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LOLER register template.
A lifting equipment register for LOLER 1998, as an Excel workbook with drop-downs and next-due dates, a printable sheet and a PDF. One row per item: what it is, its SWL, when it was last thoroughly examined, when the next one is due, and where the report is.
Quick answer. LOLER does not require a register by name, but it does require each item of lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined at least every 6 months (equipment that lifts people, and lifting accessories such as slings) or every 12 months (other lifting equipment), or under an examination scheme, with a written report of each examination kept available. A register with one row per item, its interval and its next-due date is a practical way to keep track.
against LOLER 1998 on legislation.gov.uk and HSE’s L113. Not legal advice.
Download the template
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The Excel file has three sheets: a blank register with 200 rows, an example sheet with made-up equipment, and notes on each column. Type and interval are drop-downs, the next-due date is worked out for you, and the days-until-due column turns amber inside 30 days and red when overdue. It is a standard .xlsx file with no macros.
The printable register
Blank form below. Print it, or choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
LOLER lifting equipment register
| Asset ID | Description (make, model, serial) | Location | SWL | Type | Last thorough examination | Interval | Next due | Examiner (competent person or company) | Report ref | Defects and actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type: Lifts people / Lifting accessory / Other lifting equipment. Interval: 6 months (people and accessories) / 12 months (other) / Examination scheme, under LOLER 1998 regulation 9(3)(a). Next due: the latest date for the next thorough examination stated on the report (Schedule 1 paragraph 8(d)). Template from hovermarks.co.uk, last reviewed 31 October 2026. Not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
A filled-in example
Four rows for a care home: a patient hoist and its sling on 6 months, a dumb waiter on 12 months that is overdue, and a bath hoist under an examination scheme. The company, equipment and dates are made up.
Sample: made-up equipment, company and people
SAMPLE: LOLER lifting equipment register
| Asset ID | Description (make, model, serial) | Location | SWL | Type | Last thorough examination | Interval | Next due | Examiner (competent person or company) | Report ref | Defects and actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HST-001 | Mobile patient hoist, EX-150 (fictional), s/n SAMPLE-0001 | Ground floor, room 4 | 150 kg | Lifts people | 27/10/2026 | 6 months | 27/04/2027 | Specimen Inspection Services Ltd (fictional) | SAMPLE-2026-0042 | Hand control lead sheath split: replace by 27/11/2026 |
| SLG-014 | Hoist sling, size M (fictional), s/n SAMPLE-0114 | Ground floor, room 4 | 200 kg | Lifting accessory | 12/05/2026 | 6 months | 12/11/2026 | Specimen Inspection Services Ltd (fictional) | SAMPLE-2026-0011 | None |
| DW-002 | Kitchen dumb waiter (fictional), s/n SAMPLE-0302 | Kitchen | 50 kg | Other lifting equipment | 20/10/2025 | 12 months | 20/10/2026 | Specimen Inspection Services Ltd (fictional) | SAMPLE-2025-0388 | None. Overdue: book the examination |
| BTH-003 | Bath hoist (fictional), s/n SAMPLE-0418 | First floor bathroom | 140 kg | Lifts people | 15/09/2026 | Examination scheme | 15/01/2027 | Specimen Inspection Services Ltd (fictional) | SAMPLE-2026-0390 | None. Scheme ref SAMPLE-SCH-07 |
Type: Lifts people / Lifting accessory / Other lifting equipment. Interval: 6 months (people and accessories) / 12 months (other) / Examination scheme, under LOLER 1998 regulation 9(3)(a). Next due: the latest date for the next thorough examination stated on the report (Schedule 1 paragraph 8(d)). Template from hovermarks.co.uk, last reviewed 31 October 2026. Not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What each column is for
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Asset ID | Your own reference, ideally the same as the label or tag on the equipment. |
| Description (make, model, serial) | Enough to identify the equipment, as Schedule 1 paragraph 3 requires of the report. |
| Location | Where it is normally kept or used. |
| SWL | Safe working load, as stated on the last report (Schedule 1 paragraph 5). |
| Type | Lifts people (for example a patient hoist, passenger lift or MEWP) or Lifting accessory (for example a sling, shackle, eyebolt or lifting beam): 6 months by default. Other lifting equipment: 12 months by default (regulation 9(3)(a)). |
| Last thorough examination | The date of the examination on the latest report. |
| Interval | 6 months, 12 months, or Examination scheme when a competent person has drawn up a scheme for this equipment (regulation 9(3)(a)(iii)). |
| Next due | Worked out from the interval. For an examination scheme, type the date. Where the report states an earlier latest date for the next examination (Schedule 1 paragraph 8(d)), type that date over the formula. |
| Days until dueExcel only | Turns amber within 30 days and red when overdue. |
| Interval checkExcel only | Flags equipment that lifts people, or an accessory, set to 12 months. |
| Examiner (competent person or company) | Who carried out the last thorough examination. |
| Report ref | The number on the report, so you can find it when an inspector asks (regulation 11). |
| Defects and actions | Defects on the report, the time by which each must be fixed, and when it was done. |
Which interval applies
Regulation 9(3)(a) of LOLER 1998 sets the default intervals for lifting equipment exposed to conditions causing deterioration liable to result in dangerous situations. The examples are from HSE’s L113 (paragraphs 28 and 29).
