Complying with LOLER isn’t just good practice, it’s the law. These regulations apply to any equipment used for lifting or lowering loads, including passenger lifts, goods lifts, hoists, cranes, platform lifts and vehicle tail-lifts. Building owners, facilities managers and employers must understand their duties under LOLER to keep people safe and avoid enforcement action. Our helpful guide aims to tell you all you need to know.
What Is LOLER?
“LOLER” stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, these rules cover anything that lifts or lowers a load. It protects users, engineers and anyone nearby by setting standards for thorough examinations, marking, maintenance and record-keeping. LOLER lifting regs, has become shorthand for ensuring every lift operation is safe.
Why Are the LOLER Lifting Regs Important?
LOLER was introduced to reduce accidents caused by faulty equipment, ensure safe working conditions for engineers and the public, and clarify responsibilities so duty holders know exactly what’s required of them. Failing to comply can lead to improvement or prohibition notices from the HSE, unlimited fines or even prosecution in serious cases, and of course the risk of serious injury or death.
Who Must Comply with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations?
If you own, lease, manage or maintain any lifting equipment at work you’re a duty holder under LOLER. That includes employers, self-employed engineers, facilities managers, building owners and landlords of commercial premises. Duty holders must ensure equipment is safe, properly maintained, thoroughly examined by a competent person and clearly marked with its Safe Working Load.
Main Requirements of LOLER
- Thorough Examinations, passenger lifts and hoists must be inspected at least every six months, goods lifts and vehicle tail-lifts at least every six months, other non-passenger carrying lifting equipment at least every 12 months, all by a competent person with the right training, experience and qualifications
- Safe Marking and Operation, every item must be clearly marked with its Safe Working Load, operators must follow manufacturer instructions and any site-specific safe-use procedures
- Maintenance and Repairs, equipment must be kept in a safe condition, any identified defects found during use or inspection should be rectified before the next thorough examination unless the inspector has requested urgent remediation by a certain date.
- Record-Keeping, written reports of all examinations, inspections and maintenance must be kept on file or as specified by the examiner.
Consequences of Non-Compliance with LOLER
Enforcement action by the HSE can include improvement or prohibition notices, legal action may result in unlimited fines or prosecution, and safety risks increase when lifting equipment is not maintained or examined properly.
How ILECS Can Help with LOLER Compliance
ILECS offers emergency LOLER inspections when your scheduled thorough examination can’t go ahead. If a lift is out of service or unavailable at the planned time, our expert consultants attend at short notice to carry out a full LOLER thorough examination to HSE standards and issue a clear written report.
Our consultants have the practical knowledge, experience and professional qualifications required to deliver completely independent and impartial examinations, giving you confidence in both compliance and safety.
For support with your LOLER compliance, take a look at our OneVision lift management service. OneVision is specifically designed to control the management of lift compliance, associated reports, and correspondence.
We also prepare, implement and oversee maintenance contracts to ensure you receive the highest standards of lift servicing and value for money from your lift maintenance contractor. Discover our emergency LOLER inspections and wider LOLER services at ILECS Lift Consultants.
LOLER compliance isn’t just ticking boxes, it’s about protecting people and your reputation. With independent support and expert guidance from ILECS, you can ensure your lifting equipment remains safe, reliable and fully compliant. Ready to secure your LOLER compliance? Contact ILECS today for a free consultation and let our team manage your lift safety requirements.