Understanding PUWER and LOLER Regulations: Key Differences

Last updated: July 24, 2026

For most lifts and lifting machinery on a work site, this usually isn’t an either/or choice. In our experience on the tools, both sets of regulations tend to apply together. Our engineers at Future Lift Services work with property and facilities managers to make these safety regulations practical, folding the legal duties into everyday lift maintenance, lift repair, and passenger lift servicing so sites stay safe and audit ready, with downtime kept as low as we can reasonably manage. Treating them as sensible safety measures rather than box-ticking tends to give the best result.

PUWER vs LOLER: Which Framework Applies to Your Lifts?

PUWER applies to work equipment. LOLER applies to lifting equipment and lifting operations. In practice, if you use lifts or other lifting machinery at work, both sets of regulations will usually apply together — PUWER covers the safe use of work equipment in general, while LOLER adds specific duties for lifting equipment and for how lifting operations are planned and supervised.

For passenger and goods lifts used by people at work, you’ll generally need to plan lifting operations, keep lifting equipment safe and correctly installed, and arrange thorough examinations by a competent person at suitable intervals. As a starting point, HSE sets minimum default intervals of every 6 months for equipment used to lift persons and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment — unless a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person specifies different intervals (HSE, thorough examinations of lifting equipment). Additional examinations are also needed after exceptional circumstances.

One point worth flagging: LOLER and PUWER apply where lifts are provided for, or used by, people at work. Some lifts used only by the public may not fall under either, though the duty holder still has responsibilities for their safety under other health and safety laws (HSE, passenger lifts).

For property and facilities managers, this tends to mean building an in-house policy that integrates the work equipment regulations and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 into your wider workplace safety system, taking account of the supporting HSE ACOPs (L22 for PUWER and L113 for LOLER, with INDG339 giving plain-English guidance specific to lifts). 

Use risk assessment — including more thorough risk assessments where duty is heavy — to help set a LOLER compliance checklist, minimise risks, and prevent accidents so far as is reasonably practicable. Clear safety protocols and good records help maintain compliance and ensure safety over time.

What PUWER Covers in a Lift Environment

PUWER is about the safe use of work equipment. In short, PUWER requires that equipment is suitable for its intended use, maintained in such a way that risks are controlled, and regularly inspected where deterioration could create a hazard. In a lift environment, that reaches beyond the lift itself to tools used by our lift engineers, plant room electrics, communication systems, and other workplace equipment used around the lift.

Core duties under PUWER, as we apply them day to day:

• Suitable, safe equipment: provide safe equipment that suits the intended use — for example, an isolation switch rated for the lift motor room’s load and environment.
• Adequate training and supervision: those using or maintaining equipment should have adequate training, with training accompanied by supervision until they’re competent.
• Protective and emergency controls: fit emergency stop devices, protective devices, guarding, and warning devices where the risk warrants them, and test them during preventive maintenance.
• Inspections and records: carry out PUWER inspections at suitable intervals set by risk assessment and equipment type. In practice you conduct regular inspections and record defects and remedial actions; equipment exposed to harsh conditions should be regularly inspected so potential hazards are caught early.
• Conformity and markings: where relevant, equipment provided should carry the appropriate conformity markings, clearly visible — for example, UKCA or CE labels on new control panels.

What LOLER Adds for Lifting Equipment and Operations

LOLER applies to lifting equipment and lifting operations, and those lifting operations should be planned and supervised by a competent person. The LOLER regulations place duties on employers and others in control of lifting equipment: each item should have adequate strength and stability for its intended use — enough to safely lift and for lowering loads — with the safe working load marked using clearly visible markings. This applies to passenger lifts, goods lifts, vehicle lifts, hoists, and lifting accessories used with lifting machinery — such equipment sits at the heart of LOLER, and making sure such lifting equipment undergoes examination on time is central to the regime.

Where there’s no written examination scheme in place, HSE’s default minimum intervals are:

• Lifting equipment used for lifting persons, and all lifting accessories: at least every 6 months.
• Other lifting equipment: at least every 12 months.
• After exceptional circumstances (overload, collision, flooding, or a significant repair): an additional thorough examination.

These are minimums — a competent person can set different intervals, commonly shorter, within a written examination scheme. Operations and lifting equipment should be planned, organised, and supervised to help ensure compliance with LOLER requirements and reduce safety risks; for passenger lifts, that includes rescue planning. Keep a written examination scheme where one is used, retain reports of thorough examinations and defect notifications, and track remedial actions to maintain compliance with the LOLER and PUWER legislation.

LOLER Inspections

Where PUWER Stops Short for Lifting Operations

PUWER covers work equipment broadly, but it doesn’t tell you how to plan a lift or how thorough examinations of lifting equipment should be carried out — which is largely why LOLER exists alongside it. PUWER doesn’t set out SWL markings or the formal planning of lifting operations, and it doesn’t require a written examination scheme or the appointment of a competent person specifically for lifting tasks. Relying on PUWER alone, you could miss the requirements that help protect persons being lifted, control the risk of loads falling freely, and provide for independent thorough examinations at suitable intervals.

For example, a forklift with a cage attachment falls to PUWER for the safe use of the truck and its guarding, but the lifting operation and the associated lifting accessories bring in LOLER — planning, SWL compliance, and a competent person’s oversight.

