How Often Should a Passenger Lift Be Inspected?

How often should a passenger lift be inspected? Understand LOLER intervals, exceptions, responsibilities and the difference between inspection and servicing.

Passenger lifts used in workplaces will normally need a thorough examination at least every six months. This is the standard interval for lifting equipment used to carry people under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, commonly known as LOLER.

That short answer is important, but it is not the whole story.

The six-month interval can be replaced by a suitable examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. A lift may also require an additional examination following damage, a significant alteration or another exceptional event that could affect its safety. Servicing and routine inspections remain necessary between thorough examinations and serve a different purpose.

Understanding these distinctions helps lift owners and facilities managers avoid two common mistakes: treating a maintenance visit as a statutory thorough examination, or assuming that an in-date examination report guarantees a lift will remain safe until its next due date.

How often does a passenger lift need a thorough examination?

Under regulation 9 of LOLER, lifting equipment used to carry people must be thoroughly examined:

• At least every six months, unless it is examined in accordance with a suitable examination scheme

• Before first use in circumstances specified by LOLER

• After installation or assembly where safety depends on the installation conditions

• Following exceptional circumstances that are liable to jeopardise its safety

For an ordinary workplace passenger lift, six months should therefore be treated as the standard maximum interval unless a competent person has prepared an appropriate examination scheme.

This applies to passenger lifts and combined passenger-and-goods lifts used in work activities. Other equipment that carries people, including some platform lifts, wheelchair lifts and stairlifts, can also fall within the six-month LOLER interval when provided for use at work.

The actual next examination date should be confirmed on the most recent thorough examination report or within the applicable examination scheme. Duty holders should work from that documented date rather than relying on a general diary assumption.

You can learn more about EIS passenger and goods lift inspections.

Does the six-month interval apply to every passenger lift?

Not every lift installation falls into precisely the same legal situation.

Lifts used by people at work

Passenger lifts and combined passenger-and-goods lifts provided for use by workers are subject to LOLER. They will normally require a thorough examination every six months unless a suitable examination scheme specifies otherwise.

Examples include lifts used in:

• Offices

• Factories

• Hotels

• Hospitals and healthcare premises

• Care homes

• Warehouses

• Retail workplaces

• Managed commercial buildings

Lifts used mainly by members of the public

The position can be more nuanced where a lift is not provided for or used by people at work.

The Health and Safety Executive explains that LOLER and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 may not apply to a passenger lift used solely by members of the public. However, an employer or self-employed person who operates or controls the lift in connection with a business may still have duties towards people who are not employees under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

In practice, the risks do not disappear because the passengers are customers, residents or visitors. A comparable system of maintenance, inspection and examination may be a reasonably practicable way of managing those risks. Insurance requirements may also specify examination intervals.

Where the application of LOLER is uncertain, the duty holder should obtain competent advice based on how the lift is provided, controlled and used. It is unwise to assume that a lift falls outside an appropriate examination regime simply because members of the public are its primary users.

Goods-only lifts

Lifting equipment that does not carry people will normally fall under the 12-month thorough examination interval, unless an examination scheme specifies a different period.

A genuine goods-only lift must remain goods-only in practice. If people ride in it, even occasionally or contrary to instructions, the equipment’s use and risk profile require immediate attention. Suitable access controls, signage, procedures and supervision may be needed to prevent misuse.

What is a LOLER thorough examination?

A thorough examination is a systematic and detailed assessment of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts. It must be carried out by a competent person, who then produces a written report.

It is intended to identify defects or deterioration that are, or could become, dangerous to people. For a passenger lift, the scope may include relevant components and systems such as:

• Suspension arrangements

• Landing and car doors

• Door locks and interlocks

• Braking systems

• Overspeed governors and safety gear

• Controls and safety circuits

• Machinery spaces

• Lift car, shaft and pit

• Buffers and terminal stopping arrangements

• Emergency communication systems

The precise examination scope is determined by the lift’s design, condition, history and applicable examination scheme, together with the competent person’s professional judgement.

A thorough examination does not necessarily mean that every component will be dismantled or that a load test will always be performed. HSE guidance states that routine testing is not required for all lifting equipment at every examination. The competent person decides what examination methods and tests are necessary, taking account of risk, manufacturer information and other relevant evidence.

For a broader explanation, see EIS’s guide to thorough examinations under LOLER.

Is a thorough examination the same as lift servicing?

No. A lift service and a LOLER thorough examination have different purposes.

