Welcome to LOLER
These Regulations (often abbreviated to LOLER) place duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over lifting equipment. This includes all businesses and organisations whose employees use lifting equipment, whether owned by them or not. In most cases, lifting equipment is also work equipment so the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) will also apply (including inspection and maintenance). All lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
LOLER also requires that all equipment used for lifting is fit for purpose, appropriate for the task, suitably marked and, in many cases, subject to statutory periodic ‘thorough examination‘. Records must be kept of all thorough examinations and any defects found must be reported to both the person responsible for the equipment and the relevant enforcing authority.
If your business or organisation undertakes lifting operations or is involved in providing lifting equipment for others to use, you must manage and control the risks to avoid any injury or damage.
Where you undertake lifting operations involving lifting equipment you must:
- Plan them properly.
- Use people who are sufficiently competent.
- Supervise them appropriately.
- Ensure that they are carried out in a safe manner.
- Most lifting equipment and lifting accessories will also fall within the scope of the Machinery Directive, as implemented by the UK Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. Such equipment must have been subject to conformity assessment and be appropriately CE Marked and accompanied by a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) before being placed on the market or brought into use. This includes lifting equipment whose only source of power is directly applied human effort, for example manually operated chain blocks and car jacks.
- The DoC, which must accompany the new product, is an important document which should be retained by the user. The DoC may avoid the need for an initial thorough examination before first use in those cases where the safety of that equipment does not depend on the conditions of its installation or assembly.
Thorough Examination
Lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined in a number of situation, including:
- Before first use (unless there is a valid Declaration of Conformity made less than 12 months earlier).
- Where it depends on installation, or re-installation/assembly at another site.
- Where it is exposed to conditions causing deterioration or is liable to result in danger.
Records of thorough examinations should be made and, where defects are identified, they should be reported to both the person using the equipment (and to any person from whom it has been hired or leased), and the relevant enforcing authority (HSE for industrial workplaces; local authorities for most other workplaces).
LOLER is there to help protect you, your business and you’re staff.
Etiss Ltd – LOLER Specialists
Proof Load Testing
A Proof Load Test is basically a controlled overloading of a piece of lifting equipment to check that it is capable of working safely to a Working Load Limit (WLL). The proof load test will be undertaken as part of a Thorough Examination and is carried out by a competent person. The proof load test can form part of the EC declaration of conformity or might be required after major repairs have been undertaken or as required by the competent person undertaking a thorough examination.
The Safe Working Load (SWL) can be the same as the Working Load Limit (WLL); this is the maximum weight that can be applied to a piece of lifting equipment. Sometimes the SWL can be set lower than the WLL by the competent person, due to the purpose and environment in which the lifting equipment is to be used.
Etiss Ltd, can undertake Proof Load Testing and issue certification on a successful conclusion.
Thorough Examination
A thorough examination is a visual examination carried out by a component person and where necessary employing relevant tests that might be required to check whether the equipment is safe to use.
Generally all lifting tackle and lifting devices involved with moving people or lifting above people require a thorough examination every six months.
Lifting equipment such as overhead cranes, mobile cranes, gantries, run-way beams etc. require thorough examinations every twelve months. Both these periods between examinations might be shortened if the competent person deems necessary due the operating environment or any other factors which might have a bearing on safety.
All work equipment such as;
- Forklift trucks
- Mobile Cranes
- Lorry Loaders
- Tail Lifts
- Personnel Lifts
- Scissor Lifts
- Cherry Pickers
- Pressure vessels (or compressors)
- Lifting devices
- Lifting tackle
- Vehicle Lift table
- Presses
- Excavators
Require a thorough examination every twelve months.
This list is not exhaustive, please check with us if you require further clarification.
Machinery Removal & Installation
We have many years of machinery removal experience and are well placed to undertake your requirements. We are happy to move a single machine within your factory or move your complete factory to new premises within the UK or abroad. We can offer a project managed “turn key” operation or fit in with your specific requirements. We are able to supply Fitters to dismantle and reassemble machinery or production lines. Riggers to jack, skate and lift the machinery on and off transport. Electricians to undertake disconnection of mains services and interconnections, install electrical supplies and reconnect. Transportation within the U.K., Europe or world wide.
Fabrication
- We have a fully functional workshop where we undertake the manufacture of specialised lifting equipment such as spreader Beams, Lifting Beams, Runways, Jibs, Gantries & Overhead Crane Steelwork.
- We also undertake general fabrication in steel, aluminium & stainless steel.
- We can undertake measurements and design of equipment to meet with your requirements.