LOLER and PUWER: The Differences, and How They Fit

The short answer

PUWER 1998 applies to all work equipment and requires it to be suitable, maintained and inspected where needed. LOLER 1998 adds extra duties for lifting equipment, above all thorough examination every 6 or 12 months with a written report. Lifting equipment is covered by both: LOLER for the lifting parts, PUWER for the rest.

On this page

Both sets of regulations came into force in December 1998 and both are made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were written to work together, which is why people often say “LOLER and PUWER” in one breath. They are not the same thing, though, and treating them as one can leave gaps.

The short version

	PUWER 1998	LOLER 1998
Full name	Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations	Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
Applies to	All work equipment	Lifting equipment and lifting operations
Main check	Inspection, where needed (regulation 6)	Thorough examination at fixed intervals (regulation 9)
Interval	Set by risk and the maker’s instructions	6 months for people and accessories, 12 months for other kit, or a written scheme
Paperwork	A record of each inspection	A report with the Schedule 1 details
Extras	Guarding, controls, training, maintenance	Strength and stability, marking, planning lifts, lifting people

What PUWER covers

PUWER reaches nearly everything used at work, from hand tools and ladders to forklifts, hoists and lifts. Under it, equipment has to be:

right for the job and for where it is used (regulation 4);
kept working properly and in good repair (regulation 5);
inspected by a competent person where its safety depends on how it is installed, or where it is exposed to conditions causing deterioration that could lead to danger (regulation 6);
used only by people with adequate information, instruction and training.

It also covers guarding of dangerous parts, controls, stability, lighting and markings. PUWER does not set fixed inspection intervals. You decide them from the risks, the maker’s instructions and experience.

What LOLER adds

LOLER sits on top of PUWER for lifting equipment. It requires equipment to be strong and stable enough, marked with its safe working load, positioned and installed safely, and used in properly planned and supervised lifting operations. The duty people know best is regulation 9, which calls for a thorough examination:

ahead of first use, except for new kit carrying a declaration of conformity under a year old;
once installed, where the installation affects safety;
at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for all accessories;
at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment;
or at intervals set by a written scheme of examination;
and after exceptional circumstances.

Each examination ends in a written report under regulation 10, and the competent person must tell the enforcing authority about serious defects.

How they apply to the same machine

A forklift truck

LOLER applies to the lifting parts: mast, chains, carriage, forks, hydraulics and any lifting attachments. PUWER applies to the rest: brakes, steering, tyres, seat belt, overhead guard, lights and warning devices. A combined thorough examination covers both, which is why examiners often quote one price for “LOLER and PUWER”.

A patient hoist

LOLER covers the lifting function, spreader bar and slings, every 6 months. PUWER covers maintenance, usually an annual service to the maker’s schedule, plus the wheels, brakes, battery and charger.

A vehicle lift

LOLER covers the lift and its safety devices. PUWER covers its controls, guarding and maintenance, and the rest of the workshop’s equipment.

Inspection versus thorough examination

The words matter. A PUWER inspection is a check, by a competent person, scaled to the risk: it might be a visual check and a function test. A LOLER thorough examination is a systematic, detailed examination that may include dismantling and testing, and it ends in a formal report.

LOLER also has its own “inspections” under regulation 9(3)(b): extra checks between thorough examinations where a risk assessment says they are needed. These are separate again from the operator’s pre-use checks.

Common mistakes

Assuming the LOLER report covers everything. A LOLER report on a forklift may say nothing about the brakes unless PUWER was in scope. Ask for both.
Assuming a service is an inspection. Maintenance under PUWER regulation 5 is not the same as inspection under regulation 6 or examination under LOLER.
Forgetting non-lifting equipment. PUWER applies to all work equipment. Workshop machinery, powered doors and gates may need inspections too.

Doing both efficiently

The simplest approach for most sites is one visit, one examiner, one equipment list with each item marked “LOLER”, “PUWER” or “both”. You get one set of records and one set of due dates. Our PUWER inspection page has typical fees, and the forklift page shows how it works for the most common case.

If you need both done across one or more sites, tell us what you have and we will find an examiner who can cover it.

LOLER and PUWER: what is the difference?