Lift Inspections


The Lift Owner’s Guide to Lift Inspections

“Lift owners or duty holders have a specific responsibility to ensure the safety of others, while using the lift. In particular they are responsible for the safe use of the lift, which includes its safe operation, condition (maintenance) and compliance with relevant statutory requirements.”

The Safety Assessment Federation

If you are a lift owner, or manager, you bear ultimate responsibility for the safety of your passengers. It makes sense, therefore, to know about the range of lift inspections you are required to carry out in order to safeguard the lives of those who use your vertical transport.

Beyond this primary aim, lift inspections keep your vertical transport running efficiently, extend the lifespan of your system, and protect your business’ brand and reputation. In this guide for lift owners, Tower Lifts outlines the inspections that guarantee the maintenance and good health of your lift.


1. Thorough Investigation by a Competent Person

In order for your lift to be fully compliant, it needs to meet the requirements of LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998). The LOLER examination is required every 6 months for passenger lifts, and it needs to be carried out by an independent examiner who has the requisite technical knowledge.

The subsequent report will list defects which must be addressed immediately, recommendations for advisable actions, and – potentially – follow-up specialist testing.

2. Lift Service

One component of the LOLER ‘thorough investigation’ is checking the competence and efficacy of existing maintenance arrangements. These are normally carried out as part of a maintenance contract with a lift service provider. The frequency of the checks will be determined by the size, age, location, and function of your lift.

Lift servicing is designed to prolong the life of your lift, and to reduce the risk of breakdown or danger to life. A lift service inspection audits the maintenance work, and provides comprehensive checks of the lift shaft, motor room, and safety features. The subsequent report will offer recommendations for upgrades or repairs that are not covered by the maintenance contract.

3. In-House Lift Inspections

Catching vertical transport issues before they become major problems is key to effective lift management. This requires regular in-house lift inspections, carried out by a trained employee. There’s no need for specialist knowledge, but there should be a commitment to scheduled checks and reports.

An in-house inspection is made up of visual and operational checks of the following:

  • Lift doors.
  • Lights in cabin, and as part of the internal and external control panels.
  • Control panel buttons.
  • Lift performance between floors and when starting or stopping.
  • Condition of lift cabin, handrails, panels, and floor.
  • Condition of area around lift landing stages.

Working With Tower Lifts

We are established providers of maintenance contracts, and we also offer lift consultancy and lift management contracts. We carry out LOLER inspections and can provide guidance on compliance and disability access regulations.


If you are a lift owner or manager and would like to talk to us about lift inspections, give us a call on 01525 601099


Tower Lifts carry out design and installation on 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 Lift