Ref LOLER 1998, regs 9 to 11Checked November 2026

LOLER Inspection

"LOLER inspection" is the everyday name for the statutory checks on lifting equipment required by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. The law uses two terms. A thorough examination is the detailed, periodic check by a competent person that produces a written report. An inspection is a lighter, more frequent check between examinations, where a risk assessment says one is needed.

Most people who search for a LOLER inspection need the first: the 6 or 12 monthly thorough examination. This page sets out who needs one, what the examiner does, what you should receive and what it usually costs.

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People lifting kit: Every 6 monthsand all lifting accessories
Other lifting kit: Every 12 monthsor under a written scheme
Typical fee, one item: £120 to £300Forklift, ex VAT
Report due: Within 28 daysSooner for a dangerous defect

Fees are a guide, not a quote. Excluding VAT unless stated.Sources read November 2026

Part 1

Who has to arrange a LOLER inspection?

Any employer or self-employed person who provides lifting equipment for work, and anyone who has control of how it is used. If you hire equipment in, the hire firm supplies it with a current report; keeping it in date during a long hire is usually yours to agree.

Warehouses and distribution sites with forklifts, reach trucks, stackers and dock levellers.
Care homes, hospitals, hospices and home care providers with patient hoists, stand aids and bath hoists.
Garages and workshops with two post, four post and scissor vehicle lifts, jacks and engine cranes.
Offices, schools, hotels and housing providers with passenger lifts, goods lifts, platform lifts and stairlifts.
Factories, yards and fleets with overhead cranes, chain blocks, tail lifts, lorry loaders and MEWPs.

Using equipment without a current report

Lifting equipment that needs a thorough examination must not be used without one. HSE inspectors can serve improvement and prohibition notices, and failing to comply with the regulations is a criminal offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

What a LOLER inspection costs

Item	Typical fee
Forklift or reach truck LOLER examination of the mast, chains, forks and carriage	£120 to £300
Patient hoist Mobile or ceiling track, spreader bar and attachments	£120 to £180
Vehicle lift Two post, four post or scissor, first lift on the visit	£150 to £200
Passenger or goods lift Six monthly examination, excluding supplementary tests	£150 to £400
Slings, chains and shackles Each, examined alongside other equipment	£5 to £30
Minimum visit A single item on its own, including travel	£150 to £250

Excluding VAT. Each further item of the same kind on one visit usually costs much less than the first. Use the cost calculator for a yearly figure.

Work out a yearly budget

Part 2

What a good LOLER inspection includes

Someone independent of maintenance: The competent person needs enough practical and theoretical knowledge, and must be impartial: HSE’s Approved Code of Practice L113 says they should not be the same person who maintains the equipment, so they are not checking their own work.
A clear equipment list: Each item named with its asset or serial number and safe working load, so the report can only refer to that item. Without an ID the report proves nothing.
The basis of examination: Whether the item is on a 6 month interval, a 12 month interval or a written scheme. The report has to say which, and the date of the next one follows from it.
Defects graded by urgency: Dangerous defects (stop using it now), defects that will become dangerous with a date to fix them by, and observations. Vague notes such as "monitor" are not enough.
Tests only where needed: Load tests, non-destructive testing and functional tests are at the examiner’s judgement. Ask in advance whether test weights will be needed, because they add cost and time.
Insurance and complaints: Professional indemnity and public liability cover suited to your equipment, and a named contact for queries about a report.

Send us the equipment list and the postcode, and we will find a competent examiner who covers your sites.

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Part 3

How a LOLER inspection runs

Build the equipment register
before booking
Every item, its make, serial or asset number, safe working load, location and the date of its last report. Examiners price from the register, so a complete one gets you comparable quotes.
Book a visit window
two to four weeks ahead
Agree a date when the equipment can be taken out of use, cleaned and reached, with someone on site who knows it. Group sites and items to cut visit charges.
The thorough examination
on the day
The competent person examines each item, and tests it where they judge a test is needed. A clean item with no defects usually takes well under an hour.
The written report
within 28 days
One report per item with the Schedule 1 details: what was examined, any defects and the date by which each must be put right, and the latest date for the next examination.

Part 4

Inspection or thorough examination: which do you need?

	Thorough examination	Inspection
Required by	LOLER regulation 9(1) to 9(3)(a)	LOLER regulation 9(3)(b), where a risk assessment shows it is needed
How often	Every 6 or 12 months, or as a written scheme says	At suitable intervals between examinations: weekly, monthly or quarterly
Who	A competent person, independent of maintenance	A competent person, often in-house or the maintenance firm
Paperwork	A report with the Schedule 1 details, within 28 days	A record of the inspection, kept until the next one
Daily checks	Not a substitute	Not a substitute either: operators still do pre-use checks

Part 5

When an examination is due outside the normal interval

Before first use, unless the item is new and comes with a declaration of conformity made in the previous 12 months.
After installation or reassembly at a new location, where safety depends on how it is installed (a crane on a new runway, a hoist track fitted to a ceiling).
After exceptional circumstances: an overload, a collision, a fall, major repair or modification, or a long period out of use.
When equipment is exposed to conditions that cause deterioration, such as weather, chemicals or heavy use, which may justify a shorter interval.

Questions duty holders ask

Is a LOLER inspection a legal requirement?

Yes, where lifting equipment is used at work in Great Britain. Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 requires thorough examinations, and inspections where a risk assessment shows they are needed. Northern Ireland has its own near-identical regulations from 1999.

Should LOLER be every 6 months or 12 months?

Every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for all lifting accessories; every 12 months for other lifting equipment. A written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person can set different intervals. See the interval table.

Can I do my own LOLER inspection?

You can use an in-house competent person, as long as they have the right knowledge and experience and are independent enough to be impartial. Most small and medium organisations use an outside examiner because it is simpler to show that independence.

How much does a LOLER inspection cost?

Typical fees run from about £5 an item for slings and shackles to £150 to £400 for a passenger lift, before VAT. A single forklift is usually £120 to £300. Several items on one visit cost far less each.

What happens if equipment fails?

If the examiner finds a defect involving an existing or imminent risk of serious injury, they must tell you at once and send a copy of the report to the enforcing authority. You must stop using the item until it is repaired.

Does LOLER apply to equipment in a private home?

Not to equipment a householder owns for their own use. It does apply where an employer provides it, for example a council or care provider supplying a hoist or stairlift, or carers using it at work in someone’s home.

Where our information comes from

Fee bands are our own reading of UK examiners’ published price lists and guides (2024 to 2026), which we do not name. Rules come from the regulations and HSE guidance below.

Request a LOLER inspection

Three short steps: where the equipment is, what it is, and how to reach you. About two minutes.

Step 1 of 3

Where is the equipment?

Postcode