Key Points
- A thorough examination is a formal legal requirement — not routine maintenance
- Must be carried out by a competent person, typically a LEEA-accredited inspector
- Lifting accessories: every 6 months. Other lifting equipment: every 12 months
- Three defect categories: Cat 1 (immediate danger), Cat 2 (timescaled repair), Cat 3 (observation)
- Written report mandatory under LOLER Regulation 10, Schedule 1
- Cat 1 defects must be reported to the enforcing authority (HSE or local authority)
What Is a LOLER Thorough Examination?
A LOLER thorough examination is a systematic, detailed inspection of lifting equipment carried out under Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Its purpose is to establish whether the equipment is safe to continue in service — and to identify any defects that pose a risk to safety.
The term "thorough examination" has specific legal meaning under LOLER. It is not interchangeable with routine maintenance, a visual check, or a pre-use inspection. It is a formal assessment carried out by a qualified, independent competent person, resulting in a written report that forms part of the legal compliance record for the equipment.
Important distinction: Maintenance keeps equipment working. A thorough examination establishes whether it is legally safe to use. Both are required — but they are separate obligations. An item of lifting equipment can be well-maintained and still fail a thorough examination.
The scope of a thorough examination varies by equipment type and condition. For a chain hoist, it will include inspection of the chain, hooks, load bearing components, brakes, and limit switches. For a mobile crane, it will cover the structural members, sheaves, ropes, slew ring, outriggers, and load indicator. The competent person determines the scope based on the equipment's design, age, and operating conditions.
When Is a Thorough Examination Required?
LOLER Regulation 9 specifies four circumstances in which a thorough examination is required:
1. Before first use
Any lifting equipment that has not previously been used in that workplace must be thoroughly examined before it is first put into service — unless a declaration of conformity (CE or UKCA marking documentation) less than 12 months old is available, and the equipment was not assembled on site.
2. After assembly at a new location
Equipment whose safety depends on its installation conditions (e.g. overhead travelling cranes, fixed hoists) must be examined each time it is installed at a new location, before it is used. This ensures that the installation itself has not introduced any safety issues.
3. Following exceptional circumstances
Equipment that has been subjected to conditions likely to have caused deterioration — such as overloading, severe weather, collision, or suspected damage — must be examined before it is used again. This is a judgement call for the dutyholder, but erring on the side of caution is strongly recommended.
4. At periodic intervals
All lifting equipment in regular use must be examined at regular intervals, regardless of whether any exceptional circumstances have occurred. The minimum intervals are set by regulation (see below).
Periodic Inspection Intervals
| Equipment Type | Minimum Interval |
|---|---|
| Equipment used to lift persons (hoists, MEWPs, passenger lifts) | 6 months |
| Lifting accessories (chains, slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts) | 6 months |
| All other lifting equipment (cranes, forklifts, overhead cranes) | 12 months |
| Equipment subject to a written examination scheme | Per scheme — may vary |
Common mistake: Many businesses apply 12-month intervals to all their lifting equipment, including slings, chains, and shackles. This is non-compliant. Lifting accessories require examination every 6 months — the most common LOLER compliance gap the HSE finds in inspections.
Who Can Carry Out a Thorough Examination?
LOLER requires thorough examinations to be carried out by a competent person. The regulations do not specify a formal qualification, but define competence in terms of having sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge, and relevant experience, to detect defects and assess their significance.
In practice, the HSE guidance makes clear that the competent person should be sufficiently independent and impartial — ideally from outside the organisation that owns or operates the equipment. For most businesses, this means using an external, specialist lifting equipment inspection company.
LEEA Accreditation
The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is the recognised industry body for lifting equipment inspection in the UK. LEEA accreditation (ADIPS — Appointed Depot Inspection Programme Scheme) is the benchmark standard for competent persons carrying out LOLER thorough examinations.
