Why your lifting equipment needs its own risk assessment
Lifting operations kill people. The HSE requires all lifting operations under LOLER 1998 to be properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons. The risk assessment is the foundation of that planning. Without it, you cannot show that hazards have been identified, controls applied, and examination intervals set correctly for your operating conditions.
The risk assessment also directly drives your written examination scheme. If it identifies conditions that accelerate deterioration, the scheme must specify more frequent examination intervals than the statutory defaults of 6 or 12 months.
How to complete a LOLER risk assessment: six steps
1
Identify the lifting equipment and its use
List the equipment, its safe working load, the typical loads lifted, frequency of use, and the environment in which it operates. A crane used outdoors in a coastal environment has a very different risk profile from an identical crane in a clean indoor factory.
2
Identify the hazards
For each piece of equipment, identify what could go wrong: mechanical failure, load dropping, structural collapse, collision, people in the load path, falling from height (for MEWPs), overloading, and environmental conditions such as wind, ice, or chemical exposure. Be specific. "Load could fall" is less useful than "load could fall onto workers in the lay-down zone below the crane path."
3
Assess likelihood and severity
For each hazard, assess how likely it is to occur (rare, possible, or likely) and how severe the consequences would be (minor injury, serious injury, or fatality). The combination of likelihood and severity gives the risk level. Focus control measures on high-severity risks first, regardless of likelihood.
4
Identify existing controls
Record what controls are already in place: thorough examination programme, pre-use checks, operator training, exclusion zones, safe systems of work, lifting plans, safe load indicators, and overload protection. Assess whether these controls are adequate for the risk level identified.
5
Identify additional controls needed
Where existing controls are inadequate, identify what additional measures are required. Work through the hierarchy: eliminate the risk if possible, then substitute, engineer out, add administrative controls, and finally PPE. Document the specific action, responsible person, and completion date.
6
Record, review, and update
Document the assessment in writing. Review at least annually, after any incident involving the equipment, when equipment or its use changes, and after thorough examinations that identify significant defects. A risk assessment that is never reviewed creates false confidence rather than managing real risk.
Worked example: overhead crane in a manufacturing plant
| Hazard | Likelihood | Severity | Existing controls | Action needed |
|---|
| Rope failure, load drops | Low | Fatal | 12-monthly exam, pre-use rope check | Ensure exam is current; rope discard criteria applied |
| Load swing, strikes worker | Medium | Serious | Exclusion zone signage | Refresh operator training; enforce exclusion zone |
| Overloading, structural failure | Low | Fatal | SWL marked, SLI fitted | Test SLI quarterly; verify SWL not exceeded in procedure |
| Accessory failure (sling break) | Medium | Fatal | Annual exam | Implement 6-monthly accessory exam; register all accessories |
| Hook block falling during maintenance | Low | Fatal | None current | Introduce LOTO procedure for maintenance; deliver toolbox talk |
Is a LOLER risk assessment a legal requirement?+
LOLER does not specifically require a standalone risk assessment document. However, it does require lifting operations to be properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons under Regulation 8. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a general risk assessment for all work activities, which covers lifting operations. In practice, a documented lifting risk assessment is expected for all but the most routine operations.
What is the difference between a LOLER risk assessment and a lift plan?+
A risk assessment identifies the hazards and risks associated with lifting equipment and operations. A lift plan is a specific operational document for a particular lift: it specifies the equipment, method, supervision required, and safety precautions. For complex or high-risk lifts, both are required. For routine repetitive lifts such as daily forklift operations, a generic risk assessment may suffice.
Do I need a separate LOLER risk assessment for each piece of equipment?+
Not necessarily. A single assessment can cover a category of equipment used in similar conditions. However, where equipment has different risk profiles, such as a man-riding crane versus a goods-only overhead crane, separate assessments are appropriate. Review and update assessments when equipment changes, after incidents, or at least annually.
What your risk assessment must actually cover
⚠️
Important
A LOLER risk assessment that has never been reviewed does not constitute adequate evidence of ongoing compliance. An assessment completed three years ago and never revisited demonstrates that due diligence was performed once and then abandoned.
Equipment
Type, safe working load, approximate age, current condition, and unique identifier such as serial number or plant number.
Environment
Indoor or outdoor use; exposure to weather, corrosive atmospheres, temperature extremes, UV, or chemical contamination; ground conditions for mobile equipment.
Operation
Frequency and intensity of use; nature of loads; proximity to overhead lines or other structures; whether multiple operators use the equipment.
Competence
Operator training arrangements; maintenance provision; examination schedule and competent person arrangements.
Incidents
Previous incidents or near-misses involving this or similar equipment, and whether controls have changed as a result.
Emergency procedures
What happens if the equipment fails, a load drops, or someone is injured: who makes the area safe and who must be notified.
Risk assessment and written examination scheme: how they connect
The written examination scheme required under Regulation 9(3) of LOLER is directly driven by your risk assessment. The full obligations are set out in the LOLER compliance guide. The statutory default intervals (6 months for accessories and person-lifting equipment, 12 months for everything else) apply only where no examination scheme exists. If your risk assessment identifies conditions that accelerate deterioration, the written scheme must specify more frequent intervals. Where equipment is used rarely in benign conditions, the scheme may justify longer ones. The risk assessment and the written examination scheme are companion documents. One informs the other.
Risk assessing lifting accessories: the category most people overlook
Lifting accessories (chains, slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts, and spreader beams) are frequently missed in risk assessments because they are less visible than the cranes or hoists they support. Yet accessories carry very high loads relative to their own weight, are used repeatedly in varied conditions, and deteriorate faster than primary equipment.
Your risk assessment for lifting accessories should cover: how often each accessory is used; the loads relative to safe working load; the operating environment (chemical contamination, UV, abrasion); how pre-use checks are carried out and by whom; and the discard criteria for each type. Generic assessments that treat all accessories as one category miss significant differences in risk between a 6-tonne chain sling used daily and a 1-tonne webbing sling used monthly.
When must you review and update your risk assessment?
A LOLER risk assessment is not a one-time document. Review and update it in any of the following circumstances:
✓
New equipment is introduced or existing equipment is modified.
✓
Working conditions change: new site, different loads, or a changed operating environment.
✓
An incident or near-miss occurs involving the equipment.
✓
Relevant legislation or HSE guidance is updated.
✓
The review date stated in the assessment has been reached.
Linking your risk assessments to your inspection programme
A risk assessment sitting in a filing cabinet, disconnected from your active inspection programme, has limited value. The review date, the examination intervals it justifies, and any actions arising from it should flow directly into your operational records. When a thorough examination identifies a significant defect, review the risk assessment for that equipment straight away to determine whether the examination scheme or control measures need updating.
Use LOLER inspection software to link your asset register, examination reports, defect records, and review dates in one place. That creates the audit trail that shows the HSE your risk assessment and examination are actively connected, not separate paper exercises filed and forgotten.
Manage your LOLER inspections digitally with Lolerflow.
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