The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (typically shortened to LOLER) place a duty on those who operate and/or have control over lifting equipment. To be clear, this includes all organisations whose employees use lifting equipment, regardless of whether they own it or not. This legislation is a reflection of the fact that lifting equipment can be hazardous and pose a risk to human safety if not operated and maintained correctly.
Lifting equipment is usually work equipment and therefore PUWER may also apply. This blog is a high level introduction to LOLER and marks the start of a series of lower level articles which will be hugely informative to organisations who use lifting equipment.
At a very high level the regulations state that if an organisation is using lifting equipment they should:
It is useful to present a couple of definitions to contextualise the regulations.
There are general obligations under PUWER with respect to the suitability of work equipment. However this is provided for under LOLER which states that lifting equipment must:
Furthermore, there are additional requirements such as additional checks when equipment is being used to lift people (i.e. patient hoists).
It is a requirement under LOLER that all lifting equipment and accessories are clearly marked with their safe working loads (SWL). This refers to the maximum load that can be safely lifted by the equipment. If the equipment is lifting people, it should state how many people it can safely lift.
All lifting operations must be planned by a competent person, supervised appropriately, and carried out safely.
There are a number of situations when lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined. These include:
LOLER is an important regulation to ensure the safety of people when lifting equipment is in use. As part of this blog series we will be covering some of the practical points organisations need to be aware of to ensure they are compliant with LOLER.
How much do you think you know about LOLER? Take the quiz and test your knowledge!