Updated 5 March 2026 · 6 sections
Complete guide to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) for UK construction sites. Covers thorough examinations, lifting plans, and compliance.
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) apply to all lifting equipment used at work, including cranes, hoists, lifts, fork-lift trucks, telehandlers, excavators used for lifting, and all lifting accessories (chains, slings, shackles, eyebolts). In construction, LOLER is one of the most commonly enforced sets of regulations because lifting operations are frequent and the consequences of failure are typically catastrophic.
LOLER requires that all lifting equipment receives a thorough examination by a competent person: before first use (unless accompanied by a current report from the manufacturer), every 6 months for equipment used to lift persons and all lifting accessories, every 12 months for all other lifting equipment, and after any exceptional circumstances (damage, prolonged non-use, major repair). The thorough examination is more rigorous than a routine inspection. it must be performed by someone with sufficient expertise (typically from an insurance company inspection service or specialist engineering firm).
Every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, supervised, and carried out in a safe manner. For routine lifts, the lifting plan may be incorporated into the RAMS. For complex, heavy, or tandem lifts, a detailed lifting plan produced by an appointed person (AP) is required. The plan must cover: the weight and dimensions of the load, the lifting equipment to be used and its rated capacity, the ground conditions and any slope, the radius and height of the lift, wind speed limits, exclusion zones, and the sequence of operations.
If a thorough examination identifies a defect that is or could become a danger to persons, the competent person must notify the employer immediately and, if the defect involves an existing danger, must also notify the relevant enforcing authority (HSE) by sending the report within 28 days. The employer must ensure that the equipment is not used until the defect is rectified. Failure to act on a thorough examination report is one of the most common LOLER enforcement actions on construction sites.
All thorough examination reports must be kept: for lifting equipment, until the next thorough examination or for at least 2 years (whichever is longer); for lifting accessories, until the next thorough examination or for at least 2 years. Reports must be available for inspection by HSE at any time. In practice, site managers should maintain a register of all lifting equipment on site with: description, identification number, rated capacity, last thorough examination date, next due date, and certificate reference. Site Manager AI can generate lifting equipment registers automatically from your project details.
The most frequently cited LOLER non-compliances include: expired thorough examination certificates (the 6-month/12-month deadline has passed), using lifting equipment beyond its rated capacity, inadequate slinging (incorrect sling angles, damaged slings, no rated shackles), no lifting plan for complex operations, excavators used for lifting without the correct configuration and examination, and failure to establish exclusion zones during lifting operations. Each of these can result in a prohibition notice, immediately stopping all lifting work on site.
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