Lifting Accessories Inspections

Lifting accessories are the components that connect a load to lifting equipment — slings, chains, shackles, eyebolts, hooks, lifting beams, and spreader beams. Under LOLER 1998 they are a distinct regulatory category with their own, shorter examination interval: at least every 6 months, against the 12-monthly interval that applies to most other lifting equipment.

We provide independent lifting accessories inspections across Kent, London, Essex and throughout the UK through our network of qualified Engineer Surveyors, working separately from any supply or maintenance arrangement for the accessories we examine.

How often do lifting accessories need a thorough examination?

Lifting accessories must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every 6 months under LOLER 1998 Regulation 9(3), or in line with a written examination scheme. This is more frequent than the 12-monthly interval for most other lifting equipment, reflecting how heavily accessories wear.

Why accessories are examined more often than equipment

LOLER Regulation 9(3) sets two default intervals. Lifting equipment used to lift people, and all lifting accessories, are thoroughly examined at least every 6 months. Other lifting equipment — the machinery that does the lifting — is examined at least every 12 months, unless a written scheme of examination specifies otherwise.

The shorter interval for accessories is not arbitrary. Accessories are handled constantly, dragged across floors, dropped, exposed to sharp edges, chemicals, and weather, and moved between jobs far more than the equipment they serve. A sling can be sound at one examination and unfit six months later. The 6-monthly cycle exists because the failure modes accumulate quickly and are easy to miss without a systematic check.

Lifting equipment vs lifting accessories — the distinction

LOLER draws a clear line between the two, and it matters because it sets the examination interval:

If you need the machinery examined rather than the accessories — cranes, hoists, runway beams, lift trucks and the like — see our lifting equipment inspection service, which covers the 12-monthly side of LOLER Regulation 9. Most sites need both: the equipment on its interval and the accessories on theirs.

Lifting accessories we examine

Our Engineer Surveyors examine the full range of below-the-hook accessories found on commercial, industrial, and construction sites:

• Chain slings, wire rope slings, and fibre or round (webbing) slings, including multi-leg assemblies
• Shackles, master links, and connecting hardware
• Eyebolts, pad eyes, and lifting points
• Hooks — self-locking, latched, and swivel — and hook blocks
• Lifting beams, spreader beams, and modular lifting frames
• Plate and beam clamps
• Personnel and patient slings rated for lifting people, checked against the manufacturer's discard criteria

What a thorough examination of accessories covers

A thorough examination of a lifting accessory is a statutory safety assessment, not a quick visual glance. On every accessory the surveyor checks, as applicable to the type:

• Identification and traceability — the accessory can be matched to its examination record
• Safe Working Load (SWL) marking present and legible
• Wear, stretch, deformation, and distortion against the discard criteria
• Webbing and stitching condition on soft slings — cuts, abrasion, chemical or heat damage, and load-bearing seam integrity
• Chain elongation and individual link wear measured against discard limits
• Hook throat opening, tip distortion, and latch operation
• Eyebolt and shackle thread condition, pins, and terminations
• Corrosion, heat damage, and chemical attack across the whole accessory

Because these failure modes develop with handling rather than with hours of use, an accessory that passed six months ago is examined on its own merits every time — never assumed sound because it looks familiar.

Records and the report

Every thorough examination is followed by a written report under LOLER Regulation 10, recording the accessories examined, the date, any defects, and the competent person's identification. Where a defect presents an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, it must be reported immediately and the accessory withdrawn from use until put right.

The report of thorough examination for a lifting accessory must be kept available for at least two years under LOLER Regulation 11. We issue reports digitally so they can be filed, shared with insurers, and retrieved during an HSE visit without delay.

Colour-coding and quarantine — industry practice, not regulation

Many sites run a colour-coding system — a paint mark, tag, or coloured tie that changes each period so anyone can see at a glance whether an accessory is in date — and quarantine any item that fails or is overdue. These are sensible, widely used operational controls, but they are industry practice, not a legal requirement. LOLER's duty is the 6-monthly thorough examination by a competent person and the written report that follows; a colour system helps you manage that duty on the shop floor, but it does not replace it.

Independent examination

A thorough examination carries most weight when the person carrying it out has no stake in the accessories being passed — no supply relationship, no maintenance contract on the same items. Our Engineer Surveyors examine accessories independently of any such arrangement. See why independence matters in statutory inspection for the structural case under LOLER Regulation 9 and HSE guidance L113.

Related inspections

• Lifting equipment inspections — the 12-monthly examination of the machinery itself (cranes, hoists, runway beams, lift trucks)
• Crane inspections — cranes and their lifting gear
• Warehousing & Logistics — slings, chains, and dock-yard accessories
• Construction — site lifting accessories, eyebolts, chain blocks
• What counts as lifting equipment under LOLER — the full legal definition and the equipment/accessory line
• LOLER inspection checklist — what a competent person checks

Frequently Asked Questions