How Often Should LOLER Inspections Be Carried Out? The Intervals Explained
- Nexus Examination
- Jun 23
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Work out the LOLER interval wrong and you are either paying for examinations too often or, far worse, running equipment that is overdue and uninsured. The frequency is not the same for every machine, which is where the confusion creeps in. Here is how often LOLER inspections need to be carried out, broken down by equipment type, plus the situations that bring the date forward.
How Often Should LOLER Inspections Be Carried Out?
LOLER inspections must be carried out at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people, and for any lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for all other lifting equipment. Some equipment instead follows a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person.
A quick note on wording. Most people search for "LOLER inspections", but the correct legal term is a thorough examination. We carry out LOLER examinations across Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and the two phrases get used interchangeably day to day.
The Standard LOLER Timeframes
The law, set out in the HSE's LOLER guidance, requires a thorough examination in these situations:
Every 6 months for equipment that lifts people, and for lifting accessories such as slings and chains
Every 12 months for all other lifting equipment
Before first use, unless there is a valid Declaration of Conformity less than 12 months old
After installation or relocation, where safety depends on how it is installed
After exceptional circumstances, such as damage, a major repair, modification, or a long spell out of use
In line with a written scheme of examination, where a competent person has set one
The two intervals most businesses work to are the 6-month and 12-month ones. Here is how they break down.
Every Six Months: Equipment That Lifts People
Anything that raises or lowers people needs examining twice a year, because the consequences of a failure are far higher. This includes passenger lifts, MEWPs, scissor lifts and cherry pickers. If you run access platforms, our MEWP inspection covers the full range on the shorter interval.
Every Twelve Months: All Other Lifting Equipment
Equipment that lifts goods or materials is examined at least annually. That covers the bulk of industrial kit, from forklifts and telehandlers to cranes and excavators used for lifting. A standard goods forklift inspection, for example, is usually an annual job.
What Affects How Often You Need One?
The headline intervals are the legal minimum, not a ceiling. Several things can mean a piece of equipment needs examining more often.
In our experience, the main factors are how hard the equipment is worked, the environment it lives in, and what the manufacturer recommends. A telehandler on a wet, gritty site takes more punishment than one in a clean, dry warehouse, and that wear shows up faster.
This is where a written scheme of examination earns its place. It lets a competent person tailor the timing to your actual equipment and conditions, rather than defaulting to the standard dates. For high-use or high-risk kit, that often means shorter intervals than the 6 or 12 month baseline.
What Happens If You Miss the Interval?
If an examination lapses, the equipment should be taken out of use until it has been examined and passed. Carrying on regardless puts your people at risk and leaves the business exposed.
In our experience the first real-world consequence tends to be insurance. A claim involving equipment with no valid report is a claim an insurer will push back on hard, and that can leave you personally liable for whatever follows.
Staying on Top of the Dates
The simplest fix is to track every examination date in one place and book the next one before the current certificate runs out, rather than waiting for a reminder that may never come.
For mixed fleets running both 6-month and 12-month items, that single calendar is the difference between staying compliant and scrambling to catch up after a certificate has already expired.
Comments