Common LOLER Pitfalls in Buildings and Logistics

LOLER calls for planning and supervision, but compliance can still slip if the basics aren’t kept up. Recurring issues we help clients put right:

• Missing SWL plates or conformity markings on older lifts. Action: fit SWL and ID plates with clearly visible markings, check the UKCA or CE documentation, and update the asset register.
• Misreading the intended use or equipment type. Action: review the use of work equipment against the manufacturer’s guidance; if equipment is used to safely lift people, treat it accordingly under LOLER.
• Not confirming adequate strength after modifications. Action: trigger a competent person review, and update the written examination scheme after changes to controls, guide shoes, or suspension systems.
• Weak appointment of a competent person. Action: use an independent examiner with relevant experience, suitable health, and appropriate insurance, so there’s no conflict of interest.
• Skipping checks after exceptional circumstances. Action: carry out an immediate risk assessment and arrange an additional thorough examination before returning equipment to service.

PUWER vs LOLER Across Common Lift Use Cases

A lot of lifting equipment needs to meet both sets of regulations. Where both regulations apply, LOLER and PUWER together support equipment safety and regulatory compliance. How we tend to apply them, always subject to the site’s risk assessment:

• Passenger lifts (residential blocks, hotels): where used by people at work, 6-monthly thorough examinations under LOLER, plus PUWER-led routine checks, maintenance logs, and emergency stop device testing built into passenger lift servicing. Both usually apply.
• Goods lifts (retail, logistics): LOLER 12-monthly thorough examinations where not lifting persons, with risk assessment deciding whether to tighten the PUWER inspection interval under heavy duty. Both usually apply, with PUWER often driving shorter-interval checks.
• Vehicle lifts (garages): LOLER thorough examinations at 6 or 12 months depending on configuration — 6-monthly is common where people may be under or on the raised load. PUWER covers controls, guarding, and safe access. Both usually apply.
• Forklifts and MEWPs as lifting machinery: PUWER applies broadly to the use of work equipment; LOLER applies when used for lifting operations, particularly lifting persons or using lifting accessories. Often both apply, with the heavier burden where persons are lifted.

PUWER and LOLER Side by Side

Topic	PUWER regulations	LOLER regulations
Scope	Work equipment and workplace equipment across sectors	Lifting equipment and lifting operations
Core duty	Equipment is safe, correctly installed, maintained, and used as intended	Operations planned and supervised; equipment has its safe working load marked and adequate strength
Inspections	PUWER inspections at suitable intervals set by risk assessment and equipment type — daily, weekly, or per in-house policy	Thorough examinations by a competent person; HSE default minimums of 6 months for lifting persons and lifting accessories, 12 months for other lifting equipment, or per an examination scheme; extra after exceptional circumstances
Controls	Emergency stop devices, protective devices, guarding, warning devices, appropriate conformity markings	Planning and method statements, supervision, examination reports, defect reporting, clearly visible SWL markings
Responsibility	Employers and users under the work equipment regulations	Employers, duty holders, and those in control of operations and lifting equipment

Note: for lifts and most lifting machinery used at work, the regulations generally apply together.

Scheduling Inspections at Suitable Intervals

A workable approach: first classify each asset — lifting persons, other lifting equipment, or non-lifting work equipment — and record its equipment type and intended use. Then set baseline intervals from the HSE defaults (6 months for lifting persons and lifting accessories; at least 12 months for other lifting equipment), while treating PUWER inspections as risk-led and set by duty, environment, and associated risks. Where it helps, ask a competent person to draw up a written examination scheme covering scope, functional tests, adequate strength checks, and the triggers for examination after exceptional circumstances.

Build preventive maintenance between examinations and, where practical, sync passenger lift servicing and goods lift maintenance with workload to avoid peak-time outages. Retain LOLER reports, PUWER inspection logs, defect notifications, and close-out evidence to support compliance for the enforcing authority (the safety executive) and insurers. Combining preventive maintenance and LOLER examination windows where practical also cuts repeat site visits and call-outs.

Choosing a Competent Person

A thorough examination is only as good as the examiner, so look for independence, sound knowledge, and hands-on experience with the specific lifting equipment: working knowledge of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, the relevant BS EN standards, and the LOLER requirements; practical experience with the specific lift model or type of lifting machinery; independence from the routine maintenance works; and evidence of qualifications, suitable health, ongoing CPD, and professional indemnity insurance.

A split of roles that works well is an internal responsible person overseeing the use of work equipment, daily PUWER checks, and site risk management, alongside an external competent person delivering the LOLER thorough examinations and issuing independent reports. Where an examination flags an actionable defect — worn suspension ropes, say — take the lift out of service if the risk is immediate, schedule lift repair or modernisation works, then confirm with a post-repair thorough examination before returning it to service.

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Records, Markings, and Equipment Selection

Your files and plates tell the story, so keep them complete and current: SWL plates and ID tags with clearly visible markings; CE or UKCA conformity markings where relevant; and LOLER reports, maintenance logs, PUWER inspection records, and training evidence retained for audit. 

Choose safe equipment with adequate strength, correctly installed for its intended use, and review the other equipment around the lift too — access platforms and mobile work equipment used by contractors, for instance. Test emergency stop devices, protective devices, and warning devices, record the results, and confirm the safety circuits work to help prevent loads from falling freely.

Skipping LOLER checks can carry serious consequences — improvement or prohibition notices and, in serious cases, hefty fines and other financial penalties — so good documentation, sound practice, and prompt rectification are the surest way to stay on the right side of it and keep expert guidance close when you need it.

Future Lift Services: Independent, Engineer-Led Support

We’re an independent provider working across London, Essex, and the South East, offering unbiased multi-brand solutions, qualified lift engineers in London using advanced diagnostic tools, and a 24/7 emergency lift call-out. We design tailored maintenance plans intended to help maintain compliance with LOLER and PUWER, aligned with your in-house policy, with transparent quotes and free, no-obligation surveys.

Call, email, or request a site survey to book a compliance review and schedule your next LOLER examination.

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