- Lifts people: at least every 6 months. For example passenger lifts, mobile elevating work platforms and scissor lifts, and hoists used to lift people from a bed or bath.
- Lifting accessory: at least every 6 months. For example slings, removable eyebolts, chains, ropes, shackles, grabs, magnets, vacuum lifters, crane forks, lifting beams and spreaders.
- Other lifting equipment: at least every 12 months. For example cranes, lift trucks and telescopic handlers, goods lifts, vehicle inspection hoists and dumb waiters.
- Examination scheme: the scheme’s intervals. A competent person can draw up a scheme instead (regulation 9(3)(a)(iii)). L113 (paragraph 330) says it may set longer or shorter periods, but a longer one must be based on a rigorous assessment of the risks.
On top of the interval, an examination is needed each time exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise safety have occurred, and, where safety depends on the installation conditions, after installation and after assembly at a new site or location (regulation 9(2)). The LOLER due date checker works out a single item’s next date.
What LOLER requires you to keep
- The report of each thorough examination, containing the information in Schedule 1 (regulation 10(1)(b)). A periodic report is kept until the next report is made or for two years, whichever is later (regulation 11(2)(a)(iv)). The LOLER certificate template shows each item.
- A record of any inspection between examinations, where one is appropriate (regulation 9(3)(b)). It is made in writing (regulation 10(2)(b)) and kept until the next such record is made (regulation 11(2)(b)).
- Physical evidence of the last thorough examination when lifting equipment leaves your business, or arrives from someone else’s (regulation 9(4)).
- Any declaration of conformity received with the equipment, for as long as you operate it (regulation 11(1)).
Frequently asked
- Does LOLER require an equipment register?
- Not by that name. LOLER 1998 requires thorough examinations (regulation 9), a written report of each one containing the Schedule 1 information (regulation 10), and that the reports are kept available for inspection (regulation 11). A register is the practical way to see which item is due when, and where its report is.
- What interval goes in the register?
- At least every 6 months for lifting equipment for lifting persons and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, unless a competent person has drawn up an examination scheme for it (regulation 9(3)(a)). Where the report states an earlier latest date for the next examination, that date is the one to work to.
- Are hoist slings in the register separately from the hoist?
- Usually, yes. A sling is an accessory for lifting, which regulation 2 defines as lifting equipment for attaching loads to machinery for lifting, and HSE's L113 lists slings among lifting accessories. Each sling needs its own identification, examination date and report, so give it its own row.
- Does the register replace the reports?
- No. The reports are the legal record and must be kept for the periods in regulation 11, for a periodic examination until the next report is made or for two years, whichever is later. The register points to them with the report reference.
- Can I use the register for PUWER equipment too?
- Keep it separate. PUWER regulation 6 inspections do not apply to lifting equipment (regulation 6(5)(c)), and work equipment inspections have no fixed interval. The PUWER inspection checklist page has its own Excel register.
Hovermarks can keep this register for you: each item gets a QR tag and its own next-due date, you are reminded before it lapses, and staff can scan the tag to see whether it is in date. Start a 30-day free trial
Related: asset register software, LOLER certificate template, LOLER due date checker, LOLER inspection guide, LOLER record keeping, PUWER inspection checklist and register, hoists and slings in care homes, how often LOLER inspections are needed.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Quotations from legislation and HSE guidance are Crown copyright. Hovermarks is not endorsed by HSE or any other public body.
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