The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation, often referred to as LOLER in short, are a set of legal requirements surrounding lifting operations and the equipment used to carry them out.
The LOLER statutes relating to forklift trucks and came into force on 5th December 1998 placing specific duties on companies who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment. This includes all businesses and organisations whose employees use lifting equipment, whether owned by them or hired.
Lifting equipment means work equipment for lifting and lowering loads including lifting accessories and attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting the equipment. It also includes the lifting of people.
LOLER covers the lifting of any type of load with the use of lifting equipment, such as:
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Regulation 8(2) of LOLER defines a lifting operation as “… an operation concerned with the lifting or lowering of a load”. A ‘load’ is the item or items being lifted, which includes a person or people.
LOLER requires that all lifting operations are planned and supervised by a competent person. Lifting operations must also be carried out safely.
Ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is:
- Properly planned by a competent person
- Appropriately supervised
- Carried out in a safe manner
Lifting operations can put people at great risk of injury. If a heavy load slips or drops onto a person, the results can be serious and sometimes fatal. It is important to properly plan and organise a lift.
LOLER also requires that all equipment used for lifting is fit for purpose, appropriate for the task, suitably marked and, in many cases including forklift trucks, subject to statutory periodic ‘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.
Health and safety inspectors enforce LOLER. As they have the authority to request access to your thorough examination and lifting operation reports at any time, it is crucial that you maintain a thorough record of all of this information. Furthermore, if one of your employees suffers an accident while using a piece of lifting equipment, you will be prosecuted if the regulations weren’t properly followed.
It is therefore crucial that whenever lifting equipment is used on your business’s premises, the HSE’s LOLER Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (ACOP) is followed to a tee. This will not only ensure the safety of your employees, but also provide legal cover in the event of a lifting equipment-related accident. Moreover, LOLER inspections will catch any defects with your equipment before they have a chance to develop and therefore help prolong its lifespan.
Legislative breaches can led to potential prosecution and/or fines for each piece of Materials Handling Equipment that is not LOLER approved.
If your business or organisation undertakes lifting operations or is involved in providing lifting equipment for others to use, you must manage and control the risks to avoid any injury or damage.
Where you undertake lifting operations involving lifting equipment you must:
- plan them properly
- using people who are sufficiently competent
- supervise them appropriately
- to ensure that they are carried out in a safe manner
Our specialist team provide LOLER inspection services to businesses across the UK and Northern Ireland.
This ensures upon completion of the inspection and provision of certificates, your operating equipment has been passed as safe and fit for purpose helping to reduce the risk of serious accidents.
Companies we work with
