Overhead Crane Inspection: LOLER and PUWER in One Record

An overhead travelling crane is covered by two sets of regulations at once. LOLER governs the thorough examination of the crane as lifting equipment. PUWER governs its maintenance, its daily inspection and the training of the people who use it. Factories often track one and forget the other. This guide sets out what each requires and how to keep them together.

In short: Under LOLER 1998 an overhead crane needs a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 12 months, or every 6 months if it is used to lift people, or at the intervals in a written scheme. Its lifting accessories are examined every 6 months. Under PUWER 1998 the crane must be maintained in efficient working order, inspected at suitable intervals, and used only by trained people. The runway beams and supporting structure are part of the lifting equipment and are examined too.

What LOLER covers

The thorough examination looks at everything that carries the load and anything whose failure could drop it:

• Bridge girders, end carriages and the runway beams and their supports
• Hoist unit: rope or chain, drum, sheaves, hook block and hook
• Brakes on the hoist, cross travel and long travel
• Limit switches, overload protection and the rated capacity indicator where fitted
• Controls: pendant, radio remote or cab, and the emergency stop
• Electrical supply system: downshop leads or festoon, and isolation
• Markings: safe working load on the bridge and the hook block, identification number

The standard interval is 12 months. If the crane is used to lift people, which is rare and needs specific controls, it moves to 6 months. Lifting accessories used with the crane, such as chains, slings, lifting beams and C-hooks, are examined at least every 6 months. A written scheme of examination can set different intervals; BS 7121-2-7 is the code of practice for inspection, maintenance and thorough examination of overhead travelling cranes.

The runway beam is lifting equipment

The runway beams, their supports and the end stops are part of the lifting equipment and should be included in the thorough examination. They are also the part most often left out, because the crane contractor examines the crane and nobody is asked about the building steel. Check that the report covers the runway, and if it does not, arrange a separate examination.

What PUWER covers

PUWER applies to the crane as work equipment, every day of the year, not just on examination day:

• Regulation 4, suitability. The crane must be suitable for the loads and the conditions. A crane rated for the old product line may not be suitable for the new one.
• Regulation 5, maintenance. The crane must be maintained in efficient working order, with a maintenance log where one is kept.
• Regulation 6, inspection. Where safety depends on the installation or deterioration, inspect at suitable intervals. In practice this means a documented pre-use check by the operator and a periodic inspection by a maintenance engineer.
• Regulations 8 and 9, information and training. Operators and slingers must be trained and have the information they need.

The maintenance engineer's inspection and the competent person's thorough examination are different things done by different people. The examiner is independent of the maintenance; the engineer is not.

One record, two cycles

A factory with six overhead cranes, four presses and a workshop of machine tools has three sets of records to keep: LOLER examinations for the cranes, PUWER thorough examinations for the presses, and PUWER maintenance and inspection for everything. Most sites keep them in three places, and the HSE visit finds the gaps.

The better pattern is one record per machine that shows its LOLER status and its PUWER status side by side. LolerFlow holds each crane as an asset with its LOLER examination due date and its PUWER inspection schedule, so the maintenance engineer, the examination contractor and the site manager all see the same record.

What an HSE inspector asks for

• The report of thorough examination for each crane, including the runway
• Examination reports for the lifting accessories, with their unique identities
• The maintenance records showing Regulation 5 is being met
• Pre-use check records and the periodic inspection records
• Evidence of operator and slinger training
• The lift plan for any non-routine lift under LOLER Regulation 8

Sources

• The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2307), Regulations 8, 9 and 10, legislation.gov.uk
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2306), Regulations 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9
• HSE L113: Safe use of lifting equipment, Approved Code of Practice
• BS 7121-2-7, Code of practice for the safe use of cranes. Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination. Overhead travelling cranes

Frequently asked questions