What equipment does LOLER apply to?

The three-question test

HSE’s L113 (Figure 1, “Is my equipment subject to LOLER?”) boils it down to three questions. If the answer to the first and third is yes, and at least one part of the second is yes, LOLER is likely to apply.

1. Is it provided for work, or for people at work? LOLER applies to work equipment only.
2. Is its main purpose to lift or lower a load, or does it attach a load to such equipment, support or anchor it, or has it been altered or adapted to lift?
3. Is the load lifted free from its supporting surface? Winching a load that does not leave the ground is not lifting (L113 paragraph 32(b)).

Equipment by equipment

The interval is the default thorough examination interval where LOLER applies (regulation 9(3)(a)). An examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set others. More on intervals in how often LOLER inspections are needed.

• Passenger liftsDepends

  Interval: 6 months

  Yes where the lift is provided for people at work, such as in an office block or a hospital: it lifts people, so 6 months. A lift in a block of flats provided for residents is not work equipment, so LOLER does not apply; section 4 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 does, and HSE says a lift kept to LOLER and PUWER standards will probably satisfy it.

  Source: L113 paras 28(d), 47 and 48; HSE machinery FAQs (lifts)

• Patient hoists (mobile, ceiling track, bath hoists, stand and raising aids)Yes

  Interval: 6 months

  Hoists used to lift people from a bed or bath in hospitals and care homes are provided for use at work, so LOLER applies, on the 6-month interval for equipment that lifts people. The exception is equipment a person buys for their own use at home, or that a community equipment provider loans for use by the person, their family or unpaid carers: that is not work equipment. More: LOLER for hoists and slings in care homes

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a)(i); L113 paras 28(o), 50 and 51; HSIS4 annex

• StairliftsDepends

  Interval: 6 months

  Yes where it is work equipment, for example in a care home: HSE's health and social care sheet lists stair lifts as lifting equipment needing a thorough examination at least every 6 months. No in a private home, where it is not used by people at work.

  Source: HSIS4 annex; HSE LOLER overview

• MEWPs and scissor liftsYes

  Interval: 6 months

  Mobile elevating work platforms lift people, so they are on the 6-month interval.

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a)(i); L113 para 28(i)

• Forklift trucksYes

  Interval: 12 months

  Lift trucks are lifting equipment. HSE says the lifting chains, forks, mast and cylinders and fork attachments are thoroughly examined at 12-month intervals or as an examination scheme sets. Brakes, lights and other parts are inspected under PUWER, including daily pre-use checks.

  Source: L113 paras 28(b) and 340; HSE machinery FAQs (fork-lift trucks)

• Telehandlers (telescopic handlers)Yes

  Interval: 6 or 12 months

  A telescopic handler is a type of lift truck: 12 months as lifting equipment, and 6 months when it is used with a working platform to lift people. More: LOLER on construction sites

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a); L113 paras 28(b) and 132

• Excavators used for liftingDepends

  Interval: 12 months

  Yes when an excavator (or other earth-moving machine) is adapted to lift using lifting attachments such as forks, grabs or magnets, or lifts loads on its lifting point; not when it is digging. HSE says lifting must be permitted by the manufacturer, on dedicated lifting points with SWL markings, and the machine thoroughly examined. The chains and shackles used with it are accessories on 6 months. More: Does an excavator need a LOLER?

  Source: L113 para 28(n); HSE machinery FAQs (excavators)

• Vehicle tail liftsYes

  Interval: 6 or 12 months

  L113 lists vehicle tail lifts as lifting equipment. A tail lift that lifts goods is on 12 months; one used to lift people is on 6.

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a); L113 para 28(u)

• Cranes (overhead, mobile, tower, lorry loaders)Yes

  Interval: 12 months

  Lifting equipment on the 12-month interval. A crane whose safety depends on how it is installed, such as a tower crane, is also examined after installation and after assembly at each new site, before use. More: Crane examination intervals

  Source: Regulation 9(2) and 9(3)(a)(ii); L113 paras 28(a), 28(p) and 303

• Chain blocks and pull-liftsYes

  Interval: 12 months

  A chain block is lifting machinery, not an accessory: HSE names manually operated chain blocks as lifting equipment, and L113 lists pull-lifts. That puts the block itself on 12 months unless it lifts people or a scheme sets otherwise. The slings and shackles used with it are accessories on 6 months.

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a)(ii); L113 para 28(f); HSE LOLER overview

• Slings, shackles, eyebolts, chains and lifting beamsYes

  Interval: 6 months

  Accessories for lifting: equipment for attaching loads to machinery for lifting. Every accessory is on 6 months, including hoist slings. Two exceptions: an eyebolt permanently fixed in the load is part of the load, and an eyebolt fixed to a building to anchor fall-arrest equipment is part of the building.

  Source: Regulations 2(1) and 9(3)(a)(i); L113 paras 29, 32(e), 32(g) and 201

• Ladders and stepladdersNo

  A ladder is used to reach or work at height, not to lift or lower a load, so it is not lifting equipment. It is work equipment under PUWER, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (Schedule 6) set when a ladder may be used. A hoist or pulley rigged to raise materials is a different matter: that is lifting equipment.

