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LOLER Regulations Explained: What Employers Need to Know
If your business uses forklifts, cranes, lifting accessories or other lifting equipment, you may have duties under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, commonly known as LOLER.
LOLER places responsibilities on people and businesses that own, operate or control lifting equipment. It works alongside the wider requirements of PUWER.
For employers, one of the most important distinctions is that operator checks, routine maintenance and a LOLER thorough examination are not the same thing. Each has a different purpose.
What Does LOLER Mean?
LOLER stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
The Regulations address risks associated with lifting equipment and lifting operations at work. They include requirements concerning equipment suitability, planning and supervision, positioning and installation, marking, thorough examination, inspection and records.
Who Does LOLER Apply To?
LOLER can place duties on employers and self-employed people who provide lifting equipment for use at work, as well as people who control its use.
This can include warehouses, manufacturing and engineering companies, fabrication businesses, distribution centres, construction operations, workshops and logistics businesses.
What Equipment Does LOLER Cover?
Lifting equipment means work equipment used for lifting or lowering loads. It includes relevant attachments and lifting accessories used to anchor, fix, support or attach loads.
Depending on the equipment and how it is used, examples can include:
- Forklift trucks
- Overhead cranes and hoists
- Vehicle lifts and MEWPs
- Slings, chains and shackles
- Other equipment and accessories used for lifting or lowering loads
Employers should establish the correct requirements for their equipment rather than assuming every item is treated identically.
Does LOLER Apply to Forklift Trucks?
Yes. Relevant LOLER requirements can apply to forklift trucks used for lifting loads.
For employers operating forklifts, equipment safety is not only about training the driver. The truck’s condition, maintenance, inspection and statutory thorough examination also matter.
What Is a LOLER Thorough Examination?
A thorough examination is a systematic and detailed examination of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts. It must be carried out by a competent person, who then produces a written report.
It is not simply a quick visual check. Its purpose is to identify defects or weaknesses that are, or could become, dangerous.
How Often Does a Forklift Need a LOLER Examination?
Unless a competent person’s written examination scheme specifies different intervals, HSE guidance states that thorough examinations should normally be conducted every:
- 6 months for lifting equipment and accessories used to lift people
- 6 months for lifting accessories
- 12 months for other lifting equipment
For a typical forklift used to lift goods rather than people, the commonly applicable interval is therefore 12 months. Examination may also be required following exceptional circumstances that could affect equipment safety.
Read HSE guidance on thorough examinations.
Who Can Carry Out a LOLER Thorough Examination?
LOLER requires a competent person.
They need sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to detect defects or weaknesses and assess their importance for continued safe use. They must also be sufficiently independent and impartial to make an objective examination.
This is why businesses commonly use specialist inspection organisations or suitably competent engineers.
Is a LOLER Thorough Examination the Same as Servicing?
No.
Servicing and maintenance are intended to keep equipment operating correctly and deal with wear, adjustment, lubrication and replacement of components.
A thorough examination is a systematic examination intended to identify defects that are, or could become, dangerous. Having a forklift serviced does not automatically satisfy an employer’s LOLER thorough-examination duties.
Is a Pre-Use Inspection a LOLER Examination?
No.
An operator’s pre-use inspection is an operational check intended to identify obvious problems before equipment is used. A LOLER thorough examination is a more detailed statutory examination carried out by a competent person.
A well-managed workplace may therefore use several layers of control:
Pre-use checks → defect reporting → maintenance → inspection → LOLER thorough examination
Read the Forklift Pre-Use Inspection Guide.
What Happens if a LOLER Examination Finds a Defect?
The competent person must produce a written report and notify the dutyholder of defects that are, or could become, a danger to people.
Where a defect presents an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, the equipment should not be used until the defect is remedied and the relevant reporting requirements must be followed.
Employers need a clear process for receiving reports, isolating unsafe equipment, arranging corrective action and recording completion. A report should not simply be filed away.
What Is the Difference Between PUWER and LOLER?
PUWER and LOLER are closely connected, but they are not interchangeable.
PUWER applies broadly to work equipment and covers matters including suitability, maintenance, inspection, information, instruction and training.
LOLER adds specific requirements for lifting equipment and lifting operations, including strength and stability, safe working loads, planning, supervision and thorough examination.
A forklift employer may therefore have responsibilities under both sets of Regulations. Read: PUWER and Forklift Training.
Does a Current LOLER Examination Mean a Forklift Is Safe to Use Today?
Not necessarily.
A forklift can be damaged or develop a defect after its thorough examination. Tyres, forks, hydraulic systems, restraints or safety devices can deteriorate or fail.
A current LOLER report does not remove the need for suitable pre-use checks, defect reporting, maintenance and workplace supervision.
What LOLER Records Should Employers Keep?
Depending on the equipment and circumstances, suitable records may include:
- Thorough-examination and inspection reports
- Equipment identification and examination dates
- The next examination due date
- Identified defects and remedial work
- Maintenance records
- Relevant lifting accessories
- Defect reporting and corrective action
Records must be protected from unauthorised alteration and be available when required.
A Practical LOLER Checklist for Employers
- Is the equipment suitable for the work?
- Is it maintained properly?
- Are operators completing appropriate pre-use checks?
- Are defects reported, controlled and remedied?
- Is the correct thorough-examination regime in place?
- Is the competent person sufficiently independent and knowledgeable?
- Are examination reports retained and acted upon?
- Are lifting operations properly planned and supervised?
- Are operators trained, competent and authorised?
If any answer is unclear, investigate it before an incident forces the issue.
LOLER Is Part of a Bigger Safety System
Suitable equipment → Thorough examination and maintenance → Pre-use inspection → Competent and authorised operators → Safe systems of work → Effective supervision → Ongoing monitoring
That is stronger than relying on one certificate, one inspection or one piece of paperwork.
Read: Who Authorises a Forklift Operator?
Need Help With Workplace Transport Training?
GH Training provides AITT Accredited workplace transport and forklift training for businesses across the North West.
We help employers develop competent operators through practical novice, experienced, refresher and conversion training across a range of workplace transport equipment.
GH Training does not carry out statutory LOLER thorough examinations. We help employers understand how operator training, pre-use inspection, defect reporting and workplace supervision fit into the wider safe management of workplace transport.
Request a training review or call 01925 500796.
Train Today • Work Safer Tomorrow.
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