Moving a crane, hoist or other installed lifting equipment can trigger a LOLER thorough examination before reuse. When regulation 9(2) applies.
It depends on whether the equipment's safety depends on how it is installed. Where it does, LOLER regulation 9(2) requires a thorough examination after it has been assembled at the new site or in the new location, and before it is put back into service. Portable and mobile equipment that simply travels between jobs is normally covered by its existing report, although a change in how it is used can still call for an examination.
What does regulation 9(2) require?
Regulation 9(2) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) applies "where the safety of lifting equipment depends on the installation conditions". Such equipment must be thoroughly examined after installation and before it is first put into service. It must also be examined "after assembly and before being put into service at a new site or in a new location".
The stated purpose is "to ensure that it has been installed correctly and is safe to operate". The duty sits with the employer, and under LOLER regulation 3 with anyone who has control of the equipment or its use, to the extent of that control.
Which equipment counts as installed?
LOLER does not define installation. HSE's L113, at paragraph 319 (Guidance), treats it as applying to lifting equipment erected or built on site, such as tower cranes, construction site hoists or gantry cranes. Its examples are equipment intended to stay in place for a period and normally fixed in position.
The same paragraph says installation would not apply to portable or mobile lifting equipment that moves from one location to another to carry out lifting operations within the scope of its current report of thorough examination. L113 paragraph 320 (Guidance) adds that equipment which has to be assembled, positioned or secured before each use, such as rope access equipment, is not installation in the regulation 9(2) sense.
Does a move within the same site count?
It can. Regulation 9(2)(b) refers to a new site or a new location, so moving an installation-dependent item to a different part of the same premises is within its wording. L113 paragraph 317, which is Approved Code of Practice, says that where lifting equipment is installed in a new location or reconfigured, it should be thoroughly examined by a competent person to ensure it has adequate strength and stability for its intended use.
L113 paragraph 318 (Guidance) says equipment whose integrity depends on its installation should normally be examined each time it is reinstalled. The extent of that examination depends on how complex the installation is and should be based on a risk assessment.
What if the configuration changes but the equipment stays put?
L113 paragraph 321 (Guidance) deals with this, using a tower crane being increased in height as its example. The equipment may need a further thorough examination before it is used again, decided on an assessment of the risks by someone suitably knowledgeable and trained.
No further examination is needed where the existing report of thorough examination already covers the new configuration. That makes it worth checking what the current report actually says before a planned change, rather than after it.
Can moving mobile equipment still trigger an examination?
Yes, even where regulation 9(2) does not apply. L113 paragraph 307 (Guidance) says a thorough examination is also required after a significant change in the conditions of use, and gives moving from indoor to outdoor use as an example. That follows from LOLER regulation 9(3)(a)(iv), which requires an examination whenever exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise safety have occurred.
Equipment that leaves one business for use in another must also be accompanied by physical evidence of its last thorough examination, under regulation 9(4). L113 paragraph 355 (Guidance) says that evidence is not required when equipment moves between different parts of the same business, provided it is held centrally and available on request.
Who should carry out the examination after installation?
LOLER requires a competent person. L113 paragraph 322 (Guidance) says any trying out of the equipment is part of the installation examination and should be done by the competent person before the equipment is handed over for normal use.
L113 paragraph 300 (Guidance) raises a point about who that person is. Where the person who assembled the equipment would also be the one judging whether it is safe, the same considerations apply as where a maintainer examines their own work. Our guide to what counts as lifting equipment covers which items fall within LOLER in the first place.
How long is the installation report kept?
LOLER regulation 11(2)(a)(iii) requires the information in a report made under regulation 9(2) to be kept available for inspection until the employer stops using the equipment at the place where it was installed or assembled. When the equipment moves again, the next installation examination produces a new report for the new location.
The report itself must say that it is the first thorough examination after installation or assembly and, where that is the case, that the equipment has been installed correctly and would be safe to operate. Both points are required by LOLER Schedule 1.
How can EIS help with a relocation or reinstallation?
We examine lifting equipment and cranes after installation or assembly at a new site, as well as at the regular intervals, across Kent, London, Essex, Surrey and Sussex. We do not repair, maintain, sell or hire lifting equipment, so we have no stake in the equipment beyond the examination.
If you are planning a move, tell us what the equipment is, where it is going and how it will be used there. That lets us confirm whether regulation 9(2) is likely to apply and what the examination will need to cover.
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