Lift servicing and maintenance

Maintenance is intended to keep the lift in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. A maintenance contractor may lubricate parts, make adjustments, replace worn components, investigate faults and carry out planned servicing.

The service frequency should reflect factors such as:

• The manufacturer’s recommendations

• Lift type and age

• Frequency and intensity of use

• Operating environment

• Breakdown and defect history

• Findings from previous examinations

• The maintenance strategy agreed for the building

A lift might therefore receive maintenance visits more frequently than every six months.

Thorough examination

A thorough examination is a periodic assessment of the lift’s safety. Its purpose is to identify defects and judge their significance, not to perform routine maintenance.

One does not replace the other. A recently serviced lift can still require its statutory thorough examination, while a valid thorough examination report does not remove the need for continuing maintenance.

The distinction is similar to the difference between maintaining a vehicle and presenting it for an MOT. Both contribute to safety, but they are not interchangeable.

Routine checks and inspections

Building teams may also undertake appropriate checks between maintenance visits and thorough examinations. These could include monitoring:

• Levelling at each floor

• Door operation

• Unusual noise or vibration

• Damage to controls or fixtures

• Emergency alarm or communication availability

• Lighting

• Reported passenger incidents

• Water ingress or contamination around the lift installation

These checks should follow the lift manufacturer’s instructions, the maintenance provider’s advice and the building’s risk controls. Anyone carrying out a check must understand its limits. Opening machinery spaces, accessing the lift shaft or interfering with safety systems requires appropriate competence and safe systems of work.

Can an examination scheme change the interval?

Yes. LOLER permits lifting equipment to be examined in accordance with an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person.

An examination scheme is not simply permission to extend a due date. It is a technically justified plan that should specify matters such as:

• Which parts require examination

• The examination methods

• The intervals for different parts

• Any necessary tests

• Other inspection arrangements relevant to the equipment

The scheme should account for the lift’s design, use, environment, condition, maintenance history and foreseeable deterioration.

Depending on the risk, an examination scheme could require some elements to be examined more frequently, not less frequently. It may be particularly valuable where a generic six-month cycle does not adequately reflect the equipment or its operating conditions.

Without a valid examination scheme, a passenger lift used to carry people should remain on the statutory six-month interval.

When might a lift need an earlier examination?

A future date on an examination report is not a guarantee that nothing else will be required before that date.

LOLER requires a thorough examination following exceptional circumstances that are liable to jeopardise the safety of lifting equipment. HSE examples include:

• Damage or failure

• A long period out of use

• A major modification

• Replacement or repair of safety-critical parts

• Other significant changes likely to affect the equipment’s integrity

Not every routine repair automatically requires a new thorough examination. The relevant question is whether the event or work could have affected the lift’s safety. This requires competent assessment rather than a blanket rule.

An examination may also be required following installation or assembly where the lift’s safety depends on installation conditions. This is separate from the regular six-month cycle.

If a lift has suffered an incident, significant breakdown, flooding, fire exposure, impact damage or major alteration, the duty holder should seek advice before returning it to normal use.

Who is responsible for arranging the examination?

HSE guidance describes the lift owner or the person responsible for the safe operation of a lift used at work as the duty holder.

Depending on the building and contractual arrangements, this may involve:

• The building owner

• An employer

• A landlord

• A managing agent

• A facilities management company

• Another organisation controlling the lift and its use

Property management and maintenance contracts may allocate day-to-day tasks, but duty holders should make the responsibility explicit. Assumptions between landlords, tenants, managing agents and contractors are a common way for examination dates and remedial actions to be missed.

The responsible organisation should know:

• Which lifts it controls

• Whether each lift carries people, goods or both

• The applicable examination interval or scheme

• When the next examination is due

• Who will arrange access

• Where reports are retained

• How defects are escalated

• Who confirms that remedial work has been completed

Who can examine a passenger lift?

A thorough examination must be carried out by a competent person.

Competence requires suitable practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment. The person must be able to detect defects or weaknesses and assess how important they are to the lift’s safety and continued use.

The competent person must also be sufficiently independent and impartial to make objective decisions. This does not necessarily mean that the examiner must always work for a separate external organisation. However, HSE guidance states that the person carrying out the thorough examination should not be the same person who performs the routine maintenance, because that would involve assessing their own work.

Using an inspection provider that does not sell lift maintenance, parts or remedial work can create a clear separation between maintenance and statutory examination. Read more about why independence matters in statutory inspection.

