Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1999 (LOLER) Northern Ireland

Lifting Equipment Inspection Services:

At Quantum Safety Consultancy Ltd, we undertake a systematic and detailed examination of the lifting equipment and safety-critical parts to certify its safety and legality, ensuring compliance with LOLER Regulations. 

We can manage the schedule for inspecting your lifting equipment and notify you when inspections are due and prearrange a date and time for the inspection to suit the client. 

What Is LOLER?

These Regulations often abbreviated to (LOLER) place duties on persons and companies who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment. This includes all businesses and organisation's whose employees use lifting equipment, whether owned by them or not. 

All lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.

LOLER also requires that all equipment used for lifting is fit for purpose, appropriate for the task, suitably marked and has a statutory thorough examination. Records must be kept of all thorough examinations and any defects found must be reported to both the person responsible for the equipment and the relevant enforcing authority.

What is a Statutory Thorough Examination?

This is a systematic and detailed examination of the equipment and safety-critical parts, carried out at specified intervals by a engineer surveyor who must then complete a written report. Where serious defects are identified, the competent person carrying out the examination must immediately report this verbally to the duty holder. This should then be followed by the written report, a copy of which must also be sent to the relevant enforcing authority. 

Regulation 9(3)(a)  in service thorough examination is set at intervals such as 6 month or 12 month inspection as specified in the LOLER regulations. 

✅Before first use

✅After on-site assembly 

✅After exceptional or unusual circumstances such as damage or lack of routine use

✅After repairs from a defect 

✅After any major change in how the item is used that may affect its integrity

How Often Should Thorough Examination be Undertaken?

✅6 months: For any equipment and accessories used to lift persons such as Mobile elevated working platform, cranes, man basket, telescopic handlers, truck mounted cherry picker. 

✅6 months: For all lifting tackle accessories such as chains, slings, shackles, wire ropes, hoists, eyebolts, magnets, vacuum lifts,  lifting beams, spreader beams

✅6 months: For lifting accessories directly attaching loads to plant & machinery, such as hydraulic coupler, grabs, fork attachments, lifting frames, extension jib.

✅12 months: For all other lifting equipment for lifting and lowering loads, such as forklift trucks, telescopic handlers, excavators, cranes, pallet trucks, vehicle lifts, truck mounted cranes, wheeled loaders, backhoe loaders.