Who actually carries out your LOLER inspections?
LOLER does not name specific qualifications or professional bodies. Regulation 9 of LOLER 1998 requires that thorough examinations be carried out by a competent person. The HSE defines this as someone who has "such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the lifting equipment."
Two requirements apply: competence (knowledge and experience) and independence (sufficient impartiality to make objective decisions). A person with the right technical knowledge but under commercial pressure to pass equipment is not acting as a genuinely competent person under LOLER. Both conditions must be met. Neither alone is enough.
In-house or independent examiner: which route works for you?
In-house competent person
Independent examiner (LEEA member)
What does LEEA membership actually mean?
The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is the leading professional body for the lifting industry in the UK and internationally. LEEA members have demonstrated competence through a recognised set of criteria:
- The LEEA Lifting Equipment Examination qualification (LEEA 015 or equivalent)
- Commitment to continuing professional development
- Adherence to the LEEA Code of Practice
- Quality management systems that meet LEEA audit requirements
LEEA accreditation is not a legal requirement under LOLER. It does provide a defensible and recognised benchmark of competence. Using a LEEA member significantly reduces the risk of an HSE challenge to the validity of an examination. It is not required. It is strongly advisable.
What happens if the wrong person signs off your examination?
If a thorough examination is carried out by someone who is not genuinely competent, it has no legal validity. This applies even if a report is produced and a certificate issued. In the event of a lifting incident, the HSE will investigate the examiner's competence. If they were not competent, the employer who accepted the examination faces prosecution for failing to comply with Regulation 9. It does not matter whether you knew the examiner was unqualified.
Practical rule: If you commission an examination from a third party, ask to see their qualifications and check their LEEA membership at leea.co.uk. Keep a record of what you checked and when. If challenged by the HSE, you need to demonstrate you took reasonable steps to verify competence.
What 'competent person' actually means under LOLER
LOLER does not specify qualifications, professional bodies, or minimum educational requirements. Regulation 9 requires the examination to be carried out by a person with "such practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as is necessary to enable defects or weaknesses to be identified." This is a functional test, not a credentials test. Competence is equipment-specific. It is experience-specific. It is not transferable between equipment types.
In practice, for most lifting equipment this means formal engineering qualifications at HNC or HND level in mechanical engineering or an equivalent discipline, plus specific experience with the equipment type being examined. A general mechanical engineer is not automatically competent to examine a tower crane, a marine offshore crane, or a complex lifting beam system. Competence must be established for each equipment type individually.
Why your maintenance engineer cannot also be your examiner
An engineer responsible for maintaining equipment cannot carry out its LOLER thorough examination. Independence is a legal requirement under Regulation 9. An employee whose performance is measured by keeping equipment in service cannot make fully objective decisions about whether to recommend it be taken out of service.
LOLER Regulation 9 requires the thorough examination to be carried out by a competent person who is "sufficiently independent and impartial to allow objective decisions to be made." That independence requirement is as important as technical competence. After every examination, the competent person must produce a Schedule 1-compliant report within 28 days, and the equipment must be re-examined at the required inspection intervals.
This is why the vast majority of LOLER thorough examinations are carried out by independent third-party inspection companies. In-house examination is not impossible. But the organisation must show that the examiner faces no commercial or operational pressure that could compromise their judgement.
Which accreditation bodies matter and why?
Several bodies provide accreditation or membership relevant to LOLER thorough examination competence. None is a legal requirement under LOLER. All provide evidence of competence that is useful if an HSE challenge arises:
- LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association): the primary professional body for lifting equipment inspection in the UK. LEEA members operate under the LEEA Code of Practice and are subject to quality audits. The LEEA 015 qualification is widely recognised as the benchmark for lifting accessory and general lifting equipment examination.
- BINDT (British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing): relevant where NDT techniques form part of the thorough examination, particularly for structural steelwork assessment on cranes.
- LEIA (Lift and Escalator Industry Association): the industry body for passenger lift and escalator inspection. LEIA members are the appropriate source for LOLER examinations of passenger lifts and platform lifts.
- UKAS accreditation: inspection bodies can apply for UKAS accreditation under ISO 17020. This provides formal third-party verification of their competence management systems and is the most rigorous independent verification available.
What should inspection companies keep on file about each examiner?
A competent person should be able to produce, if challenged, a record of their qualifications and relevant experience for the specific equipment type examined. Inspection companies should maintain records covering: