How Often Should Equipment Used for Lifting People Be Thoroughly Examined?

How often should equipment used for lifting people be thoroughly examined? Learn the six-month LOLER rule, exceptions and additional inspection duties.

How often should equipment used for lifting people be thoroughly examined? Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, the standard maximum interval is six months, unless the equipment is examined in accordance with a suitable examination scheme drawn up by a competent person.

The six-month requirement applies wherever people are being lifted, whether or not the equipment was originally designed for that purpose.

Thorough examination is only one part of the safety regime. Equipment used to lift people must also be suitable for the task, properly maintained, checked before use and operated through lifting arrangements that are competently planned and appropriately supervised.

A current examination report does not make an unsuitable or incorrectly operated machine safe.

How often should equipment used for lifting people be thoroughly examined under LOLER?

The standard LOLER interval is at least every six months.

A different interval may apply where a competent person has prepared a suitable examination scheme. That scheme must be based on the equipment, its use, foreseeable deterioration and operating conditions. It is not simply an informal agreement to postpone the next examination.

The basic intervals are:

Equipment use or categoryStandard thorough examination intervalLifting equipment used to lift peopleEvery six monthsLifting accessoriesEvery six monthsOther lifting equipmentEvery 12 monthsEquipment covered by a suitable examination schemeAt the intervals specified by the scheme

These are maximum periodic intervals rather than recommended booking dates. The next examination should be arranged early enough to prevent the current report from expiring.

An additional thorough examination may also be required before the next scheduled date following an accident, damage, significant alteration, prolonged period out of use or another exceptional circumstance that could affect safety.

Excel Inspection Solutions provides independent LOLER thorough examinations for equipment used to lift people and loads.

What equipment is used for lifting people?

The six-month interval can apply to a wide range of lifting equipment.

Common examples include:

• Passenger lifts

• Goods-passenger lifts

• Platform lifts used to carry people

• Wheelchair lifts

• Workplace stairlifts

• Mobile elevating work platforms

• Scissor lifts used as access platforms

• Boom lifts

• Cherry pickers

• Vehicle-mounted access platforms

• Personnel hoists

• Construction hoists designed to carry people

• Suspended access equipment

• Cradles

• Patient hoists

• Rescue lifting equipment

• Cranes used with suitable personnel carriers in exceptional circumstances

• Lift trucks used with appropriate platforms in exceptional circumstances

The key issue is the activity being carried out. If the equipment lifts or lowers a person, the people-lifting requirements apply.

This remains true where lifting people is only occasional. A crane used mainly for materials cannot remain on a 12-month examination interval if it is also used to lift people without the applicable people-lifting arrangements being addressed.

Does occasional use change the six-month interval?

No general exemption applies simply because people are lifted infrequently.

If equipment is used to lift people, the standard interval is six months unless a suitable examination scheme specifies otherwise.

This can be overlooked where:

• A crane is occasionally used with a personnel carrier

• A lift truck is used with a work platform

• A rescue winch is rarely deployed

• A goods lift is sometimes used by employees

• A platform is kept mainly for emergency access

• Equipment is hired only for short projects

• A MEWP remains unused for several months

Low usage may be relevant when a competent person designs an examination scheme, but the duty holder should not extend the interval independently.

Equipment can deteriorate while unused through corrosion, contamination, damage, loss of lubrication, battery deterioration or unsuitable storage. A long period out of service can itself create a need for an additional thorough examination before reuse.

What is a thorough examination?

A thorough examination is a systematic and detailed examination of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts.

It must be carried out by a competent person with sufficient practical knowledge, theoretical knowledge and experience of the particular equipment. The competent person must be able to identify defects and judge their significance for safe continued use.

Depending on the equipment, an examination may include:

• Visual examination

• Functional checks

• Measurements of wear

• Examination of structures and load-bearing parts

• Assessment of ropes, chains or suspension systems

• Checks of braking and load-holding systems

• Examination of controls and safety devices

• Review of safe working load information

• Assessment of emergency lowering arrangements

• Examination of gates, guardrails or carriers

• Review of previous reports and maintenance history

• Testing where the competent person considers it necessary

Not every thorough examination requires routine overload testing or complete dismantling. The scope and methods should be selected according to the equipment, manufacturer information, relevant standards, examination scheme and professional judgement.

The examiner must then produce a written report containing the information required by LOLER.

