Last updated: July 15, 2026

Every lift owner knows LOLER. Most could tell you the headline frequency — every six months for passenger lifts. What very few know is what actually happens during those six months between inspections, what a thorough examination looks at specifically, and what the difference is between a compliant examination and one that would not hold up under HSE scrutiny. I’m Ross Darcy, Operations Manager at Future Lift Services. We carry out LOLER statutory examinations across Essex and London as an independent competent person — separate from any maintenance contract. This guide is built from that examination work.

If your business uses lifting equipment, you’ve probably heard of LOLER — the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. These rules are all about keeping your team safe and making sure your equipment is fit for purpose. One key part of staying compliant is making time for regular LOLER lift inspections.

Whether it’s a passenger lift, access platform, or window cleaning equipment, it all needs to be checked over by a competent person as part of a proper examination scheme. LOLER inspections aren’t just a box-ticking exercise — they help prevent serious accidents, reduce downtime, and can even save you from hefty fines.

In this guide, we’ll explain what’s involved in a LOLER test, how often you need to inspect lifting equipment, and why keeping up with inspections should be a top priority.

What Is a LOLER Test for Lifting Equipment?

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 mandates that all lifting equipment and accessories must undergo a LOLER statutory inspection. A so-called ‘competent person’ is required to conduct tests. This competent person possesses the necessary credentials, experience, and expertise, which change depending on the workplace.

For their lifting equipment, many customers opt for external maintenance, repair, and testing services because a professional person will be unbiased and impartial.

Utilisation and Suitability

In this stage of the LOLER test, the equipment’s environment, frequency of usage, and weight capacity are evaluated. It is also a chance to determine whether lifting equipment is appropriate for its intended use. Lifting equipment must be placed in a location with minimum or no lifting of loads over humans. Additionally, any movement of the equipment must be protected by guard rails, barriers, or other types of enclosures.

Weight Capacity

The LOLER test’s weight test is likely its most crucial component. Proof load testing entails determining whether the apparatus can support the necessary weight, such as in a passenger lift that can accommodate a given number of passengers.

Planning and Operations

In order to pass the LOLER exam, you must ensure that your lifting activities are safely planned, supervised, organised, and carried out. This involves evaluating any emergency or breakdown procedures for passenger lifts and goods lifts. The HSE mandates that equipment be properly labelled with its safe working loads.

What FLS Actually Checks During a LOLER Thorough Examination

The regulatory list of inspection items is broad. In practice, for a standard commercial passenger lift, our examination covers all of the following: car and landing door interlock operation and adjustment; worm gearing and drive system condition; governor condition and calibration date; safety gear engagement test; suspension rope diameter, number of broken wires, and elongation; overload protection device testing; full electrical check including earthing continuity, fuse selection, and safety circuit integrity; brake test including buffer impact simulation; hydraulic pressure circuit (where applicable); and sheave groove wear measurement. The examination typically takes 1.5–3 hours depending on the age and complexity of the lift. Any defect is classified as either requiring immediate withdrawal from service or remedial action within a specified period, and a written report is issued within 24 hours.

When Should I Have LOLER Inspections for My Lifting Operations?

Inspections by the LOLER become less difficult if you understand what your equipment requires to be compliant. It is critical to be aware of when each type of equipment is scheduled for inspection because inspection intervals for various types of equipment vary.

According to LOLER, this should be done every six months for any lifting apparatus and any auxiliary items used to raise people. These include window cleaning equipment, passenger elevators, and access platforms.

The time period is also every six months for any lifting accessories (such as anchoring and fixing).

All other lifting equipment should be inspected once every 12 months. Cranes, forklifts, lifting jacks, and other pieces of equipment that aren’t meant to raise people are a few examples of this type.

When Six Months Is Not Enough

The six-month interval is the minimum. Under LOLER Regulation 9(1)(b), a competent person may determine that a shorter interval is appropriate based on the conditions of use. We apply this to passenger lifts in environments with high-intensity usage (over 300 trips per day), exposure to dust, humidity or temperature extremes, or a history of defects at previous examinations. In our Essex and London South East territory, we have several hotel and healthcare site clients where we carry out quarterly examinations by agreement with the duty holder — not because the law requires it, but because the risk profile justifies it. If your lift is in a high-use environment, ask your competent person whether the standard six-month interval is appropriate for your specific installation.

Who Does LOLER Apply To?

The LOLER Regulations apply to anyone who owns, operates, or controls lifting equipment in the workplace. That’s a wide range of businesses and industries. Whether you’re using a small mobile hoist, a forklift, or a full-scale passenger lift, if the equipment is used to lift or lower loads, LOLER almost certainly applies.

You must comply with LOLER if: you are an employer or self-employed person providing work equipment for use at work; you have control over lifting equipment — even if you don’t own it; your employees or contractors use lifting accessories such as slings, shackles, or hooks; you operate equipment used to lift people, such as passenger lifts or mobile access platforms; or you manage a building that houses lifting equipment under your control.

LOLER applies across a variety of industries, including construction and building sites, warehouses and logistics centres, office and commercial buildings, hospitals and care facilities, retail environments with goods lifts, and hospitality venues using platform or service lifts.

What Are Your Responsibilities Under LOLER?

Meeting LOLER inspection requirements means making sure equipment is strong, stable, and suitable for the task; positioned or installed to prevent risk; clearly marked with safe working loads; and subject to routine testing and inspections by a competent person.

You must also carry out a risk assessment and ensure that LOLER inspectors complete thorough examinations at the required intervals. A passenger lift should be inspected every 6 months, but more frequent inspections may be needed under exceptional circumstances, such as equipment used in harsh conditions or after major repairs.

What Happens During Your LOLER Inspection?

An experienced inspector will visit your company to conduct the inspection, which has three stages: visual examination; measurements of wear; and non-destructive testing.

If an issue is found that the inspector believes might endanger people, you will be alerted immediately. As soon as you become aware, you must take steps to reduce the danger by highlighting the flaw and prohibiting the use of the apparatus until it has been fixed.

Even if the flaw is repaired right away, it is advised to document it. This is necessary so that you can monitor all equipment testing and keep track of any flaws in case they come up again.

What a Compliant LOLER Examination Report Must Include

Many duty holders receive examination reports that look official but fall short of LOLER requirements. A compliant written report must include: the identity of the lifting equipment and the premises where it is located; the date of the thorough examination and the date when the next one is due; the safe working load; identification of any defect that is an existing or potential danger; details of any test carried out and the result; and the signature and credentials of the competent person. A report that omits any of these elements does not fulfil the duty holder’s legal obligation. We issue examination reports within 24 hours of inspection and they include all required fields plus a photographic record of any defects noted.

Why Is It Important to Schedule LOLER Inspections?

Employee safety and preventing serious injuries ought to be your top priorities. However, failing to complete LOLER inspections can lead to further issues that impact not only your employees but also your organisation.

In recent years, hypothetical risk of injury has replaced actual harm as the consequence of incomplete LOLER inspections. This implies that your business will suffer substantial repercussions even if no one is hurt while using non-compliant equipment. These typically include a sizable fine.

Under the revised, tougher regime that is less forgiving of businesses that don’t comply, fines as a whole have climbed. This should serve as a severe reminder to businesses that any violation of LOLER might result in a fine that most corporations would find difficult to pay.

The Real Exposure: What Non-Compliance Actually Costs

Under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, HSE inspectors can issue improvement notices, prohibition notices, and refer cases for prosecution. Unlimited fines are available in the Crown Court. For context, HSE fines for equipment-related health and safety breaches regularly reach five and six figures for SME businesses. A prohibition notice that takes a passenger lift out of service in a residential block creates immediate legal obligations around alternative access provision — especially relevant under the Equality Act 2010 for residents with mobility limitations. We have attended buildings where emergency reinstatement after a prohibition notice cost the freeholder more in total than five years of scheduled inspections would have.

Get an Expert LOLER Inspection From Future Lift Services

We provide a top-notch installation and maintenance service for lifts in workplaces, public structures, and other types of commercial buildings.

We can assist with leading LOLER testing and certification if your organisation uses platform lifts, passenger lifts, or other types of access equipment that elevates people. Our engineers are CHAS accredited and operate as independent competent persons for LOLER examinations across Essex and London South East — fully separate from maintenance contracts, ensuring the impartiality the regulation requires.

LOLER Inspection FAQs

Is LOLER mandatory?

These Regulations impose obligations on individuals and organisations who own, operate, or are under the control of lifting equipment. This encompasses all companies and organisations, whether the equipment is owned by them or not, whose workers use lifting equipment.

How often should lifting equipment be inspected?

Depending on whether the lifting equipment is intended to lift people or not, you can arrange for the thorough examination to be performed either at regular intervals (at least every 6 months for people-lifting equipment, or 12 months for goods-only) or in accordance with an examination schedule created by a qualified individual.

Who is responsible for LOLER inspections?

Qualified individuals must perform inspections of lifting equipment in accordance with LOLER 1998. A competent individual is one who possesses the necessary training, expertise, and understanding to fully comprehend what they are seeking. Your in-house maintenance team cannot serve as the competent person for their own equipment — the examination must be independent.

Your LOLER Inspection Frequency Guide