Service Overview
Ensure your excavators, telehandlers, and site dumpers meet strict safety and legal requirements with comprehensive plant inspections.
Mobile plant and construction equipment inspections are a legal requirement for businesses operating heavy machinery. Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) and Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), duty holders must ensure equipment is safe, correctly maintained, and subject to regular independent Thorough Examinations.
Responsibility for compliance sits with the duty holder. This typically includes employers, plant hire companies, site managers, and operators. Inspections must be carried out by a competent and independent person at defined intervals.
Failure to meet these obligations can result in enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), invalidated insurance policies, and increased risk of equipment failure. Regular inspection ensures both legal compliance and the continued safety of site personnel.
We provide mobile plant inspections across Kent, London, Essex and throughout the UK through our network of qualified Engineer Surveyors.
This page forms part of our wider inspection services covering lifting equipment, cranes, access equipment and plant machinery. Explore related inspection services and compliance guidance throughout our site.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires that Thorough Examinations are carried out by a competent person with the necessary technical knowledge and experience to identify defects and assess their significance.
The competent person must also be independent and impartial. In practice, this means inspection should be carried out separately from routine maintenance to avoid conflicts of interest.
Our inspections are delivered by qualified Engineer Surveyors operating independently of maintenance providers, ensuring objective reporting and clear compliance outcomes.
Mobile plant encompasses heavily varied heavy construction equipment, including excavators, telehandlers, site dumpers, and loading shovels.
Crucially, if a piece of plant machinery—such as an excavator—is utilised to suspend or lift a load using a quick hitch or lifting eye, it immediately transitions from falling strictly under PUWER to requiring full statutory LOLER compliance as lifting equipment.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 governs the general safety, maintenance, and suitability of the broader equipment. It mandates that plant machinery must be safe for use and formally inspected.
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 forcefully applies the moment plant is used for lifting. It strictly governs the structural lifting intent, slinging practices, and specific lifting accessories attached to the machine.
Under LOLER, the frequency of a Thorough Examination is legally predetermined:
Harsh environments, aggressive degradation, and intense site schedules often demand tailored Written Schemes extending these standard regimes.
A Thorough Examination is a systematic, detailed inspection of equipment and safety-critical parts. It is far more rigorous than routine maintenance checks.
While maintenance prevents operational breakdown, a Thorough Examination specifically targets hidden structural degradation and safety mechanism functionality. Because it acts as an audit of the equipment's primary safety, it must be conducted entirely independently from routine servicing providers.
Following the examination, it is a legal requirement that a detailed statutory report is generated and retained by the duty holder.
We carry out Thorough Examinations across a wide range of commercial and industrial equipment. Explore our specific inspection services below:
We deliver inspection services across the UK. View availability in your area:
Regular independent inspections support compliance with UK legislation, reduce the risk of equipment failure, and help duty holders meet their legal responsibilities. They also form an essential part of insurance and audit requirements, ensuring that equipment remains safe for continued use.
Following inspection, a detailed digital report is issued outlining the condition of the equipment, any defects identified, and the next due inspection date. Where serious defects are found, guidance is provided on necessary corrective actions in line with statutory requirements.
Yes. Under PUWER and LOLER 1998, plant machinery used at work must undergo regular Thorough Examination.
A telehandler requires inspection every 12 months. However, if it is used with a personnel basket to elevate people, this frequency strictly changes to every 6 months.
If the excavator is used at any point to lift, transport, or suspend a load via lifting points or quick hitches, it immediately requires a LOLER Thorough Examination.
Non-compliance can lead to HSE enforcement action on-site, fully invalidated liability insurance, and increased risk of operational failure.
No. A Thorough Examination is an independent statutory structural inspection, completely separate from routine mechanical maintenance, fluid servicing, or daily driver checks.
We deliver mobile plant inspections across Kent, London and Essex, supporting commercial and public sector clients with fully compliant, independent statutory inspection services.
Securing compliance requirements and statutory reporting for duty holders throughout the major Home Counties.
Ensure strict adherence to the latest structural and safety standards. Our fully certified examinations directly satisfy compliance mandates for PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998.
Detailed reviews verify all critical safety and mechanical elements flawlessly.
Condition of ROPS and FOPS cabin structures
Integrity of hydraulic lifting mechanisms and rams
Functionality of braking, steering, and warning systems
Safety of quick hitches and specific lifting points
Signs of structural fatigue or weld degradation
Speak with our certified surveying specialists today and lock in your statutory examinations.
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