Quick answer
Identify lifting equipment and accessories, arrange competent planning and safe lifting operations, and maintain the required examination and inspection arrangements. A service visit or a current certificate does not by itself make every proposed lift safe.
Why maintenance and lifting safety need separate decisions
HSE’s LOLER overview explains GB duties for lifting equipment used at work. Equipment may also fall under PUWER. Owners, users and those controlling hired equipment need to establish their responsibilities rather than assuming the hire company manages everything.
The equipment must be suitable for the load and operation. Each lifting operation needs planning by a competent person, appropriate supervision and safe execution. The planning detail should match the risks; a recurring simple operation and an unusual complex lift do not need identical paperwork.
Set the correct thorough-examination arrangements
HSE’s thorough-examination guidance gives the following regular examination intervals unless an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person specifies otherwise. Other triggers, such as relevant installation or assembly and exceptional circumstances, must also be considered.
| Equipment group | Default regular interval | Planning point |
|---|---|---|
| Lifting accessories | Six months | Identify each accessory and its condition, not just the main machine |
| Equipment used to lift people, including associated accessories | Six months | Identify this use explicitly; an occasional use still matters |
| Other lifting equipment | Twelve months | Check whether a competent examination scheme sets different arrangements |
A thorough examination is distinct from maintenance, servicing and routine checks. Do not replace one with another or extend an interval simply because equipment has seen little use. The competent examiner must have suitable knowledge and experience and the necessary independence and impartiality.
Keep an equipment-to-operation record
- Identify the equipment, accessories, location, owner and person controlling use.
- Confirm suitability, capacity information and the actual intended load and configuration.
- Keep the examination scheme or due dates, reports and defect actions accessible to the people managing use.
- Define routine checks, maintenance and who can withdraw equipment from service.
- Arrange competent planning and supervision for the proposed operation, including other people who could be affected.
- Resolve dangerous defects before use and record the competent decision allowing a return to service.
For example, a warehouse hires lifting equipment with a current report but plans to use a different attachment. The manager checks that the report identifies the relevant equipment and obtains competent confirmation of the proposed configuration and capacity. The report is one input to the lifting decision, not permission for an unassessed change.
Apply the correct national framework
The legal overview and interval table above describe GB guidance. HSENI has approved specified lifting ACOP guidance for Northern Ireland, to be read with the corresponding NI regulations. Use that framework for NI equipment and operations rather than relabelling the GB instrument as UK-wide.
Avoid three common errors: treating every item as annually examined, assuming servicing replaces examination, and accepting a certificate without checking the equipment identity and unresolved defects. Keep the relevant reports for the applicable statutory period; different record types can have different requirements.
Related questions
Must every examiner work for an outside company?
Not automatically. Relevant competence and the ability to make an impartial assessment are essential. An internal appointment must meet those requirements; routine servicing experience alone does not establish them.
Next steps
Reconcile the equipment register with current reports and due dates, then check the next planned lift with the person competent to plan it. Escalate missing identity, capacity or defect information before use.
Check HSE’s thorough-examination requirements — The official guidance explains examination triggers and competent schemes; a general course is not specialist lifting planning.