Are You Meeting Your LOLER Obligations?

Your LOLER Responsibilities as a Building Manager

If you’re responsible for a building with a lift, you’re also responsible for the safety of everyone who uses it. Which is why you need to know about LOLER. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 is a legal requirement designed to ensure all lifting equipment is safe to use. Are you meeting your LOLER obligations?

Understanding your obligations isn’t just about compliance – it’s also about your role in protecting employees, visitors, and members of the public from being injured or harmed. If you fall short, it can have serious consequences, so it’s important to know exactly what the legal requirements are.

For over a decade, Tower Lifts has been designing, installing, and maintaining lifts across the UK. Which means that we work with the LOLER regulations every day, ensuring our clients are always compliant and, most importantly, safe. In this blog, we’ll detail what your responsibilities are and provide a clear, simple path to meeting each of them.

Your Obligations Under LOLER Explained

Your role in managing lift safety for your building is defined by a set of duties that are laid out in the LOLER regulations. This shouldn’t be approached as though it were a box-ticking exercise. Each duty demonstrates your commitment to the safety of all your building’s lift users.

Under LOLER, you have a duty to ensure:

  1. Equipment is Fit for Purpose – All lifts and lifting accessories must be strong and stable enough for their proposed use and marked with their maximum load capacity.
  2. Operations are Safe – The way the lift is used must be planned and supervised by trained individuals to ensure every operation is carried out without risk.
  3. Regular Examinations Occur – Lifts carrying people must be thoroughly examined by a Competent Person at least every six months (or 12 months for goods-only lifts).
  4. Inspections are Carried Out – Separate from the thorough examination, visual inspections should be carried out if there are circumstances that could affect safety occur (e.g., damage, a long period out of use).
  5. All Defects are Acted Upon – You must act on reports from the competent person and resolve any defects that could lead to safety concerns promptly.
  6. Records are Maintained – You must keep all examination reports and inspection records accessible.

Examination and Competence – The Foundation Stones of LOLER

In order to meet your LOLER obligations, there are two concepts that are more important than any other: the ‘Thorough Examination’ and the ‘Competent Person’. Having a clear understanding of what these terms mean helps to ensure that your lift is not only safe, but also fully compliant with UK law.

What is a LOLER Thorough Examination?

It may help to think of a Thorough Examination like an MOT for your lift. It’s a systematic and detailed inspection of the lifting equipment and all the parts that could impact safety of passengers. It’s carried out at legally required intervals.

The sole purpose of the Thorough Examination is to find any defects that are, or could become, dangerous. It is an in-depth safety certification. Following the examination, you will receive a formal report detailing any observations or defects that you are legally required to act upon.

Who is a ‘Competent Person’?

A ‘Competent Person’ is the expert responsible for carrying out the Thorough Examination. The law defines them as someone with the necessary practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to detect defects and assess their importance.

LOLER specifies that the ‘Competent Person’ must be impartial and independent enough to make objective decisions. This person has the independent authority to certify your lift’s safety.

Servicing and Examination – Two Sides of the Same Safety Coin

Although our focus has been on LOLER, it would be a mistake to see the Thorough Examination as the only requirement necessary for lift safety. In reality, the thorough examination and regular lift servicing are closely aligned in the process. So much so that one will not be effective without the other.

The Thorough Examination is an independent safety audit, providing a critical snapshot of your equipment’s condition. Professional lift servicing, on the other hand, is the ongoing work that ensures that snapshot is a positive one. Regular maintenance tackles wear and tear, updates components, and ensures smooth operation, directly addressing the issues that could lead to LOLER failures.

Take the Next Step to Guaranteed Lift Compliance

Meeting your LOLER obligations doesn’t have to be a stressful duty. It is a straightforward responsibility that, with the right professional support, can easily be managed. An excellent starting point is to schedule regular lift servicing.

Rather than reacting to lift examinations, lift servicing allows you to manage the safety and performance of your lifting equipment proactively. In this way, you are always compliant, reducing the risk of unexpected failures, and unexpected repairs.

You can trust in our commitment to excellence, because it’s verified by leading industry accreditations. We work ISO 9001:2015 for our quality management systems and ISO 45001 for health and safety. As members of LEIA, with Constructionline approval and UKAS LiftCert certification, we can guarantee that all our work meets the most stringent industry benchmarks.

Let Tower Lifts make it simple for you. We create custom lift servicing schedules that guarantee compliance. Call us today for a no-obligation quote and take control of your LOLER responsibilities – 01525 601099

Tower Lifts can design and install a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lifts