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The short answer: every six months for passenger lifts. But the question building managers most often get wrong is not the frequency — it’s the distinction between a maintenance visit and a LOLER thorough examination. These are two different obligations, requiring two different engineers, carrying two different legal weights. I’m Ross Darcy, Operations Manager at Future Lift Services. We carry out both maintenance and independent LOLER examinations across Essex and London. The confusion between the two is the most common compliance gap we find when we assess a new client’s lift records.
A lift owner must be aware of and adhere to a number of requirements when it comes to lifts. You are a ‘duty holder’ under LOLER if you are a lift owner or someone else accountable for the safe operation of a passenger lift used at work, such as a facilities manager or supervisor. This means that if you are the duty holder, it is your legal obligation to make sure that the lift has been completely inspected and is secure for use by everyone.
According to HSE figures, 266 people have been injured in lift related accidents since 2002, but accidents like this can be completely avoidable if your lift undergoes a regular thorough examination and lift servicing.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how often passenger lifts should be inspected and what happens during these examinations.
How Often Should a Passenger Lift Be Inspected?
The LOLER inspection frequency is as follows:
The LOLER legislation mandates that all passenger lifts be thoroughly inspected at least once every six months if they are used to transport people at all; once every twelve months if they solely move loads; after important and substantial adjustments or repairs have been done; or whenever the lift has been damaged.
Regular lift inspections may also supplement these full lift inspections. These extra inspections should be performed at appropriate times, and capable, qualified staff may perform them ‘in-house.’ Inspections often include aesthetic and functional inspections, such as making sure the lift doors cannot be opened from the landing side and that the alarm interlocks function properly.
The Maintenance Visit vs. LOLER Examination: Why They Are Not the Same
This is the most important distinction in lift compliance, and it’s widely misunderstood. A maintenance visit is carried out by your lift contractor — it is a servicing task: lubricating components, adjusting door contacts, cleaning, and checking function. A LOLER thorough examination is a legal obligation under LOLER Regulation 9. It must be carried out by an independent competent person — not the same party who maintains the lift. The examination is a systematic inspection of every safety-critical component against a checklist. It produces a written report that carries legal weight. If your lift company carries out both maintenance and their own LOLER examination of the same lift, the independence requirement is compromised. FLS carries out examinations on lifts maintained by other contractors, and can be engaged as the independent competent person even where we have no maintenance relationship with the client.
What Are the Current Lifting Equipment Regulations in the UK?
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) govern the use of lifting equipment in the UK, including passenger lifts, to ensure they are safe for use and properly maintained.
Under LOLER, all lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly planned, supervised by a competent person, and carried out safely.
Passenger lifts, in particular, must undergo thorough examinations by a qualified professional at legally defined intervals. These inspections are designed to check the integrity of mechanical components, identify any deterioration or wear and tear, and ensure that all lift components are operating as intended.
LOLER works alongside PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998), which ensures that lifts are suitable for their intended use and kept in good condition through regular lift servicing. Together, these regulations form the foundation of safe lift operation and compliance in the UK.
Lift Inspections and Thorough Examinations Should Include the Checks Below:
Lift doors and their interlocks; worm and other gearing; main drive system components; governors; safety gear; suspension ropes; overload protection devices; electrical devices (including earthing, earth bonding, safety devices, selection of fuses); braking systems (including buffers and overspeed devices); hydraulics; and pulleys.
What Each Inspection Item Is Actually Looking For
For duty holders who want to understand what their examination report should be covering, here is what each of the main inspection items involves in practice: Door interlocks — mechanical and electrical function tested; door cannot be opened from landing side when car is not present. Safety gear — engagement and release tested; should arrest the car within specified distance. Suspension ropes — diameter measured and compared to worn limit; number of broken wires per lay length counted; elongation checked against new rope datum. Governors — calibration verified against manufacturer specification; trigger speed confirmed. Brake — manual brake release tested; stopping distance from rated speed confirmed. Buffer condition — inspection for corrosion, deformation, and correct stroke. Overload device — tested to confirm lift will not travel with load exceeding rated capacity. All electrical safety circuits — continuity and correct function confirmed. A compliant LOLER report documents findings for every one of these items, not just a pass/fail summary.
What Happens During a Lift Inspection?
The competent person would typically decide which tests are necessary, taking into account the pertinent guidelines and standards and analysing the risks while taking into account variables like the location and frequency of usage of the lift, its age and condition, the weight of the loads to be lifted, etc.
A thorough assessment may involve some testing if the competent individual feels it is essential. Depending on the kind, age, distance travelled, and state of the lift, they can take anywhere from one to three hours.
The examiner then informs the lift owner and, if necessary, a Health and Safety Executive about the examination and any required corrective action.
What Is Passenger Lift Servicing?
During a lift service, an engineer will perform a number of tests, exams, and inspections on the lift’s safety features to ensure that all parts and accessories are in good working order.
They frequently clean, lubricate, and adjust parts during the process to boost performance, and thereafter, they usually give information on any possible repairs or enhancements that may need to be made. After that, a written report is supplied to you to include in your lift maintenance log.
The report must meet the following criteria in order to comply with the law: identify the premises, the employer, and the equipment checked; mention the date and time of the most recent inspection and the deadline for the following one; describe the lift’s operating load; give justifications for the in-depth investigation; recognise any flaws or dangers; specify any repairs, upgrades, or modifications that are necessary; and provide information on any tests that were conducted.
How to Tell If Your Existing LOLER Reports Are Compliant
We regularly assess incoming clients’ lift documentation and find that a significant proportion of reports issued by other providers are missing one or more mandatory fields. If you are uncertain about your existing documentation, contact us for a free documentation review.
Get an Expert LOLER Inspection From Future Lift Services
We hope you have found this guide to lift inspections and lift servicing helpful and you are now aware and able to comply with all rules and regulations.
Future Lift Services has fully qualified engineers who can serve as your designated ‘competent person’ to thoroughly inspect all of your lifting equipment (regardless of the brand or model) and provide recommendations for repair. Subsequently, a different maintenance engineer would do the work.
If your company makes use of passenger lifts, platform lifts, or other access equipment that elevates people, we can help with leading LOLER testing and certification. We are CHAS accredited, SMAS WorkSafe approved and SafeContractor certified, and we serve Essex and London South East.
Book your free, no-obligation quote today with Future Lift Services, a leading lift company based in London and Essex.
How Often Should a Passenger Lift Be Inspected FAQs
How often does a lift have to be inspected?
Thorough inspections of lifting equipment and any related accessories used to lift people should be done every six months, unless there is an ‘examination scheme’ establishing different intervals. The examination must be carried out by an independent competent person — not the same party that maintains the lift.
How often should a passenger lift be serviced in the UK?
Current UK law mandates a lift service or maintenance visit at least once every six months if the installation is transporting passengers and once every twelve months if the lift is solely used for goods. However, these are simply minimal requirements and should be regarded as such.
Are LOLER inspections a legal requirement?
Yes. LOLER inspections are required by law under The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Failure to comply can result in HSE enforcement action, including improvement notices, prohibition notices, and prosecution with unlimited fines.