LEEA-accredited inspectors have passed rigorous training and examinations and are subject to ongoing quality auditing. Using a LEEA-accredited inspector provides the strongest defence in the event of an HSE investigation or insurance claim.
Can an in-house engineer carry it out?
Technically yes — if they have the required competence and sufficient independence. However, the HSE is clear that independence matters: an engineer who maintains the equipment and then examines it is not considered sufficiently independent. For most organisations, the practical answer is to use an external inspection company.
What Does a Thorough Examination Involve?
The scope of a thorough examination depends on the type of equipment, its age, its operating conditions, and the examiner's professional judgement. However, as a minimum, a thorough examination typically involves:
- Visual inspection of all load-bearing components for cracks, corrosion, wear, and deformation
- Functional testing — operation under load or simulated load conditions
- Verification of the safe working load (SWL) marking and its accuracy
- Inspection of all safety devices — limit switches, brakes, overload indicators
- Assessment of the condition of ropes, chains, and lifting accessories
- Review of previous examination records to identify trends
- Assessment of any defects found against the three defect categories
- Completion of a written examination report under Schedule 1
LOLER Defect Categories Explained
When the competent person identifies defects during a thorough examination, they must categorise them by severity. The three categories determine what action must be taken — and how quickly:
- Equipment must be taken out of service immediately
- The defect must be reported to the relevant enforcing authority (HSE or local authority)
- Equipment must not be returned to service until the defect is remedied and re-examined
- Examples: cracked load-bearing structure, missing safety pin, brakes that fail to hold rated load
- Equipment may continue in service temporarily
- The examiner must specify a remediation timescale in their report
- The defect must be remedied within that timescale — if not, the equipment must be taken out of service
- Examples: minor corrosion that could worsen, worn component approaching its wear limit, minor deformation not yet affecting safe operation
- The item is noted for monitoring but does not require immediate action
- Equipment may continue in normal service
- The observation should be noted in the next examination
- Examples: minor surface corrosion, slight wear within acceptable limits, cosmetic damage with no structural impact
Dutyholder responsibility: Receiving a Category 1 or Category 2 report creates an immediate legal obligation. Ignoring it — or continuing to use equipment with a Category 1 defect — is a criminal offence. Ensure your inspection management system tracks outstanding defects and alerts you to unresolved Category 2 timescales.
The Examination Report — What Must It Contain?
LOLER Regulation 10 and Schedule 1 specify exactly what must be included in a thorough examination report. This is not guidance — it is a legal requirement. A report that omits required information may mean your examinations are non-compliant, even if the physical inspection was carried out correctly.
The report must include:
The report must be provided to the dutyholder as soon as practicable after the examination. If the examiner identifies a Category 1 defect, they must notify the dutyholder and the relevant enforcing authority without delay — before the written report is formally issued if necessary.
How Digital Tools Are Changing Thorough Examinations
For most of the past 25 years, LOLER thorough examinations followed the same process: paper forms on site, photos on a camera or phone, data re-entered into a Word template or spreadsheet back at the office, and a PDF emailed to the client. It works — but it is slow, error-prone, and increasingly inadequate for high-volume inspection operations.
Purpose-built LOLER inspection software changes this in three fundamental ways:
Capture once, report instantly
The engineer completes the examination on their phone. Every Schedule 1 field is pre-loaded. The report generates automatically — no re-entry, no template, no back-office queue. The client can receive their certificate within minutes of the examination being completed.
Defect tracking that follows through
Category 2 defects are tracked to resolution. The system alerts the dutyholder when a remediation deadline is approaching, and flags it as overdue if not resolved. No more examination reports filed away and forgotten.
Audit-ready records, always
Every examination is stored digitally, timestamped, and searchable by asset, date, examiner, or defect category. An HSE inspector asking for the last 3 years of LOLER records takes seconds, not hours.
Built for LOLER thorough examinations
All Schedule 1 fields pre-loaded. Defect categories built in. Reports generate automatically. Works offline. 30-day free trial.
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