Read EIS’s guide to thorough examinations under LOLER for a fuller explanation.

Why is the interval shorter for lifting people?

The consequences of failure are particularly serious when a person is the load.

Equipment failure could expose a person to:

• A fall from height

• Crushing

• Entrapment

• Ejection from a platform

• Impact with a structure

• Uncontrolled descent

• Being stranded at height

• Suspension trauma

• Inability to escape during an emergency

People can also move within a carrier or platform, changing the load distribution. They may be unfamiliar with the equipment and unable to recognise deterioration or unsafe conditions.

For these reasons, LOLER applies additional safeguards to equipment used for lifting people. More frequent thorough examination is one of those safeguards.

The equipment must also be suitable for lifting people and designed or equipped to minimise the risk of:

• A carrier falling

• A person falling from the carrier

• A person being crushed, trapped or struck

• A person becoming trapped and unable to be freed

The examination interval should never be treated as the only people-lifting requirement.

Can an examination scheme change the six-month interval?

Yes. A competent person can prepare an examination scheme that specifies different intervals.

A suitable scheme should identify:

• The equipment covered

• The safety-critical parts requiring examination

• The examination methods

• The intervals for different parts

• Any tests required

• Other inspections forming part of the safety regime

• The information used to justify the scheme

Factors considered may include:

• Equipment design

• Manufacturer recommendations

• Age and condition

• Intensity of use

• Number of lifting cycles

• Environment

• Storage conditions

• Maintenance history

• Previous defects

• Consequences of failure

• Availability of condition-monitoring information

A scheme may require examination more frequently than every six months where deterioration is rapid or the consequences of failure are particularly severe.

In some circumstances, it may justify a longer period. However, this must be a competent technical decision supported by an appropriate scheme. It is not something a duty holder, hire company or maintenance contractor should assume merely because the equipment is lightly used.

The scheme should be available in written form when required and protected from unauthorised alteration.

Is a thorough examination the same as servicing?

No.

Servicing and thorough examination have different purposes.

Servicing and maintenance

Maintenance is intended to keep equipment in a safe condition and efficient working order. It may include:

• Lubrication

• Adjustment

• Replacing worn parts

• Hydraulic or electrical maintenance

• Battery care

• Cleaning

• Software or control-system checks

• Repairing reported faults

Thorough examination

The thorough examination assesses whether deterioration or defects affect the equipment’s safety and continued use. It is an examination and reporting function, not a maintenance visit.

A recent service does not replace the six-month thorough examination. Equally, a valid thorough examination report does not remove the need for servicing and maintenance.

The person carrying out the examination should not be the same individual who performs the routine maintenance, as they would be responsible for assessing their own work.

EIS explains this distinction further in its guide to LOLER and PUWER.

Are pre-use checks still required?

Yes.

A thorough examination records the equipment’s condition at a particular point in time. Defects, damage and unsafe conditions can develop before the next examination.

Operators should complete appropriate pre-use checks in accordance with:

• Manufacturer instructions

• Training

• Risk assessment

• The equipment type

• Site conditions

• Applicable industry guidance

For a MEWP, for example, checks may include:

• Tyres, wheels and stabilisers

• Guardrails and gates

• Platform controls

• Ground controls

• Emergency lowering systems

• Alarms and warning devices

• Hydraulic leaks

• Visible structural damage

• Harness attachment points where provided

• Safe working load markings

• Battery or fuel condition

• Evidence of unauthorised modification

A pre-use check is not a miniature thorough examination. Operators are not expected to dismantle equipment or make specialist engineering judgements. They should know what to inspect, what defects to report and when the equipment must not be used.

The HSE’s guidance on equipment used to lift people confirms that pre-use checks and inspections may be required alongside six-monthly thorough examination.

How often should a MEWP be thoroughly examined?

A MEWP used to lift people must be thoroughly examined at least every six months or in accordance with a suitable examination scheme.

This applies to equipment such as:

• Scissor lifts

• Articulating boom lifts

• Telescopic boom lifts

• Vertical mast lifts

• Trailer-mounted platforms

• Vehicle-mounted platforms

• Other mobile access platforms

The MEWP must also have a programme of daily visual checks, regular inspections and servicing based on the manufacturer’s instructions and risks.

Operators should be trained for the relevant equipment category and familiarised with the specific make and model.

A hire company supplying an in-date examination report does not remove the user’s responsibility to confirm that the MEWP is suitable for the task, safe when delivered and used correctly.

