LOLER thorough examination management software for UK duty-holders

LOLER thorough examination management software is a system for scheduling, recording and evidencing the statutory examinations that lifting equipment requires under UK law. It manages the duty-holder's obligations. It does not replace the competent person who carries out the examination itself, and any tool claiming otherwise misreads the regulations.

A thorough examination is a complete, systematic inspection of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts, carried out at statutory intervals by a competent person and concluded with a written report. The examination is a legal act performed by a qualified individual. The software's job is everything around it: knowing what is due when, holding the report against the right asset, tracking defects to closure and producing the evidence on demand.

That surrounding job is where most duty-holders are exposed, and this guide frames it as the duty-holder's evidence burden. The duty-holder's evidence burden is the gap between having lifting equipment examined and being able to prove, instantly and completely, that every item was examined on time by a competent person with defects resolved. LOLER thorough examination management software exists to carry that burden.

What LOLER requires of the duty-holder

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), enforced by the HSE, the duty-holder is the employer, owner or person with control of lifting equipment used at work. The duty-holder carries a defined set of legal responsibilities, and software maps directly onto each one:

• Maintain a register of every item of lifting equipment and accessory under your control.
• Schedule thorough examinations so they are completed before the statutory due date, ideally a few weeks ahead.
• Engage an independent competent person to carry out the examination, separate from whoever services or maintains the equipment.
• Retain the report produced after each examination, which is a statutory document containing the information specified in Schedule 1 of LOLER.

The competent person requirement is strict on independence. The HSE Approved Code of Practice requires sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge to detect defects and judge their significance, and the examiner must not be the same person who services or maintains the equipment, since that would mean assessing their own work. In practice the examination is usually carried out by a qualified engineer surveyor, often from a firm registered with the Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed).

LOLER thorough examination intervals and triggers

The statutory minimum intervals are set by LOLER regulation 9, and getting them right per asset type is the core of compliant scheduling. Software tracks these automatically against each item in the register.

Lifting equipment type	Minimum thorough examination interval
Equipment used to lift people (passenger lifts, MEWPs, hoists)	Every 6 months
All lifting accessories (slings, shackles, eyebolts, chains)	Every 6 months
All other lifting equipment (e.g. goods cranes, forklifts)	Every 12 months
Equipment under a written examination scheme	As specified by the competent person

Beyond the regular intervals, a thorough examination is also required at specific trigger points:

• Before first use, unless the equipment has a valid Declaration of Conformity less than 12 months old.
• After assembly and before use at each new location, for equipment that requires installation such as a tower crane.
• Following exceptional circumstances, such as damage, failure or a long period out of use.

Records must be retained for defined periods: a minimum of two years for most thorough examination reports, and for the working life of the equipment in the case of equipment used for lifting people. Failing to produce these records during an HSE inspection is treated as evidence of non-compliance, regardless of whether the examinations actually took place. That single rule is why the evidence burden matters as much as the examination itself.

LOLER versus PUWER: where lifting equipment sits

LOLER and PUWER are often confused, and the distinction matters for getting examinations right. PUWER, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, covers the safe use of all work equipment. LOLER applies specifically to lifting equipment and lifting accessories and adds the thorough examination requirement on top. Lifting equipment is therefore subject to both: PUWER for its general safe use and maintenance, LOLER for its statutory thorough examination.

A single platform that manages PUWER inspections and LOLER thorough examinations against the same asset register avoids the duplication and gaps that come from running two systems. Ideagen's machinery risk assessment and pre-operational safety inspections capabilities cover the PUWER-side daily and pre-use checks, while the same register underpins LOLER examination scheduling.

What LOLER thorough examination management software does

LOLER compliance software turns the duty-holder's evidence burden from a manual tracking exercise into a system of record. The capabilities that matter are:

• A digital lifting equipment register holding every item and accessory with its identity, location, safe working load and examination interval.
• Automated interval tracking and reminders that flag each examination ahead of its statutory due date so nothing lapses.
• Schedule 1 report storage attaching each competent person's written report to the correct asset record, retained for the required period.
• Defect and corrective action tracking so any defect identified in an examination is logged, assigned and closed out.
• On-demand audit-ready retrieval producing the full examination history for any asset, site or fleet in moments.

