What is LOLER?

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment (LOLER) Regulations came into force in 1998. They cover all operations and equipment which involve lifting people and goods at work. They cover such equipment as cranes, lifts, hoists, chains, ropes, slings, hooks, shackles, eyebolts, rope and pulley systems, and forklift trucks. They also cover second-hand and leased equipment, e.g. companies hiring out cranes retain duties over how the equipment is used and maintained by their customers. They apply to all workplaces - building sites, offices, hospitals, farms, factories, etc. All the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment 1998 Regulations apply to lifting equipment.

General requirements

Risk assessment

In order to carry out a risk assessment of lifting equipment and operations, the following factors need to be considered:

Strength and stability (Regulation 4)

Employers must ensure that equipment has adequate strength and stability for each load particularly with regard to mounting or fixing points. An appropriate safety factor should be introduced to guard against all foreseeable failure modes. Factors which affect the stability of equipment include the characteristics of the surface on which it is used, the size and nature of the load, the way the load is intended to be lifted, and the maximum wind loading. Mobile equipment which can be dismantled and assembled at different locations, e.g. tower cranes, must be stable under all foreseeable conditions.

Lifting people (Regulation 5)

This applies to people using lifts as part of their work. Employers must ensure that equipment for people is such as to prevent people being crushed, trapped or struck or falling from the carrier. This also applies to people carrying out activities from the carrier. There must be suitable devices to prevent the carrier falling. There must be a means of rescuing people trapped in a carrier. People should be lifted by equipment not designed for lifting people only in exceptional circumstances where it is not practicable to use less hazardous means.

Installation and positioning (Regulation 6)

Equipment must be installed and positioned to reduce as much as possible the risk of the equipment or load striking a person or the load drifting, falling freely or being released unintentionally. Loads should not be lifted over people. Loads should normally be placed within an enclosure. Access by people to lifting shafts should be prevented by gates which are automatically locked except when the equipment is at the landing.

Marking (Regulation 7)

Equipment, including accessories, must be marked with the safe working load. Equipment for lifting persons should clearly indicate the maximum number to be carried. Equipment not intended for lifting persons but which could be so used in error must be clearly marked that it is not designed for lifting persons.

Planning and supervision (Regulation 8)

Employers must ensure that every operation with equipment involving the lifting or lowering of a load must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. The planner should have adequate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience. The plan must address the risks identified by the risk assessment and propose appropriate control measures. It must cover the selection of appropriate equipment plus its safe use for the particular task. For routine tasks involving a single piece of equipment, the plan would normally be devised by the operator. For complex or unusual tasks, appropriate supervision should be provided. The plan should ensure that loads are not carried or suspended over persons. If an operator cannot observe the full path of a load, the employer must provide a person(s) able to guide him. Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that loads are attached, detached and secured safely. Environmental factors must be taken into account, e.g. when weather conditions deteriorate, the use of equipment in the open air should be halted. Equipment must not be used if there is a danger of it overturning. Proximity hazards must be avoided, e.g. contact with overhead power lines. Equipment must be stored in a way that ensures it does not deteriorate. Employees involved in lifting operations must have appropriate training and instruction. Where two or more pieces of equipment are used, the plan should be in writing.

Examinations (Regulation 9)

Employers must ensure that equipment is thoroughly examined before it is put into service for the first time and after any significant change that affects its operation. If the equipment is obtained from another undertaking, it must be accompanied by physical evidence that it has been examined. Where safety depends on the installation conditions, it must be thoroughly examined on each occasion after installation or assembly and before use. Equipment must be thoroughly inspected at least every six months if intended for carrying people, at least every 12 months if used for other purposes, or according to a scheme devised by the examiner. Examinations should also take place after any exceptional event such as accident or dangerous occurrence. Examinations must be carried out by competent persons who are sufficiently independent and impartial for objective decisions to be made. Examinations may involve the performance of tests as determined by the competent person.

Reports and defects (Regulations 10 and 11)

A person carrying out a thorough examination must report as soon as possible in writing, providing the following information:

An examiner must report defects forthwith to the employer owning or using the equipment. The defects must also be reported to the relevant enforcing authority. When a defect is reported an employer must not use the equipment until it is rectified.

Employers must retain copies of examination reports and make these available for inspection when requested to do so.

What safety reps can do

Safety reps should check:

Resources