We often get asked the question, ” What is LOLER? “. Well, LOLER is an important set of regulations that cover all aspects of lifting operations and equipment.
LOLER, or the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations’ to give it its full name, are a set of regulations that cover all aspects of a lifting operation (e.g. flying a hemp bar in a theatre) as well as the equipment we use within that operation.
There are several sections within LOLER each dealing with separate areas such as Regulation 4 ‘strength and stability’, Regulation 5 ‘lifting equipment for lifting persons’, Regulation 6 ‘positioning and installation’ Regulation 7 ‘marking of lifting equipment’ and Regulation 8 ‘organisation of lifting operations’ however Regulation 9 ‘thorough examination and inspection’ is one of the most overlooked regulations we come across.
Lifting equipment must be examined by law at set intervals either 6 monthly, 12 monthly or where a written scheme of examination has been agreed by a suitably competent person. Records must be retained as detailed in regulation 11.
If you’re really interested you can read the full legislation here
Each different type of lifting equipment will require a different inspection. Our video below gives a little more information on LOLER and a typical inspection of a lifting accessory.
