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 A (immediate danger), Cat B (timescaled repair), Cat C (observation)
- Written report mandatory under LOLER Regulation 10, Schedule 1
- Cat A defects must be reported to the enforcing authority (HSE or local authority)
What a thorough examination actually is
What is a LOLER inspection? A LOLER inspection — formally called a thorough examination — is an in-depth assessment of lifting equipment by a competent person to verify it is safe to use. It is a legal requirement under Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 ↗. It is not a visual check. It is not maintenance. Its purpose is to establish whether your equipment is safe to continue in service. The result is a written legal record.
LOLER checks — whether you call them LOLER tests, LOLER inspections, or thorough examinations — all refer to the same legal requirement under Regulation 9 of LOLER 1998. The correct legal term is thorough examination. It cannot be replaced by a service visit or a pre-use checklist. It must be carried out by a qualified, independent competent person. That report forms part of your compliance audit trail. Without it, the examination did not happen as far as the HSE is concerned.
A LOLER test (the informal name for a thorough examination) produces a written examination report under Schedule 1 of the Regulations. The LOLER test must be carried out within the required intervals: every 6 months for lifting accessories and equipment used to lift people, or every 12 months for other lifting equipment.
LOLER lifting equipment inspections must be carried out by a competent person who is sufficiently independent and impartial. For most businesses, that means an external inspection company. Your own maintenance engineer cannot examine the same equipment they service.
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, the examiner will inspect the chain, hooks, load-bearing components, brakes, and limit switches. For a mobile crane, they will cover structural members, sheaves, ropes, slew ring, outriggers, and the load indicator. The competent person determines the scope based on the equipment's design, age, and operating conditions. Each piece of lifting equipment should have an entry on the duty holder's asset register, recording examination dates and outcomes.
The four situations that trigger an examination
Periodic intervals are the most visible trigger, but they are not the only one. LOLER Regulation 9 sets out four distinct situations that each require a thorough examination. Miss any one of them and you are non-compliant:
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 subjected to conditions likely to have caused deterioration must be examined before it is used again. This includes overloading, severe weather, collision, or suspected damage. It is a judgement call for the duty holder, 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 is allowed to carry out a thorough examination?
LOLER requires a competent person. The regulations do not name a specific qualification. Competence means sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge, and relevant experience, to detect defects and assess what they mean for the safe working load. If the examiner gets this wrong, both the examiner and the duty holder carry the liability.
The HSE is clear: the competent person must be sufficiently independent and impartial. For most businesses, that means an external specialist inspection company. Your own maintenance engineer cannot examine the same equipment they service.
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 happens on the day of a thorough examination
No two examinations are identical. The scope depends on the equipment type, its age, and the examiner's judgement. But every compliant thorough examination must cover the following as a minimum:
- 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
What the three defect categories mean for you
Every defect found during a thorough examination must be categorised. The category determines what you must do next, and how quickly. Ignoring a Category A defect is a criminal offence. Here is what each category means in practice:
- 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
Duty holder responsibility: Receiving a Category A or Category B report creates an immediate legal obligation. Ignoring it, or continuing to use equipment with a Category A defect, is a criminal offence. Ensure your inspection management system tracks outstanding defects and alerts you to unresolved Category B timescales. Colour-coded tags or digital status flags on each asset help prevent non-compliant equipment from being returned to service by mistake.
What your Schedule 1 report must include
LOLER Regulation 10 and Schedule 1 are not guidance. They are law. A report with missing fields means the examination is non-compliant, even if the physical inspection was done correctly. One inspection. One report. One permanent record. Check that your inspection company's reports meet all 12 Schedule 1 requirements.
Before the examination, your inspector should work through a LOLER inspection checklist on site to make sure no component is missed. The findings then feed directly into the written report. Free LOLER inspection templates covering all 9 equipment types are available if you need a Schedule 1 starting point.
The report must include:
The report must be provided to the duty holder as soon as practicable after the examination. If the examiner identifies a Category A defect, they must notify the duty holder and the relevant enforcing authority without delay. This notification must happen before the written report is formally issued if necessary. Defect reporting is not optional and cannot be delayed at the request of the duty holder.
What Does LOLER Schedule 1 Require in an Examination Report?
Schedule 1 of LOLER sets out the mandatory fields every thorough examination report must contain. These are not recommendations. A report missing any Schedule 1 field is legally non-compliant, even if the physical inspection was carried out correctly.
The safe working load must be stated for every configuration of the equipment. The next examination date must be specified, calculated from the date of the current examination. Any defects found must be categorised as Category A (immediate danger) or Category B (timescaled repair), with the competent person's name, address, and qualifications recorded on the report.
Record keeping under Regulation 11 is equally important. Reports for equipment used to lift persons must be retained for the operational lifetime of the equipment. For all other lifting equipment, records must be kept until the next examination is completed. If equipment is decommissioned, a minimum retention of 2 years applies. A digital asset register with linked examination reports makes retrieval straightforward if the HSE requests evidence of compliance.
What the examiner checks for each equipment type
The scope varies by equipment type, age, operating environment, and defect history. LOLER and HSE guidance set clear expectations for each major category. Use the breakdown below to sense-check whether your examinations are covering everything they should. Cross-reference each item against your asset register before the report is finalised.