EIS offers dedicated MEWP LOLER inspection services.

How often should a passenger lift be examined?

A passenger lift used at work must normally be thoroughly examined every six months unless covered by an examination scheme.

The same standard interval applies to a combined passenger-and-goods lift because it carries people.

A goods-only lift will normally have a 12-month interval, provided it remains goods-only in actual use. If people travel in it, even occasionally, the six-month people-lifting requirements must be considered.

Passenger lifts also require ongoing servicing, maintenance and suitable inspections between thorough examinations. The maintenance schedule may involve visits more frequently than every six months.

What about equipment not designed to lift people?

Equipment not designed for lifting people should only be used for that purpose in exceptional circumstances.

The first question should be whether purpose-designed equipment is available and more suitable. Convenience, speed or avoiding hire costs does not normally justify using unsuitable equipment.

Where exceptional use is being considered, the duty holder must assess:

• Whether the base machine is suitable

• Whether the manufacturer permits the arrangement

• Whether the carrier or platform is suitable

• How it is attached

• What additional safety measures are needed

• Whether controls prevent unintended movement

• How people will be protected from falling, crushing and entrapment

• How emergency lowering and rescue will work

• Whether the complete arrangement has been thoroughly examined

• Whether the operation has been competently planned and supervised

The six-month examination interval applies whether or not the equipment was designed to lift people.

This does not mean a thorough examination converts unsuitable equipment into suitable people-lifting equipment. Examination and suitability are separate issues.

What about cranes lifting people?

Cranes are normally selected to lift materials rather than people. Lifting people by crane should only occur in exceptional circumstances where it is not reasonably practicable to use equipment specifically designed for that purpose.

If a crane is used to lift people, the people-lifting requirements apply to the relevant equipment and arrangement.

The duty holder should consider:

• Crane suitability and configuration

• The personnel carrier

• Attachments and lifting accessories

• Rated capacity

• Carrier attachment

• Secondary means of suspension where required

• Control of free fall

• Communication

• Wind and weather conditions

• Rescue arrangements

• Planning and supervision

• Examination status

The crane’s ordinary materials-lifting report should not be assumed to cover people lifting. The actual configuration and intended use should be made clear to the competent person.

Do lifting accessories also need six-monthly examination?

Yes. Lifting accessories normally require thorough examination every six months, regardless of whether they are used to lift people or materials, unless an examination scheme specifies otherwise.

Examples include:

• Chains

• Slings

• Shackles

• Hooks

• Eyebolts

• Spreader beams

• Lifting beams

• Detachable lifting devices

Equipment used to connect a personnel carrier to a crane or other lifting machine must be suitable for the purpose and included within the lifting plan and examination arrangements.

Accessories should have unique identification and appropriate safe working load information. Their reports and due dates should be tracked separately rather than relying on the base machine’s examination record.

Who can carry out the examination?

The examination must be completed by a competent person with appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the particular equipment.

The examiner must be able to:

• Identify defects and weaknesses

• Assess their significance

• Determine whether continued use is safe

• Specify remedial deadlines

• Decide whether testing is required

• Produce a compliant report

The competent person must also be sufficiently independent and impartial to make objective decisions.

An examiner competent to assess one equipment type is not automatically competent for every people-lifting machine. A passenger lift, MEWP, patient hoist and crane personnel carrier require different technical knowledge.

The duty holder should verify that the proposed examiner is authorised and experienced for the equipment concerned.

What should the examination report contain?

The Report of Thorough Examination should contain the statutory information required by LOLER, including:

• Identification of the equipment

• The employer or organisation for whom the examination was made

• The date of examination

• The safe working load, where applicable

• The date by which the next examination is required

• The examination scheme, where applicable

• Details of tests carried out

• Any defect that is or could become dangerous

• The time allowed for remedial action

• Identification of the competent person

The report should identify the actual item using a serial number, asset number or another unique reference.

A sticker or certificate stating that equipment has “passed” is not a replacement for the complete report. The duty holder should read all findings, allocate actions and retain evidence of completed repairs.

What happens if a dangerous defect is found?

The response depends on the defect’s seriousness.

Where a defect presents an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury:

• The equipment must not be used until the defect is remedied

• The duty holder should be informed immediately

• The defect must be recorded in the written report

• The competent person must follow the applicable enforcing-authority reporting requirements

Where a defect could become dangerous but does not require immediate withdrawal, the competent person should specify a period for repair. The equipment must not continue to be used after that period if the defect remains unresolved.

