What Is Lifting Equipment Under LOLER?

Last updated: 2026-03-18

What qualifies as lifting equipment under LOLER 1998, including cranes, hoists, lifts and accessories requiring thorough examination.

When operating lifting equipment in any UK workplace, the first and most critical question dutyholders face is defining exactly what falls under the regulations. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) impose distinct legal duties, but what actually counts as ‘lifting equipment’ under the law?

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (Statutory Instrument 1998/2307) apply across virtually every sector—from healthcare and facilities management through to construction, retail, and manufacturing. Understanding the legal scope of the equipment in your control is the foundation of a defensible health and safety compliance strategy.

The Legal Definition of Lifting Equipment

Under Regulation 2(1) of LOLER, lifting equipment is defined as “work equipment for lifting or lowering loads and includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it.”

Crucially, a ‘load’ in this context includes goods, materials, and people. This dual scope—covering both inanimate loads and human beings—dictates which inspection regime applies and how frequently thorough examinations must be conducted.

The definition is deliberately wide-ranging. It covers:

• Fixed and mobile equipment
• Temporary and permanent installations
• Mechanically powered and manually operated devices

The “At Work” Requirement LOLER applies to equipment provided for or used “at work.” Equipment used exclusively in a private domestic context (such as a homeowner’s personal stairlift) falls outside the scope. However, the moment the equipment is used in connection with a trade, business, or undertaking, LOLER is fully engaged.

Categories of Lifting Equipment

While the legal definition is broad, it helps to group lifting equipment into practical categories to understand the inspection requirements that apply:

1. Equipment Used to Lift or Carry People

This is the highest-risk category under LOLER. It triggers the most stringent statutory requirements, mandating a thorough examination every six months:

• Passenger lifts and elevators in commercial and residential buildings
• Platform lifts and wheelchair access lifts
• Stairlifts (where used at work)
• Evacuation lifts and fire-fighting lifts
• Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs)
• Patient hoists and bariatric hoists

2. Equipment Used to Lift Loads Only

Equipment in this category requires thorough examination at least every 12 months:

• Goods lifts and service lifts
• Dumbwaiters, document lifts, or food lifts
• Overhead cranes, gantry cranes, and jib cranes
• Vehicle inspection pit lifts and vehicle hoists
• Telehandlers and forklifts (where their primary function is lifting)

3. Lifting Accessories

LOLER also strictly applies to lifting accessories—the components that connect the load to the lifting equipment. These must be thoroughly examined every 6 months if used for lifting people, or every 12 months otherwise.

Common examples include slings, eyebolts, spreader beams, and clamps.

When Does an Item Become Lifting Equipment?

A common source of confusion arises when a piece of machinery has a lifting function as just one capability among several.

Telehandlers and rough-terrain forklifts, for example, are primarily material-handling vehicles. However, when used to raise loads (or people in attachment baskets), their lifting function definitively engages LOLER. The test is entirely functional: if, during a given task, the equipment is deployed to lift or lower a load, LOLER applies to that specific operation and its subsequent inspection requirements.

The Duty to Maintain a Register

While LOLER does not explicitly use the word “register,” Regulation 11 requires dutyholders to keep records of all thorough examinations safely. Consequently, the HSE Approved Code of Practice (L113) strongly recommends maintaining a comprehensive asset register of all lifting equipment on-site.