Cranes (overhead, mobile, tower)
- Structural members, all load-bearing steelwork inspected for cracks, corrosion, deformation, and weld integrity
- Mechanical components, gearboxes, sheaves, wire rope or chain, hook assembly, anti-collision devices
- Electrical systems, contactors, limit switches, pendant controls, earth continuity, overload protection
- Safety devices, hoist upper and lower limit switches, travel limits, emergency stop, anti-fall devices
- Rated capacity indicator (RCI), verification that the SWL indicator is accurate and displayed correctly
- SWL markings, confirmation that marked safe working load matches the assessed capacity under examination
Passenger lifts and construction hoists
- Landing doors, door locks, interlocks, and door operator mechanism on every landing
- Safety gear, overspeed governor, progressive or instantaneous safety gear function test
- Buffers, compression buffers at pit level; rated deceleration characteristics
- Light curtain or door re-opening devices, functional test of obstruction detection
- Car and counterweight guide rails and their fixings throughout the full travel
- Machine room equipment, motor, brake, drive unit, controller, ropes, and traction check
MEWPs (cherry pickers, boom lifts, scissor lifts)
- Platform structure, platform floor, guardrails, toe boards, and attachment points for fall arrest
- Controls, platform controls, ground controls, and emergency lowering function
- Tilt sensor and interlocks, verification that tilt alarm and cut-out functions operate within specified limits
- Outriggers and stabilisers, extension, locking, pad condition, and interlock preventing travel when deployed
- Hydraulic system, cylinders, hoses, fittings, and pump pressure; check for leaks throughout the circuit
- Tyres, wheels, and braking system, condition, pressure, wheel fixings, and parking brake holding on gradient
Lifting accessories (chains, slings, shackles, hooks)
- Visual inspection of all surfaces, entire length of chains and slings inspected, not just connection points
- Deformation, bending, twisting, or stretching of chain links, sling legs, or hook bodies
- Cracking, dye penetrant or magnetic particle testing where surface cracking is suspected
- Corrosion, pitting corrosion on chains and shackles assessed against rejection criteria
- Wear at contact points, hooks at saddle, shackle bows at pin, chain links at bearing points
- Identification markings, WLL marking, CE/UKCA mark, and traceability markings must be legible
Thorough examination vs statutory inspection: what counts and what does not
"Statutory inspection" and "thorough examination" are sometimes used interchangeably. They are not the same thing. A LOLER thorough examination is a Regulation 9 requirement. It is a formal, independent assessment. The outcome is a mandatory Schedule 1 report. Maintenance keeps equipment functioning. The thorough examination tests whether it is structurally and mechanically safe to use at its rated load.
The distinction also matters for who carries out the work. LOLER is explicit: the competent person must be sufficiently independent of whoever maintains the equipment. Your service engineer cannot examine their own work. The result of a thorough examination is a Schedule 1 report. It is a legal document, not a job sheet. Make sure your clients understand that difference.
Quick reference: what counts and what does not
How LOLER and PUWER work together
LOLER and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) often apply to the same equipment. Both are enforced by the HSE. Knowing which duty applies, and when, is essential for duty holders and inspection companies.
PUWER covers the general safety of work equipment. It requires equipment to be suitable for its purpose, maintained in good repair, and inspected where necessary to ensure safety. The PUWER inspection is distinct from the LOLER thorough examination. PUWER inspections are risk-based and do not need to follow a fixed interval. The LOLER thorough examination is a separate, additional obligation with prescribed intervals and a mandatory written report.
In practice, a forklift truck is subject to both LOLER and PUWER. The LOLER thorough examination (every 12 months, or 6 months if used to lift persons) is a statutory requirement. The PUWER inspection frequency is set by the employer's risk assessment. The two must not be confused or substituted for each other. Both records should be held in the duty holder's asset register.
What happens after the examination is complete?
Every thorough examination produces one of three outcomes. Each outcome creates specific duties for the competent person and the duty holder. Understanding them is essential for inspection companies and the businesses they serve.
The competent person issues a Schedule 1 report confirming the equipment is safe for continued use. The report must state the date of examination, the next due date, and that no defects were found. The duty holder files the report and schedules the next examination before the due date. No further action is required unless exceptional circumstances arise beforehand.
The equipment may continue in service, but the defect must be remedied within the timescale specified by the competent person. That timescale is a legal obligation, not a recommendation. The duty holder must arrange remediation and record evidence of completion. The inspection management system should track outstanding Category B defects and alert the duty holder as the deadline approaches. If the defect is not remedied in time, the equipment must be taken out of service.
The equipment must be taken out of service immediately. The competent person is legally required to notify the relevant enforcing authority without delay. That means the HSE or the local authority Environmental Health team, depending on the workplace. This notification must happen regardless of whether the duty holder agrees with the finding. The equipment must not return to service until the defect has been remedied and re-examined by a competent person. Every step must be documented: the notification, the remediation, and the re-examination. All records must be retained as part of the duty holder's audit trail.
The examination report is a legal document in all three cases. It must be provided to the duty holder as soon as practicable after the examination. For equipment used to lift persons, records must be retained for the operational lifetime of the equipment under Regulation 11. For all other lifting equipment, reports must be retained until the next examination report is issued. If the equipment is decommissioned, a minimum of 2 years' retention applies. Storing reports digitally in a dedicated asset register makes retrieval straightforward if the HSE requests records.
LOLER Lift Inspection: What Does It Cover?
A LOLER lift inspection covers any lifting equipment designed to raise people or loads vertically. Passenger lifts, goods lifts, scissor lifts, and MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms) all fall into this category. Each requires examination every 6 months because they carry persons.
During a lift LOLER inspection, the competent examiner will assess the following as a minimum:
Organisations with multiple pieces of lifting equipment must manage LOLER inspections across their entire asset register. Missing a single lift LOLER inspection date creates an immediate compliance gap. Digital tracking tools that send reminders before each due date remove that risk entirely.
Why paper forms are slowing your examinations down
For most of the past 25 years, LOLER thorough examinations followed the same process. Paper forms on site. Photos on a phone. Data re-entered into a Word template back at the office. 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 B 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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