20 equipment types, pre-configured, correct intervals
* Forklifts and reach trucks: 12 months for the vehicle, 6 months for fork arms (tracked separately).
🏗️Overhead / gantry cranes
12 months🔩Jib cranes (wall & floor)
12 months🪜MEWPs (cherry pickers)
6 months🪟Window cleaning cradles
6 months⛓️Chain hoists / blocks
12 months🔗Slings (all types)
6 months⛓️Chains (lifting)
6 monthsWhy correct equipment categorisation matters for LOLER compliance
Regulation 9 of LOLER 1998 requires that lifting equipment is thoroughly examined at set intervals, and critically, those intervals depend on the type of equipment. Equipment used to lift people (passenger lifts, MEWPs, scissor lifts) and all lifting accessories must be examined every six months. Goods-only equipment (overhead cranes, forklifts, goods lifts) must be examined every twelve months. Getting this wrong is not a minor administrative issue: using a 12-month interval for equipment that legally requires a 6-month check is a direct breach of the regulations, even if examinations are otherwise being carried out diligently.
In practice, miscategorisation happens most often with equipment that sits on the boundary. A goods lift where passengers occasionally ride should be treated as person-carrying. A telehandler used with a person-carrying attachment falls under the 6-month regime for that configuration. When assets are miscategorised in a spreadsheet or generic software, the wrong interval is applied, the wrong reminder fires, and the operator believes they are compliant when they are not.
Lolerflow prevents this by pre-configuring the correct interval for each of the 20 equipment types covered by LOLER. Every interval is set according to the regulations, not by an administrator who may not know the rules. When you add a new asset, the correct examination interval is applied automatically, with no room for error.
Benefits for inspection companies
Correct intervals, guaranteed
No manual lookups, no interval errors. Pre-configured intervals for all 20 LOLER equipment types ensure every examination is scheduled in line with Regulation 9.
Handles complex equipment correctly
Forklifts and reach trucks are tracked with separate intervals for the vehicle (12 months) and the fork arms (6 months), because the law treats them differently, and so does Lolerflow.
Custom types for specialist work
If you inspect non-standard lifting equipment, specialist cranes, bespoke hoists, or equipment covered by a written examination scheme, create a custom type with your own interval and label.
One register for every asset type
Manage cranes, forklifts, slings, and every lifting accessory in a single platform. No separate spreadsheets per equipment type, no data to reconcile at audit time.
Who uses Lolerflow's equipment type management
Independent LOLER inspection companies are the primary users. A typical company of 3–8 inspectors might manage 500–2,000 assets across 20–80 client sites, covering a mix of cranes in manufacturing facilities, forklifts in distribution warehouses, MEWPs on construction sites, and passenger lifts in commercial buildings. Keeping track of different examination intervals across all of those asset types and client sites, in a way that is legally accurate, is exactly the problem Lolerflow solves.
Facilities managers and in-house health and safety teams also use Lolerflow to manage their own equipment register. A facilities team at a large hospital, for example, might manage passenger lifts (6-month requirement), goods lifts (12-month), and a range of lifting accessories used by the maintenance team (6-month). Having a single system that applies the right interval to each type, without the facilities manager needing to look it up every time, reduces the compliance burden significantly.
Port and marine operators face particular complexity: ship-to-shore cranes, mobile harbour cranes, container spreaders, and the full range of lifting accessories used in cargo handling, all with different intervals and often subject to additional port authority requirements. Lolerflow's support for custom equipment types means operators can configure the system to reflect their specific written examination scheme, rather than forcing equipment into an ill-fitting generic category.
How it works in practice
1
Add the asset and select its type
Choose from the 20 pre-configured LOLER equipment types. The correct examination interval is set automatically, 6 months for person-carrying equipment and accessories, 12 months for goods-only equipment.
2
For forklifts: add the fork arms separately
Because fork arms are lifting accessories under LOLER and require a 6-month examination, Lolerflow tracks them as linked but separate assets. The vehicle and its attachments each have their own inspection record and reminder schedule.
3
Need a custom type? Create one in under a minute
If your written examination scheme covers equipment not in the standard list, add a custom type with your own label and interval. It will appear in reports, reminders, and the asset register exactly like any built-in type.
4
Reminders and reports reflect the correct interval automatically
The equipment type drives everything: the reminder schedule, the next due date calculation, and the interval shown on the examination report. Nothing needs to be configured separately, it flows from the type.
Every piece of lifting equipment. One platform.
30-day free trial. No credit card required.
Start free trial →What equipment types does Lolerflow support?+
Lolerflow supports all equipment types covered by LOLER 1998: overhead and mobile cranes, forklifts, MEWPs (cherry pickers, scissor lifts), passenger lifts, goods lifts, platform lifts, window cleaning cradles, chain hoists, and all lifting accessories, slings, chains, shackles, hooks, eyebolts, spreader beams, vacuum lifters. If it is covered by LOLER, Lolerflow tracks it.
Does Lolerflow handle both 6-month and 12-month intervals for different equipment?+
Yes. Each asset type has the correct interval pre-configured. Person-carrying equipment and lifting accessories are set to 6 months; goods-only equipment to 12 months. If your written examination scheme uses different intervals, you can override per asset. The system then tracks reminders and overdue status based on the correct interval for each individual asset.
Can I add a custom equipment type not in the list?+
Yes. If you work with specialist lifting equipment not in the standard list, you can create a custom equipment type with your own label and set the examination interval accordingly. Custom types are fully supported in all reports, reminders, and the asset register.