The short answer
Every 6 months for lifting accessories and anything used to lift people. Every 12 months for all other lifting equipment. Or whatever interval an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person specifies — plus an examination after installation, and after any exceptional circumstance.
Where the intervals come from
Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 sets out when lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined. It gives two default intervals and one alternative: six months, twelve months, or whatever an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person says.
The distinction between the two default intervals is not about how big or how valuable the equipment is. It is about consequence. Equipment that lifts people, and the accessories that take the load in service, are examined twice as often because failure has nowhere to go.
| Equipment | Minimum interval |
|---|---|
| Equipment used to lift or lower people | Every 6 months |
| Lifting accessories (slings, chains, shackles, eyebolts) | Every 6 months |
| All other lifting equipment | Every 12 months |
| Equipment covered by an examination scheme | As the scheme specifies |
The forklift question
This is the single most common query we get. A forklift lifting only loads sits on the 12-month interval. Fit a working platform, a man cage, or any attachment used to raise a person, and that equipment moves onto the 6-month interval.
Attachments are their own trap. A clamp, rotator, jib or extension fitted to the carriage is a lifting accessory, and lifting accessories are examined every 6 months — even though the truck they hang off is on 12. It is entirely normal for one machine to carry two different due dates, and it catches out businesses who assume the truck inspection covered everything.
Examination schemes — the third option
Instead of the default intervals, a competent person can draw up an examination scheme setting different frequencies based on the equipment, its duty and its environment. This is not a route to less inspection; in demanding conditions a scheme frequently specifies more.
A scheme is worth having where equipment works in aggressive environments, runs at high duty cycles, or where the default interval genuinely does not match the risk. It has to be drawn up by a competent person, and it has to be followed.
Exceptional circumstances
Beyond the periodic intervals, LOLER requires a thorough examination whenever something out of the ordinary has happened to the equipment. The next scheduled date is irrelevant in these cases — the examination happens before the equipment goes back to work.
- □After installation, or after assembly at a new site or in a new location.
- □After damage or failure, however minor it looked at the time.
- □After substantial modification, repair or a major overhaul.
- □After a long period out of use — equipment deteriorates standing still.
- □Where safety depends on the installation conditions, after any change to them.
What happens if you miss a date
Equipment past its examination date should not be in use. In practice, an overdue examination is the first thing an HSE inspector or an insurer looks for after an incident, and a missing report is difficult to explain away. It is also the item most commonly picked up in principal contractor audits before you are allowed on site.
The practical fix is an asset register with due dates rather than a memory and a folder. We issue one as standard with every visit, so renewals are visible months ahead rather than the week they lapse.
Still not sure?
Describe your equipment and we will tell you what applies