How Often Do MEWPs Need LOLER Inspection?

Every MEWP needs a LOLER thorough examination at least every 6 months, because a MEWP exists to lift people and that is what sets the interval. Cherry pickers, scissor lifts, boom lifts and spider lifts are all on the same 6-month cycle regardless of size or how lightly they are used. Harnesses and lanyards used with them are lifting accessories on their own 6-month cycle.

MEWP examination intervals

These are LOLER’s default intervals; an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set different ones.

How often do MEWPs need LOLER inspection?

Mobile Elevating Work Platforms encompass a wide family of equipment: cherry pickers, scissor lifts, articulated boom lifts, telescopic boom lifts, spider lifts, trailer-mounted platforms, and vehicle-mounted platforms. Despite their differences in design, they share a common LOLER inspection regime, rooted in their core function: lifting people.

The short answer: at least every six months, by a competent person, under Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, unless the MEWP is examined under an examination scheme. Failing to comply is a breach of statutory duty and, in the event of an incident, can lead to HSE enforcement action against the duty holder.

Why 6 months, not 12?

LOLER sets two standard intervals for thorough examination:

• 12 months for lifting equipment used for lifting loads
• 6 months for lifting equipment used to lift persons, and for all lifting accessories

Because every MEWP is, by definition, designed to lift people into an elevated work position, the 6-monthly interval applies unless the MEWP is examined under an examination scheme. Letting the examination fall overdue is a breach of LOLER, and under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 directors and senior officers can be personally liable where the offence is committed with their consent or connivance or is attributable to their neglect.

LOLER Regulation 9(3) allows an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person to set different intervals, but in practice the 6-month rule is almost always maintained for MEWPs given the risk profile.

What counts as a MEWP?

The term “MEWP” covers a broad range of equipment. All of the following are subject to the 6-monthly LOLER thorough examination:

• Scissor lifts: vertical mast platforms used indoors and outdoors
• Cherry pickers / telescopic boom lifts: extend upwards and outwards
• Articulated boom lifts: reach over obstacles
• Self-propelled booms: wheeled MEWPs operated from the platform
• Truck-mounted / van-mounted platforms: used by utilities, tree surgeons, facilities teams
• Trailer-mounted platforms: towable units used by small contractors
• Spider / tracked MEWPs: for sensitive flooring or restricted access
• Mast climbers and transport platforms: when used to carry personnel

If the equipment is designed to elevate people in a platform, it is a MEWP under LOLER.

What about hired MEWPs?

A common misconception is that a hired MEWP arrives “pre-certified” and no further action is needed. In reality, the duty to ensure the MEWP has a valid LOLER report of thorough examination falls on the duty holder who hires it, typically the contractor or end-user operating it on site.

Reputable hire companies will:

• Provide a current, in-date LOLER report at the point of delivery
• Record the next inspection due date
• Replace the MEWP with an alternative if the examination lapses during the hire period

As the duty holder, you must check the date and retain a copy of the report. If you cannot produce the report during an HSE inspection, your organisation is liable, regardless of what the hire company told you.

What about MEWPs used intermittently or in storage?

LOLER’s 6-month clock runs on calendar time, not usage. A MEWP that is stored unused for four months and then returned to service still needs a thorough examination if six months have passed since the last one. The clock does not pause.

For equipment returning to service after extended storage, an examination is prudent even if the 6-month date has not quite been reached, because storage introduces its own degradation risks: dried seals, corroded electrics, battery sulfation, tyre damage, and hydraulic contamination.

What about the harness and lanyard?

Fall protection equipment used with a MEWP (the harness, the lanyard, and the attachment points on the platform) is not lifting equipment: HSE guidance in L113 lists fall arrest equipment among the equipment LOLER does not cover. It falls under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which require it to be inspected:

• At suitable intervals by a competent person (Regulation 12)
• After anything liable to affect its safety, such as an arrest event or suspected loading

The operator should also check it before every use.

Paperwork should identify each harness uniquely, typically with a serial number that matches the report.