Ideagen Machine Safety provides this management layer: a centralized register, scheduling, document management with a complete audit trail and corrective actions, including dedicated crane and hoist inspection capability. The competent person remains independent and external to the software; what the platform guarantees is that their examinations are scheduled, recorded and instantly evidenced.

Evaluating LOLER management software: a capability checklist

The right lifting equipment inspection software is the one that carries the full evidence burden rather than just storing reports. Score any option against these capabilities:

Capability	Why it matters under LOLER	What to look for
Asset register	LOLER requires control over every lifting item	Register with SWL, location and interval per asset
Interval automation	6 and 12-month cycles must never lapse	Per-asset-type tracking with advance reminders
Examination scheme support	Schemes can vary statutory intervals	Custom intervals set by the competent person
Schedule 1 report storage	Reports are statutory documents	Reports retained per asset for the required period
Corrective action tracking	Defects must be resolved and evidenced	Logged, assigned and closed-out workflows
Multi-site retrieval	HSE evidence must be produced on demand	Centralized history across sites and fleets

Implementing the software and measuring compliance

Adoption decides whether the software carries the evidence burden or simply relocates it. A short, deliberate rollout works best:

1. Build the lifting equipment register first, capturing every item, accessory, location and interval.
2. Set examination schedules per asset type, applying any written examination scheme intervals from the competent person.
3. Migrate existing Schedule 1 reports so historic evidence sits alongside new examinations.
4. Roll out across sites, aligning examination scheduling with maintenance so the two never contradict.

Aligning examinations with maintenance and service scheduling and storing reports through safety document management keeps the whole regime in one controlled, version-managed place. Track a focused set of KPIs to prove ongoing compliance:

• Examinations completed on time as a percentage of those due.
• Lifting items overdue or approaching their statutory date.
• Open versus closed defects and average time to closure.
• Register completeness, confirming every lifting item is captured and scheduled.

The efficiency gain is concrete. Ideagen Machine Safety customers report an 80% reduction in machinery risk reporting time, turning evidence retrieval for an HSE inspection from a manual scramble into a routine export.

Carrying the LOLER evidence burden by design

LOLER compliance is not just a matter of having lifting equipment examined. It is a matter of being able to prove, at any moment, that every item was examined on time by a competent person with defects resolved and the statutory report retained. The examination is the competent person's job. The evidence burden is the duty-holder's, and it is where software earns its place.

By managing the register, the intervals, the Schedule 1 reports and the corrective actions in one auditable system, LOLER thorough examination management software turns compliance from a periodic scramble into a continuous, defensible state. The competent person still examines the equipment. The duty-holder simply stops having to worry whether they can prove it.

Frequently asked questions

Is LOLER thorough examination every 6 or 12 months?

Both, depending on the equipment. Lifting equipment used to lift people and all lifting accessories must be thoroughly examined every 6 months. Other lifting equipment must be examined every 12 months. A written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person may specify different intervals.

Can software carry out a LOLER thorough examination?

No. A thorough examination is a legal act that must be carried out by a competent person, typically an independent qualified engineer surveyor. Software manages the surrounding obligations: scheduling, the lifting equipment register, report storage and corrective actions. It cannot perform or replace the examination itself.

What is the difference between LOLER and PUWER?

PUWER covers the safe use of all work equipment. LOLER applies specifically to lifting equipment and accessories, adding the statutory thorough examination requirement. Lifting equipment is subject to both, so managing them against one asset register avoids gaps and duplication.

How long must LOLER examination records be kept?

Thorough examination reports must be kept for at least two years for most lifting equipment, and for the working life of the equipment for items used to lift people. Failing to produce these records during an HSE inspection is treated as evidence of non-compliance.

Who counts as a competent person for LOLER?

A competent person has sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to detect defects and judge their significance. They must be independent of whoever services the equipment. Examinations are commonly carried out by qualified engineer surveyors, often from firms registered with the Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed).