UK law states that any business that owns or employs lifting equipment has to comply with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), which requires that lifting equipment must be inspected at regular intervals. However, in our experience with procurement teams and facilities managers, LOLER compliance is seen more as a formality, rather than the safeguard for operational and safety risks that it should be. A more comprehensive understanding of the regulations could help businesses avoid unscheduled downtimes, insurance claims that will be denied, and injuries.
LOLER covers a broad spectrum of equipment used at warehouses, construction sites, and factories, including electric hoists, chain blocks, wire rope slings, eye bolts, and cantilever racking. If the lifting equipment is used for lifting people, it should be inspected every 6 months. If the lifting equipment is used for lifting loads only, it has to be inspected at least every 12 months, or in accordance with a schedule set by a qualified person. Accessories such as eye bolts, slings, and shackles are often required to be inspected every 6 months because they are more prone to wear, rust, and mechanical damage due to handling.
What should be clear is that detailed examinations are not the same thing as routine maintenance or pre-use checks. Written reports from qualified examiners – people who are trained and have the knowledge and impartiality to make independent evaluations – are necessary to determine whether equipment can remain in service, whether it can be repaired by a certain date, or whether it must be taken out of service right away. These reports are part of your audit trail and may be requested by the Health and Safety Executive after an incident.
Selecting equipment that is compliant with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) from the start is a way to make future inspections easier. On the other hand, Grade 80 chains and slings with permanent identification, traceable certification wire rope, and mean documentation hoists, are less of an admin burden to your engineering/facilities team. As a result, unmarked or undocumented second-hand equipment is a false economy; a competent person may be unable to determine safe working loads/history of the equipment and, consequently, equipment may be condemned that should have been approved.
Including LOLER thinking in your storage and handling processes is important. Cantilever racking is used to hold long and awkward loads such as steel bars and pipes. These racks must be evaluated to identify how they fit into your overall equipment handling inspection framework, especially when it comes to the use of load-moving equipment and overhead cranes. Unmaintained or poorly maintained racking arms and bases can create risks associated with lifting operations nearby.
For facility managers with multiple locations, LOLER records can be completed and centralised digitally, examination dates can be flagged, and strategic partnerships can be created with a few trusted competent people for your equipment (rather than relying on ad hoc inspections). This approach helps ensure compliance and systematic communication reduces the chances of developing issues.
Because lifting failures can be extremely dangerous, LOLER regulation helps to ensure lifting operations are safe. Companies that take a proactive approach to include inspection schedules for their equipment in the procurement and maintenance planning tend to have a higher level of operational efficiency and compliance than companies that take a reactive approach.