In October 2025, the Health and Safety Executive launched a formal Call for Evidence to review LOLER 1998. The consultation closed on 11 November 2025. An outcome is expected during 2026. This is the first formal review since the regulations came into force. If your business carries out LOLER inspections, or relies on them, this directly affects you.
LOLER was written for a paper world. That world no longer exists.
LOLER was written in 1998. Digital records, cloud storage, and mobile inspection workflows did not exist. The regulation was built around paper-based processes that no longer reflect how professional inspection businesses operate.
Structured digital records, real-time defect reporting, and cloud-based audit trails are now standard tools. But LOLER contains no explicit framework for electronic records or digital documentation. That gap has created uncertainty for duty holders and inspection companies for years.
The HSE is assessing whether LOLER remains fit for purpose. Key areas under review include the definition of competent person; the frequency of thorough examinations and whether current intervals reflect modern risk profiles; documentation requirements and their compatibility with digital working; and the scope of lifting equipment covered under Schedule 1.
The review is also examining whether LOLER creates regulatory burden without proportionate safety benefit. Some areas may be simplified rather than tightened.
Do not pause compliance activity while you wait for the outcome
Regulatory reviews can make businesses hesitate. Do not. Nothing in force today is suspended. Every current duty remains fully enforceable right now.
- The duty to conduct thorough examinations. This is the foundation of LOLER and is not under review. All lifting equipment within scope must continue to be examined at the required intervals.
- Record-keeping requirements. The duty to document thorough examinations remains in force. The review is more likely to strengthen documentation standards than to relax them.
- The competent person requirement. Examinations must be carried out by a competent person. This core safety principle is not at risk from the review.
- Duty holder responsibility. Duty holders remain responsible for ensuring their lifting equipment is examined. That obligation sits with the client organisation regardless of who conducts the inspection.
Do not defer compliance activity while awaiting the review outcome. Every current LOLER duty remains fully in force.
What the review is likely to change, and what that means for you
Based on the areas in the Call for Evidence, several meaningful changes are plausible. Nothing is confirmed until HSE publishes its formal outcome. But the direction is clear.
- Formal recognition of digital records. LOLER currently contains no explicit reference to digital documentation. If the review introduces clear provisions for electronic records and digital audit trails, it will resolve uncertainty that has persisted for years and increase pressure on businesses still operating on paper.
- Updated examination frequencies. Current thorough examination intervals were set in 1998. For certain equipment categories, those intervals may be adjusted to reflect modern understanding of safe working load thresholds, wear patterns, and usage intensity.
- A clearer definition of competent person. The competent person standard has been a grey area for decades. HSE may introduce more precise criteria or formal accreditation requirements for those conducting thorough examinations.
- Extended equipment scope. Equipment types that did not exist in 1998, including certain electric vehicle charging lifts and newer material-handling systems, may be brought explicitly within the scope of LOLER.
HSE enforcement is increasing while the review is underway
While the regulatory framework is under review, HSE enforcement has increased. Construction and manufacturing, the two sectors where LOLER compliance is most scrutinised, have seen the sharpest rise in enforcement action.
Inspectors are looking beyond whether thorough examinations happened. They are checking the quality and accessibility of reports. Can your business produce a full inspection history for any piece of lifting equipment on demand? Are your written schemes current? Is defect reporting documented clearly and consistently?
The LOLER review is about modernising the regulations. Not relaxing them. Treating the current period as reduced scrutiny is a mistake.
What the review means for your inspection business commercially
Your clients are already paying closer attention to the quality of examination reports and the audit trail you provide. The review has made that scrutiny more acute.
If updated regulations formally require structured digital records, inspection businesses still issuing paper certificates will face an immediate competitive disadvantage. Clients whose insurers already expect digital documentation will move to inspection providers who can deliver it. No warning. No grace period.
Businesses using digital inspection platforms are better positioned regardless of the outcome. If requirements tighten, they already meet them. If standards are clarified, their documentation will satisfy them. There is no downside to being ahead of this.
If you use lifting equipment, here is what to check now
The review is a useful prompt. Verify that your lifting equipment is examined at the correct intervals, that examination reports are held in a retrievable format, and that your written scheme of examination is current.
If you rely on paper-based records from an inspection company, ask whether those records will meet the standards expected under updated regulations. The direction of HSE guidance is clear: structured, accessible, digital records are the expected standard.
Read more about your obligations in our guide to LOLER record-keeping requirements.
What to do before updated regulations arrive
The businesses that handle regulatory change best are the ones that build compliant, digital-first workflows before the deadline arrives. Not after.
- Audit your current record-keeping. Are your inspection records complete, consistent, and retrievable? If HSE visited tomorrow, could you produce records for every item of lifting equipment inspected in the last 12 months?
- Review your written schemes of examination. Do they reflect the current condition and use of each asset? Are they signed off by a competent person and kept up to date?
- Document your defect management process. HSE enforcement frequently focuses on how businesses handle defects, particularly Category 1 (immediate danger) and Category 2 (timely repair) findings. A clear, evidenced process is essential.
- Move clients to digital records. If you are still issuing paper or static PDF reports, consider a platform that generates structured, searchable digital records. Client insurers are increasingly requesting this.
- Monitor the HSE website. The outcome of the Call for Evidence will be published on hse.gov.uk. When changes are announced, you will need lead time to adapt your workflows and documentation.
The HSE LOLER review is a signal. Not a pause. The inspection businesses that build their compliance infrastructure now will be better placed, legally and commercially, when updated regulations arrive.