Most businesses in the UK are subject to LOLER, which stands for Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations. This includes businesses that own or rent any kind of lifting equipment, whether it be an overhead crane in the fabrication yard, a maintenance workshop chain hoist, or slings used daily in a loading bay. However, many procurement and facilities teams still treat compliance with LOLER as an afterthought, rather than a health and safety priority.
From a high-level perspective, LOLER states that all lifting equipment is only to be used when it is suitable, stable, and sufficiently strong for the task and that it has been positioned and installed safely. Furthermore, it is of the utmost importance that only trained personnel operate the equipment and that these pieces of equipment are thoroughly inspected by a qualified professional. The result is that equipment that is used to lift people must be examined every six months while other types of equipment must be examined every twelve months.
For a business involved in engineering or manufacturing, this means inspections for every shackle, chain block, wire rope, sling, and hoist present in the facility, and there must be a clearly visible inspections record. It is insufficient to simply assume an item is functional because it looks fine. Load-bearing elements show minimal wear and deteriorate with use. Failure during lifting operations is likely to result in serious injuries, expensive downtimes and damages to valuable machinery or inventory.
One of the most frequent errors we notice amongst industrial customers is inadequate record keeping. An examination report should clearly state the apparatus that was examined, the date of the examination, any defects discovered, and the date of the next examination. The HSE Inspections needs to be able to access these records, and they constitute a critical component of any due diligence defence in the event of an occurrence. For larger sites that have to manage hundreds of individual items, digital asset tagging (barcodes or RFID tags) that are directly attached to the slings and hoists makes this process much easier.
When designing equipment with LOLER compliance in mind, it is also beneficial in the long run. When buying from reputable vendors who provide complete certification, the working load limits, and the documentation at the time of purchase, it significantly streamlines the process when the first thorough examination is due. It is beneficial to inquire with any supplier about whether their lifting equipment comes with a declaration of conformity and full traceability to the manufacturer, especially for chain slings, wire rope assemblies, and webbing slings, where the risks associated with a deficient product are significant.
Most people miss training completely. Having the appropriate equipment, in this case the LOLER equipment, is not sufficient. Anyone operating lifting equipment or planning a lifting operation must be trained to do so. This means they must be able to assess the load appropriately, and choose the correct angle and configuration of the sling. They must also be able to identify situations when equipment must be removed from service and should not be used for another lift.
Operators of cranes, hoists and rigging equipment who work in multiple locations can benefit from a simple compliance calendar. Exam dates can be flagged and along with the daily pre-use check by the operator, the likelihood of the equipment slipping through the cracks will be minimized. Conducting a pre-use check may only take a couple of minutes, but will identify problems such as broken webbing, hooks that are out of shape, or links that have corroded long before they become an actual hazard.
LOLER compliance should not be viewed as a regulatory requirement but as good practice. Certified and properly maintained lifting equipment lasts longer and works better. It also protects the people that work with it. For businesses that manage loads of any size, it represents a significant investment that should be prioritised.