The Basics
Under LOLER (Lifting Operations Lifting Equipment Regulations) lifting equipment should be examined every 12 months and lifting accessories should be examined every 6 months. Examinations can only be carried out by a competent person and all equipment/accessories that pass the examination will be supplied with a Report of Thorough Examination which should to be retained for your records.
Safety Above All
As defined by the HSE, safe and successful lifting operations depend, in large part, on the continued safety of the lifting equipment and accessories that are used. In addition to the requirements for safe design and construction, all lifting equipment should also be checked and maintained as necessary to keep it safe for use:
- Users may need to undertake simple pre-use checks (e.g. on lifting chains and slings) or make checks on a daily basis.
- Employers should ensure that lifting equipment is thoroughly examined (normally one or twice a year but, in some cases, this may be more or less frequent.)
- In some cases, inspections and checks should be made on a regular basis, often weekly, but this may be on a monthly or quarterly basis (e.g. the checks undertaken by an operator on their crane.
Report of Thorough Examination
These checks are necessary to verify that the lifting equipment and safety critical parts, carried out at specific intervals by a competent person who must then complete a written report, known as a ‘Report of Thorough Examination’. The information must contain the required information as set out in the LOLER Schedule, which includes:
- The examination date
- The date when the next thorough examination is due
- Any defects found which are (or could potentially become) a danger to people
What is a 'Competent Person'
The term ‘competent person’ is not a legal term, it's used within the LOLER regulations and is defined within the LOLER Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (paragraph 294) and it states:
‘You should ensure that the person carrying out a thorough examination has such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the lifting equipment’.
The competent person should not be the same person who undertakes routine maintenance of the equipment as they would then be responsible for assessing their own maintenance work which would be a conflict of interests that affect the integrity of the examination.
Hoist UK have a team of LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) qualified, experienced and competent engineers who are able to carry out LOLER examinations and provide a report of thorough examination for equipment and accessories that pass their examination.
Thorough Examinations
- Before using it for the first time, unless the equipment has an EC Declaration of Conformity less than one year old and was not assembled on site. If it was assembled on site, it must be examined by a competent person to establish the assembly was correct and safe, e.g. platform lift installed in a building.
- Always have lifting equipment thoroughly examined following ‘exceptional circumstances’ e.g. if it is damaged or there is a major change in how it is used which is likely to affect its integrity.
- After assembly and before use at each location for equipment that requires assembly or installation before use, e.g. tower cranes.
- Regularly in service if the equipment is exposed to conditions causing deterioration that is likely to result in dangerous situations. If this applies to your equipment you have a choice, you can arrange for the thorough examination to be carried out (a) at regular intervals (either at least every 6 months or 12 months depending on whether the lifting equipment is for lifting people or not) or (b) in accordance with an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person.