Additional examination may be necessary after significant repair or replacement of a safety-critical part.

When is an extra examination required?

The six-month date is not the only time equipment may require thorough examination.

An additional examination may be needed following:

• An accident or dangerous occurrence

• Damage

• Failure

• Overloading

• A significant change in use

• Major modification

• Replacement or repair of a safety-critical part

• A long period out of use

• Deterioration caused by severe environmental conditions

• Reassembly or installation where safety depends on installation conditions

The scope should be determined by a competent person.

Equipment should not automatically return to service after a repair simply because its original report remains within date.

Who is responsible for arranging the examination?

LOLER places duties on employers and people who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment used at work.

Depending on the circumstances, responsibility may involve:

• The equipment owner

• An employer

• A principal contractor

• A plant-hire company

• A hirer

• A building owner

• A facilities manager

• Another organisation controlling the equipment

Contractual arrangements can allocate practical tasks, but assumptions should be avoided.

Before equipment is used to lift people, the organisation controlling the work should confirm:

• Who owns the equipment

• Who arranged the examination

• Whether the report is current

• Whether it covers people lifting

• Whether it covers the actual configuration

• Whether any defects remain outstanding

• Whether accessories have separate current reports

• Who is responsible for maintenance

• Who will complete pre-use checks

• Who has planned and will supervise the operation

A document supplied by another party should be checked rather than accepted solely because it has a recent date.

What should be checked on a hired MEWP or platform?

Before hired people-lifting equipment is used, check:

1. The equipment matches the order and intended task.

2. The identification matches the thorough examination report.

3. The report is within date.

4. The examination covers the relevant configuration.

5. Reported defects have been resolved or appropriately managed.

6. Manufacturer instructions are available.

7. Daily checks have been completed.

8. The operator is trained and familiarised.

9. Ground conditions and access are suitable.

10. Emergency lowering and rescue arrangements are understood.

11. The equipment has not been damaged during delivery.

12. Required safety equipment is available and compatible.

If the equipment arrives damaged or a safety-critical check fails, it should be isolated and reported to the supplier.

Common mistakes with people-lifting equipment

Treating six months as twice per calendar year

Two examinations in one year may still be more than six months apart. Follow the exact next due date on the report or examination scheme.

Assuming low use permits a longer interval

Low use does not automatically change the six-month requirement.

Relying on servicing

A service record is not a Report of Thorough Examination.

Checking only the base machine

The platform, carrier, attachments and lifting accessories may have separate examination requirements.

Assuming hire transfers all responsibility

The user must still confirm suitability, condition, documentation and safe operation.

Believing a thorough examination proves suitability

An in-date report does not make equipment suitable for every task or environment.

Forgetting exceptional events

Damage, significant repair or prolonged inactivity can create a need for an additional examination.

Using material-lifting equipment for people as a shortcut

Equipment not designed for people should only be used for that purpose in exceptional circumstances with appropriate additional safeguards.

A practical compliance system

A reliable system for equipment used to lift people should include:

• A complete equipment register

• Unique identification for each item

• Intended use and configuration

• Examination interval or scheme

• Previous and next examination dates

• Maintenance schedule

• Pre-use check requirements

• Operator competence records

• Defect and repair history

• Lifting accessories and their reports

• Emergency and rescue arrangements

• Evidence of completed remedial work

For organisations with multiple sites, the register should distinguish between equipment lifting people and equipment lifting materials. Applying a universal 12-month interval across the fleet can leave people-lifting equipment overdue.

The practical answer

Equipment used to lift people must normally be thoroughly examined at least every six months under LOLER.

A suitable examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can specify different intervals. Additional examination may also be required following damage, failure, significant alteration, long inactivity or another exceptional circumstance that could affect safety.

The six-month interval applies whether the equipment was designed to lift people or is used for that purpose only occasionally.

Thorough examination does not replace maintenance, servicing, pre-use checks, operator competence, lift planning, supervision or rescue arrangements.

Excel Inspection Solutions carries out independent thorough examinations of passenger lifts, MEWPs, hoists, lifting accessories and other lifting equipment across the South East and wider UK.

To discuss an individual item or multi-site inspection programme, call 01634 907073 or email enquiries@eis-uk.com.

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