What happens when defects are found?

The appropriate response depends on how the competent person classifies the defect.

A defect involving existing or imminent danger

If a defect presents an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, the duty holder should be informed immediately. The lift must not be used until the defect has been remedied.

The competent person must record the defect in the written report and send a copy to the relevant enforcing authority.

A defect that could become dangerous

Some defects do not require immediate withdrawal from service but could become dangerous if left unresolved. The report should state the period within which the defect must be remedied.

The duty holder must ensure that the work is completed within that period or stop using the lift when the period expires.

Other observations

A report may also contain observations or recommendations that do not meet the statutory threshold for a dangerous defect. These should still be reviewed. They can help the duty holder and maintenance provider identify developing problems, plan repairs and reduce future disruption.

A lift should not automatically be considered safe merely because the report does not prohibit its continued use. The report must be read in full, actions allocated and completion recorded.

How should lift owners manage examination dates?

A dependable compliance system should do more than place a recurring appointment in a calendar.

Maintain an accurate lift register

Record each lift’s:

• Unique identifier

• Location

• Type and intended use

• Manufacturer and model, where available

• Examination interval or scheme

• Last examination date

• Next due date

• Maintenance provider

• Examination provider

• Current defects and actions

Book examinations before the deadline

The six-month interval is a maximum interval, not a target that should be exceeded. Booking early allows time to coordinate access, maintenance attendance where necessary and any operational restrictions.

Provide the examiner with useful information

The competent person may need access to:

• Previous examination reports

• Maintenance and repair records

• Details of breakdowns or incidents

• Modification information

• The examination scheme, where applicable

• Manufacturer information

• Safe access to relevant parts of the installation

Missing information can restrict the examination or make it harder to assess deterioration and previous defects.

Track defects to closure

Each action should have an owner, deadline and evidence of completion. Where a maintenance contractor rectifies a defect, retain the relevant job record or confirmation with the examination report.

Review changes rather than waiting for the next date

A change in lift use, passenger type, environment, duty cycle or equipment condition may alter the risk. Significant repairs, modifications, incidents and long periods out of service should trigger a review of whether another thorough examination is required.

Frequently asked questions

Is a passenger lift inspection required every six months?

A passenger lift used to carry people at work will normally require a LOLER thorough examination at least every six months. A suitable examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can specify different intervals.

Is six months the same as twice per calendar year?

The requirement is based on the interval between examinations, not simply completing two examinations somewhere within a calendar year. Duty holders should follow the next due date shown on the examination report or examination scheme.

Does a lift need servicing every six months?

Not necessarily. Servicing frequency is separate from the LOLER examination interval and should be determined by the manufacturer’s recommendations, the maintenance strategy, use, condition and risk. Some lifts require maintenance visits considerably more frequently than every six months.

Can the lift maintenance company carry out the thorough examination?

The examiner must be competent, sufficiently independent and impartial. HSE guidance states that the thorough examination should not be carried out by the same person who performs routine maintenance, as this would mean assessing their own work.

Does a new passenger lift need a thorough examination?

LOLER includes requirements for examination before first use and after installation or assembly in specified circumstances. The exact position depends on matters including conformity documentation and whether safety depends on installation conditions. A newly installed lift should not simply be added to the next six-month cycle without confirming that the initial examination and handover requirements have been satisfied.

What if the examination date has expired?

The lift should not continue in normal use on the assumption that a late appointment will retrospectively restore compliance. The duty holder should seek immediate competent advice, arrange the overdue examination and assess how the lift will be controlled until its condition and legal position have been addressed.

Does a breakdown automatically cancel the examination report?

Not every breakdown invalidates a previous report. However, damage, failure, significant repair or another exceptional circumstance that could affect safety may require an additional thorough examination before return to use.

How often should a goods lift be examined?

A lift used strictly for goods will normally require a thorough examination every 12 months unless an examination scheme specifies otherwise. If the equipment carries people, the standard six-month interval applies.

Arranging a passenger lift thorough examination

Excel Inspection Solutions provides independent passenger and goods lift thorough examinations by competent Engineer Surveyors.

EIS does not sell lift maintenance, replacement parts or modernisation work. This separation allows the examination to focus on the lift’s condition and the significance of any defects identified.

To discuss passenger lift examinations for an individual building or a multi-site portfolio, contact EIS on 01634 907073 or email enquiries@eis-uk.com.

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