Passenger Lift Regulations

Passenger Lift Regulations


A Guide to Passenger Lift Regulations for Owners

In a small country with a large population, buildings will tend to grow tall rather than spreading wide. This has been the case in the UK for decades, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon. With high buildings comes additional demand for passenger lifts, and higher potential risks for passengers. Passenger lift regulations exist, and are regularly updated, to ensure that risks are minimised, guaranteeing that they remain one of the safest means of transportation.


Who is Responsible for Passenger Lift Regulations?

If you are the owner of a passenger lift that is used either by the public, employees or residents, you have a legal duty of care to your passengers. This means that you are subject to regulations which provide the safety framework and standards for anyone who uses your lift. Many owners outsource lift management, but the responsibility for adherence to passenger lift regulations remains theirs alone.

What Lift Regulations Should I Be Aware Of?

The two main regulations governing the safety and standards of lifting equipment in commercial premises are LOLER and PUWER. These apply in locations such as offices, libraries, restaurants, shopping centres, leisure facilities, hotels or warehouses.

1. LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998)

It’s useful to think of LOLER as an MOT for passenger lifts. It is a periodic examination (every 6 months) that is carried out by a professional who is technically proficient, can identify issues, and is impartial. The LOLER examination will also include an assessment of the maintenance operations carried out to date.

The aim of LOLER is to ensure that the equipment is both safe to use, and safely maintained.

2. PUWER (Provision of Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998)

If the LOLER regulation is the equivalent of your vehicle’s MOT, the PUWER is equivalent to regular maintenance and servicing in preparation for MOT testing. Compliance with PUWER regulations occurs when you have the correct level of maintenance and servicing in place, given the volume of use, function and age of your passenger lift.

The aim of PUWER is to achieve an ongoing schedule of maintenance and servicing in order to maintain the highest levels of safety for passengers.

Tower Lifts Can Help With Passenger Lifts Regulations Compliance

The Tower Lifts team has been designing and installing passenger lifts across the UK for nearly two decades now. Additionally we provide maintenance and servicing both on lifts we have installed, and on legacy passenger lifts. Not all lifts require the same level of maintenance in order to be compliant. This is why Tower Lifts create tailored maintenance contracts which take into account:

  • Volume of passengers
  • Lift function/s
  • Positioning of lift
  • Age
  • Service/Maintenance history

Where we are not engaged as maintenance engineers, we are qualified to carry out impartial LOLER examinations.


Working With Tower Lifts

We design and install passenger lifts of all sizes for commercial buildings, residential buildings and industry. Whatever the sector, the safety of passengers is always at the heart of all our concerns. We value our reputation as a leading provider of passenger lifts in the UK and ensure, therefore, that all our engineers are UKAS and ISO9001:2015 Lift Cert accredited, guaranteeing the highest standards of safety and design.


Would you like to talk to a Tower Lifts specialist about passenger lifts regulations, or tailored lift maintenance? Call us today 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