Category: Engineering specialty · Reviewed by Amy Price, Account Executive · Last reviewed 2026-06-05
Lift inspection under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) is the statutory ‘thorough examination’ by a ‘competent person’ of lifts and other lifting equipment at prescribed intervals (typically 6 months for passenger lifts and 12 months for goods lifts and other lifting equipment), typically provided by engineering insurance companies alongside cover for sudden and accidental damage.
Category: Engineering specialty Also known as: LOLER lift inspection, thorough examination, lifting equipment inspection First codified: Factories Act 1937 (lifts and lifting tackle); modern regime under LOLER 1998 Related legislation: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) [1]; Lifts Regulations 2016 [2]; Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 [3]
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) impose duties on employers and self-employed persons in relation to lifting equipment used at work. ‘Lifting equipment’ is defined broadly to include any work equipment for lifting or lowering loads (including lifts, hoists, cranes, mobile lifting platforms, fork lift trucks, vehicle inspection ramps, and accessories such as chains, slings, and shackles). ‘Lift’ is defined more specifically and includes passenger lifts, goods lifts and combined passenger and goods lifts [1][4].
The principal duty for inspection purposes is regulation 9, which requires every employer to ensure that lifting equipment which is exposed to conditions causing deterioration is thoroughly examined by a ‘competent person’ at intervals specified in the regulation or set out in a written scheme of examination. The default intervals are [1][4]:
The intervals can be varied by a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person, provided the scheme provides an equivalent level of safety. The ‘thorough examination’ is more comprehensive than a routine inspection and must be carried out by a person with the necessary practical and theoretical knowledge and actual experience [1][4].
The competent person role under LOLER is typically performed by engineering insurance company surveyors, in the same integrated ‘inspect and insure’ model that applies to boiler and pressure vessel inspection and electrical inspection. The associated insurance covers sudden and accidental damage to the lifting equipment from breakdown plus (where extended) third-party liability for accidents arising from the lift’s operation [5][6].
LOLER 1998 are the principal current statutory framework, made under sections 15 and 80 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and implementing the EU Use of Work Equipment Directive 89/655/EEC (as amended). The Regulations replaced and consolidated earlier sectoral regimes for lifts and lifting tackle [1][3].
The principal duties under LOLER are:
Regulation 4 (Strength and stability) — lifting equipment must be of adequate strength and stability for each load.
Regulation 5 (Lifting equipment for lifting persons) — lifting equipment used for lifting persons must prevent the person being injured by being crushed, trapped, struck or falling.
Regulation 6 (Positioning and installation) — lifting equipment must be positioned and installed so as to reduce the risk of equipment, load or person striking or falling.
Regulation 7 (Marking of lifting equipment) — lifting equipment must be marked with safe working load.
Regulation 8 (Organisation of lifting operations) — lifting operations must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
Regulation 9 (Thorough examination and inspection) — the principal inspection duty.
Regulation 11 (Reports and defects) — competent persons must report defects to the employer and (in case of immediate danger) to the HSE.
The HSE is the principal regulator with enforcement powers under HSWA 1974. LOLER offences are summary offences in the magistrates’ court and indictable offences in the Crown Court [4][7].
The Lifts Regulations 2016 implement the EU Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU (retained as UK law post-Brexit) and set design and conformity assessment requirements for lifts placed on the market. They complement the LOLER operational regime by setting design-and-supply standards [2].
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply to all work equipment including lifting equipment, with LOLER providing additional specific requirements for lifting operations and equipment. The two regimes operate in parallel [8].
A UK building owner or operator with lifts on its premises engages a competent person (typically an engineering insurance company) to carry out the periodic thorough examinations required by LOLER. For passenger lifts the examinations are required at six-monthly intervals. The competent person attends the premises, carries out the examination (visual inspection of lift cars, motors, ropes, brakes, safety gears, controls; functional testing of safety circuits and overload devices; review of operating and maintenance records), and issues a written report [5][6].
Routine maintenance of the lift is normally carried out by a separate lift maintenance contractor (the original equipment manufacturer or an independent maintenance company), with monthly or quarterly visits to lubricate, adjust and service the lift. The competent person’s thorough examination is in addition to (not in substitution for) the routine maintenance regime [5][6].
Where the competent person identifies defects, the report classifies them by severity: defects that could give rise to imminent danger require immediate action (and notification to the HSE under regulation 11(2)); defects that should be remedied within a specified period are flagged for prompt attention; and defects below the threshold for action are recorded for monitoring [5][6].
The integrated insurance cover responds for sudden and accidental damage to the lift mechanism from breakdown (typically including motor failure, brake failure, gearbox failure, cable failure), plus extensions for additional costs of working following breakdown, business interruption from lift downtime in commercial buildings (a significant exposure for retail and hotel operators), and (under specific extensions) third-party liability for accidents arising from the lift’s operation [5][6].
Claims handling involves the engineering loss adjuster (often the same engineer who has been inspecting the lift) attending the premises to assess the cause and extent of the damage. Common claims include motor or controller failures, cable or rope failures, door operator failures, and (less commonly but with higher consequences) safety gear deployments. Major claims for lift modernisation following a serious breakdown can be £50,000–£250,000 or more depending on the lift type [5][6].
Passenger lift inspection: 6-monthly intervals required by LOLER. The dominant sub-class for commercial and residential lift inspection.
Goods lift inspection: 12-monthly intervals.
Service lift inspection: typically 12-monthly intervals for non-passenger service lifts.
Platform lift inspection: 6-monthly intervals for platform lifts used by disabled or wheelchair users.
Crane inspection: thorough examination at intervals specified in the written scheme, typically annual for fixed cranes and 6-monthly for tower cranes.
Mobile lifting equipment inspection: covers fork lift trucks, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), telehandlers and similar.
Lifting accessory inspection: 6-monthly examination of chains, slings, shackles, eye bolts and other accessories.
Lift modernisation inspection: detailed examination as part of major lift refurbishment or replacement, often combined with statutory inspection of the modernised installation.
Heritage lift inspection: specialist inspection for historic lifts (e.g. in listed buildings) where modern compliance must be reconciled with heritage preservation.
A UK commercial property owner operates a portfolio of office buildings totalling approximately 60 passenger lifts (across 12 buildings). The owner engages an engineering insurance company to provide both the statutory LOLER thorough examinations (6-monthly per lift) and machinery breakdown insurance for the lift mechanisms. Annual cost for the combined inspection and insurance is approximately £42,000 across the portfolio. Routine maintenance is carried out by a separate lift maintenance contractor under a comprehensive maintenance agreement. During the policy year, a controller failure on one lift in a busy office building results in a 5-day shutdown and £18,000 of repair costs; the machinery breakdown cover responds for the repair cost less the policy deductible. Figures in this example are illustrative.
This entry is part of the Apex Insurance Wiki. Last reviewed by Matt Bartlett on 2026-06-05. Next review: 2026-12-05.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 724952. Registered in England and Wales, Companies House 07014570. This entry provides general information about UK insurance concepts and is not regulated advice. Consult your insurance broker on your specific position.
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