What the 6-monthly thorough examination covers

A competent person conducting a thorough examination on a MEWP will typically check:

• Structural integrity of the boom, mast, platform, and chassis
• Condition of wire ropes, chains, hydraulic hoses, and slew mechanisms
• Function of emergency descent / emergency stop / manual lowering controls
• Tilt alarms, outrigger interlocks, and overload detection
• Platform gates, guardrails, and harness anchor points
• Wheels, tyres, and steering systems where applicable
• Hydraulic fluid levels, ram seals, and visible leaks
• Control systems, including dead-man switches and directional controls
• Battery condition (for electric MEWPs) and charging systems
• Manufacturer date plate, SWL marking, and serial number legibility

The examination concludes with a report of thorough examination which is either a clean report or one that identifies defects. Where a defect presents an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, the competent person must send a copy of the report to the relevant enforcing authority under Regulation 10: the HSE where the MEWP is hired or leased, otherwise the enforcing authority for the premises where it was examined. The MEWP must not be used until the defect is rectified.

What happens if the MEWP fails the examination?

If defects are identified:

• Imminent risk defects: the MEWP is taken out of service and a copy of the report goes to the relevant enforcing authority under Regulation 10. It must not be used again until the defect is rectified.
• Defects requiring action within a timeframe: the competent person specifies a deadline. If the deadline passes without rectification, the MEWP must be withdrawn.
• Observations: non-critical notes that do not affect current safety but may indicate emerging issues.

Duty holders must act on the report. Keeping a report on file without rectifying defects is itself a breach of duty.

What if we skip an examination?

Operating a MEWP after its thorough examination has fallen due is a criminal offence under LOLER 1998. Consequences include:

• HSE Improvement or Prohibition Notices
• Unlimited fines on conviction
• Invalidation of public liability and plant insurance
• Personal liability for directors, managers, and senior officers under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, where a corporate safety offence is committed with their consent, connivance, or attributable to their neglect
• Separate corporate manslaughter charges against the organisation under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 where a gross breach of duty by senior management causes a death: this Act creates an organisational offence, not personal director liability; the HSWA section 37 route above is what reaches individuals
• Exclusion from tenders and pre-qualification on major construction contracts (CHAS, SafeContractor, SSIP schemes)

In practice, most contractors aim for examinations 2–4 weeks ahead of the statutory date to avoid the risk of a slipped appointment forcing equipment out of service.

Record-keeping

Under LOLER Regulation 11, reports of thorough examination must be kept:

• Periodic examination report, lifting equipment (Reg 9(3), the routine 6-monthly one): until the next such report is made, or 2 years, whichever is later
• Lifting accessories: periodic reports on the same basis as above; a report of the examination before first use is kept for 2 years (Reg 11(2)(a)(ii))

Harness and lanyard inspections under the Work at Height Regulations are recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded (Regulation 12(6)).

Reports must be made available to HSE inspectors on request. Most duty holders now maintain digital copies; paper originals are no longer strictly required.

What this guide does not cover

This guide covers the LOLER examination interval for MEWPs. It does not cover operator competence, which is a separate duty: IPAF or equivalent training and familiarisation with the specific machine sit under PUWER Regulation 9 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005, not under the examination regime described here.

It does not cover the pre-use check, which is the operator’s daily responsibility and is not a thorough examination. Nor does it cover the rescue plan required when working at height, which is a planning duty rather than an equipment one.

Ground conditions, outrigger loadings and lift planning are outside it. Those are questions for the appointed person planning the work, and a valid examination certificate says nothing about whether a particular lift is safe to attempt on a particular surface.

Related services

We carry out LOLER thorough examinations on MEWPs and access equipment across the South East and nationwide:

• Work at height equipment inspections: our MEWP, scissor lift, boom, scaffold hoist, and harness inspection service
• Mobile plant inspections: telehandlers used with personnel baskets also fall under this regime
• Lifting equipment inspections: for lifting accessories used with MEWPs

For more context, see our guide on what a thorough examination involves or the LOLER inspection checklist.