  Source: Regulation 2(1); L113 para 28(e); Work at Height Regulations 2005, Schedule 6

• Conveyor beltsNo

  Named by L113 as not covered by LOLER. PUWER applies instead, including inspection and maintenance where the conveyor is used at work.

  Source: L113 paras 32(a) and 33; HSE LOLER overview

• Vehicle lifts (vehicle inspection hoists)Yes

  Interval: 12 months

  Garage vehicle inspection hoists lift vehicles, not people, so they are on 12 months.

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a)(ii); L113 para 28(h); HSE machinery FAQs

• Goods lifts and dumb waitersYes

  Interval: 12 months

  Lifts used only for goods are on 12 months; HSE's FAQ sets 6 months for a lift that carries people and 12 for goods only.

  Source: Regulation 9(3)(a)(ii); L113 paras 28(d) and 28(e); HSE machinery FAQs (lifts)

• Pallet trucksDepends

  Interval: 12 months

  High-lift pallet trucks, manual or powered, that can raise the forks above 300 mm are lifting equipment. A simple pallet truck that only raises the load just clear of the ground is not; PUWER applies to it.

  Source: L113 para 28(c); HSE LOLER overview

• Escalators and moving walkwaysNo

  LOLER does not apply to escalators. They fall under regulation 19 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and PUWER where used at work.

  Source: L113 para 34; HSE LOLER overview

• Profiling beds, riser recliner chairs and dentist chairsNo

  Height adjustment is not their principal function, so they are not lifting equipment. PUWER still requires them to be maintained.

  Source: HSIS4 (and its annex); L113 para 32(f)

“6 or 12 months”: 6 months while the equipment is used to lift people, 12 months otherwise. Paragraph numbers are from L113, second edition.

Lifting equipment versus lifting accessories

The difference sets the interval. Lifting equipment does the lifting: a hoist, a crane, a chain block. An accessory attaches the load to it: a sling, a shackle, a removable eyebolt, a lifting beam (regulation 2(1); L113 paragraphs 29 and 201). Every accessory is on 6 months, even when the machine it hangs from is on 12. A hoist sling is an accessory in its own right, with its own examination and its own report, which is why a care home’s hoists and slings are tracked item by item.

When LOLER does not apply

• Equipment whose principal function is not lifting. L113 (paragraphs 30 to 32) names a tractor’s three-point linkage, conveyor belts, winching a load that stays on the ground, roller shutter doors, tipper trucks, eyebolts permanently fixed in the load, dentist chairs, and fall-arrest equipment including the eyebolts that anchor it to a building. HSE adds that height adjustment alone does not make a bed or chair lifting equipment (HSIS4).
• Escalators, which are covered by regulation 19 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 instead (L113 paragraph 34).
• Equipment not provided for use at work (L113 paragraph 35): a residents’ lift in a block of flats, a stairlift in a private home, or hoists bought by, or loaned by a community equipment provider to, a person for use at home (paragraph 51). An employer whose staff use such equipment still has to keep them safe, and may need to provide alternative equipment or make sure it is maintained.
• Ships’ lifting equipment is generally covered by merchant shipping law instead (HSE’s LOLER overview).

In every one of these cases, if the equipment is used at work, PUWER still applies: suitable, maintained, inspected where deterioration could cause danger, and used by trained people.

Frequently asked questions

What is lifting equipment under LOLER?

Regulation 2(1) of LOLER 1998 defines lifting equipment as work equipment for lifting or lowering loads, including its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. A load includes a person. An accessory for lifting is lifting equipment for attaching loads to machinery for lifting, such as a sling or shackle.

Does LOLER apply to equipment that is not used at work?

No. LOLER applies to lifting equipment provided for use or used at work. A lift in a block of flats provided for residents, or a stairlift in a private home, is not work equipment (L113 paragraph 48; HSE's LOLER overview). Section 3 or 4 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 may still require it to be safe.

Does an excavator need a LOLER thorough examination?

When it is used for lifting, yes. L113 (paragraph 28(n)) lists an excavator adapted to lift using lifting attachments, but not when used for normal earth-moving. HSE says lifting must be permitted by the manufacturer, on dedicated lifting points with safe working load markings, and the machine must have had a thorough examination.

Is a ladder covered by LOLER?

No. A ladder is for reaching or working at height, not for lifting or lowering loads, so it is not lifting equipment under regulation 2(1). Ladders are work equipment under PUWER, and Schedule 6 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 sets requirements for their use.

If LOLER does not apply, is there nothing to do?

Usually there is still PUWER. HSE's L113 (paragraph 33) says a similar level of safety is required by PUWER for work equipment that LOLER does not cover, and HSE's LOLER overview names escalators, many conveyor systems and simple pallet trucks as examples that stay under PUWER, including inspection and maintenance.

Related: how often LOLER inspections are needed, does an excavator need a LOLER, LOLER 1998 explained, LOLER, PUWER and PSSR compared, LOLER inspection guide.