an examination scheme says otherwise. HSE gives examples of exceptional circumstances: the equipment is damaged or fails, it has been out of use for long periods, or there is a major change in how it is used which is likely to affect its integrity.
When else must equipment be examined?
Regulation 9 also requires a thorough examination:
- before first use — unless the equipment has not been used before and, where required, comes with a declaration of conformity made not more than 12 months before it is put into service;
- after installation and before first use, and after assembly at a new site or location, where safety depends on the installation conditions — tower cranes and platform lifts installed in buildings are typical examples.
And regulation 9(4) means lifting equipment must not leave your undertaking, or be used in your undertaking if it came from someone else, unless it is accompanied by physical evidence that its last required thorough examination has been carried out. If hired equipment arrives without that evidence, it should not be used.
What is an examination scheme?
An examination scheme is the lawful alternative to the fixed 6- and 12-month intervals. INDG422 describes it as a thorough examination programme that includes “a detailed schedule of checks, appropriate examination techniques and testing requirements, drawn up to suit the operating conditions of a specific item of lifting equipment.” According to HSE, a scheme:
- should identify the parts of the equipment to be thoroughly examined;
- can cover a number of similar items subject to the same operating conditions;
- may specify intervals that are longer or shorter than 6 or 12 months — but “a longer period must be based on a rigorous assessment of the risks”;
- can be drawn up by the user, owner, manufacturer or another independent person, as long as they have the necessary competence; and
- should be reviewed regularly, at each thorough examination and after any event that may alter the risks.
The point of a scheme is to match effort to risk — for heavily used equipment in harsh conditions, that can mean more frequent examinations, not fewer.
Who can carry out a thorough examination?
A competent person. INDG422 says the competent person should have enough appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to detect defects or weaknesses and assess how important they are; “should not be the same person who performs routine maintenance as they would be responsible for assessing their own work”; should be sufficiently independent and impartial to make objective decisions; and may be employed by a separate company or selected from the employer’s own staff.
The Regulations do not name a specific qualification, but competence has to be real: the report itself must record the qualifications of the person making it (Schedule 1, paragraph 9).
Is a thorough examination the same as servicing or inspection?
No — and confusing them is one of the most common LOLER failings. HSE distinguishes three different things:
- Thorough examination — “a systematic and detailed examination of the lifting equipment by a competent person to detect any defects that are, or might become, dangerous.” It may include testing where the competent person considers it appropriate (regulation 2). It is required by LOLER at the intervals above.
- Inspection — visual and functional checks at suitable intervals between thorough examinations, where the risk assessment shows a significant risk. HSE says the scope and frequency depend on the competent person’s opinion, inspections are normally carried out on machinery such as cranes, and lifting accessories such as chains or slings will not normally need inspections if they receive thorough examinations at the right interval and proper pre-use checks.
- Maintenance — checking and replacing worn parts, lubrication, adjustments and so on, required under PUWER. HSE is clear that a thorough examination “may indicate areas of poor maintenance, but is not intended to replace it,” and that you should not wait for the results of a thorough examination before carrying out maintenance.
A forklift truck is a good example of how LOLER and PUWER fit together. HSE explains that thorough examinations and inspections under LOLER are limited to the lifting mechanism, such as the chains and forks; inspection under PUWER covers the non-lifting parts, such as the brakes and lights; and maintenance of both is a PUWER requirement. The two inspection regimes can be combined where appropriate.
What must a LOLER thorough examination report contain?
Regulation 10 requires the person making the examination to produce a written, authenticated report “as soon as is practicable”, and send it to the employer and to anyone from whom the equipment has been hired or leased. Schedule 1 lists what the report must contain. Beyond identifying the employer, premises, equipment, safe working load and the person making the report (including their qualifications), it must record:
- what type of examination it was (6-month, 12-month, examination scheme or exceptional circumstances) and whether the equipment would be safe to operate;
- any defect which is or could become a danger to persons, and the repair, renewal or alteration required — and, for a defect that could become dangerous, the time by which it could;
- particulars of any test; and
- the latest date by which the next thorough examination must be carried out.
A thorough examination does not automatically mean a load test. HSE’s guidance on thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment states that “most lifting equipment does not need routine testing as part of the thorough examination – in fact some overload tests can cause damage to lifting equipment”, and that the need for testing should be based on an assessment of risk.
What happens if a defect is found?
Regulation 10 sets out a clear chain of action. The competent person must notify the employer “forthwith” of any defect which in their opinion is or could become a danger to persons. Where there is a defect “involving an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury”, they must also send a copy of the report to the relevant enforcing authority — HSE for hired or leased equipment, otherwise the enforcing authority for the premises. INDG422 adds that this applies even if the defect is put right on the spot: “A competent person who fails to report a defect, simply because it has been remedied on the spot, is disguising a potentially dangerous situation.”
The employer must then make sure the equipment is not used before the defect is rectified, or, for a defect that could become dangerous later, not used after the time stated in the report unless it has been put right. HSE puts it bluntly: if you are notified of a serious defect and do not take the equipment out of service, “you will be breaking the law.”
Separately, the collapse, overturning or failure of any load-bearing part of lifting equipment (other than an accessory) is a reportable dangerous occurrence under Schedule 2 to RIDDOR 2013, even if nobody is hurt. Our guide to RIDDOR explains how to report.
How long must LOLER records be kept?
Regulation 11 sets the retention periods for thorough examination reports:
- Before first use (lifting equipment other than accessories) — until you stop using the equipment.
- Before first use (accessories for lifting) — for two years after the report is made.
- After installation or assembly — until you stop using the equipment at that place.
- In-service thorough examinations — until the next report is made, or for two years, whichever is later.
- Inspection records — until the next record is made.
Is there a LOLER certificate for operators?
No. LOLER governs the equipment and the planning and supervision of lifting operations; it does not create an operator licence or certificate. Training for people who use lifting equipment comes from the general duty in section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act and from PUWER. HSE’s lift truck FAQs quote PUWER’s requirement that employers “ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety”, and state: “There is no state system for training of lift truck operators as there is for drivers on the public highway.”
For lift trucks, HSE’s Approved Code of Practice L117, Rider-operated lift trucks, sets out operator training, and HSE’s lift-truck training guidance says training should always include three stages: basic training, specific job training and familiarisation training. HSE also says “there is no specific requirement to provide refresher training after set intervals”, but operators need re-assessing from time to time — for example after a long break, an accident or near miss, unsafe practice, or a change in their work.
So a request for a “LOLER ticket” usually means practical operator training for a specific type of equipment — which an online awareness course cannot provide.
What about pre-use checks?
Thorough examinations happen months apart. Damage can happen in minutes. HSE’s INDG422 notes that the thorough examination and inspection regime “does not replace the necessity for operators to carry out checks to lifting equipment and accessories before use.” Typical pre-use checks include looking for damage to slings, hooks and chains; checking the safe working load marking and that the load is within it; checking that the equipment’s last thorough examination is in date; and, for patient hoists, checking the sling is the right type and size for the person and is undamaged. Anything suspect should be taken out of use and reported.
Is LOLER changing?
Possibly, in future. HSE ran a call for evidence on LOLER from 1 October to 11 November 2025, gathering evidence on whether the Regulations’ scope and application are still fit for purpose and reflect technological advances. A call for evidence is not a proposal to change the law; the 1998 Regulations remain in force. It is one to watch.
How does LOLER fit with other regulations?
LOLER rarely stands alone: HSE notes that in most cases PUWER will also apply. Lifting operations often involve work at height, and where people lift loads by hand rather than with equipment, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 apply. Every lifting operation should be grounded in a suitable risk assessment under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Which courses support LOLER compliance?
Three £9 courses fit together well, each with a verifiable certificate for training records:
- LOLER Awareness — the Regulations, lifting equipment, planning lifts, competence and thorough examination.
- Work Equipment Awareness — PUWER, the regulations that sit alongside LOLER for all work equipment.
- Manual Handling Awareness — for the lifting that still happens by hand.
Those three together cost £18 rather than £27, because any three courses trigger the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. Add them to the cart and the discount applies automatically. In care settings, swap in Moving and Handling People Awareness.
Frequently asked questions
What does LOLER stand for?
LOLER stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. They came into force on 5 December 1998 and require lifting equipment to be strong, stable, suitably positioned, marked with its safe working load, used in properly planned and supervised lifting operations, and thoroughly examined by a competent person at the required intervals.
How often is a LOLER inspection required?
Regulation 9 requires a thorough examination at least every 6 months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in either case in accordance with an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. Examinations are also required before first use in some cases, after installation, and after exceptional circumstances such as damage.
Does a patient hoist need a LOLER examination?
Yes, where it is used by people at work. A patient hoist is lifting equipment for lifting persons and its slings are accessories for lifting, so both need a thorough examination at least every 6 months, or in accordance with an examination scheme. Stairlifts in private homes that are not used by people at work are outside LOLER.
Who can carry out a LOLER thorough examination?
A competent person with enough practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to detect defects and assess their importance. HSE says they should not be the same person who performs routine maintenance, should be sufficiently independent and impartial, and may work for another company or be selected from the employer’s own staff.
Is there a LOLER certificate for forklift or crane operators?
No. LOLER covers equipment and the planning of lifting operations; it does not create an operator licence. Operator training is required by PUWER and the general duty in the Health and Safety at Work Act. HSE states there is no state system for training lift truck operators, and its L117 Approved Code of Practice covers lift truck operator training.
What happens if a LOLER examination finds a serious defect?
The competent person must tell the employer immediately and, where there is an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, send a copy of the report to the enforcing authority, even if the defect has been fixed on the spot. The employer must not use the equipment until the defect is rectified.
Plan every lift, examine every hoist
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
This article is general information, not legal advice. A Nexis CPD awareness course is CPD accredited but is not a regulated qualification; it does not make anyone a competent person for thorough examinations, and it is not practical operator training for cranes, lift trucks, MEWPs, hoists or any other lifting equipment. LOLER applies in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has equivalent regulations. Duties cited are drawn from legislation.gov.uk and HSE guidance at the time of writing.