Thorough examinations for every crane, hoist and sling, on schedule, on record.
Manage LOLER thorough examinations end to end: 6 and 12-month schedules, defect reporting and the full Report of Thorough Examination ready to issue.
The duty
What Lifting Equipment compliance involves.
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require that lifting equipment is subject to a thorough examination by a competent person, every 6 months for equipment that lifts people or is a lifting accessory, every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in line with an examination scheme.
CertFlow keeps every crane, hoist and accessory on a recurring examination schedule, captures defects in the field, and produces the Report of Thorough Examination automatically so nothing slips past its due date.
Your legal duties
What the regulations require.
Thorough examination by a competent person
Lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at statutory intervals: every 6 months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories, every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in line with an examination scheme.
Report of Thorough Examination
Each examination produces a written report identifying any defect that is, or could become, a danger, with the timescale for action. Reports must be kept and made available to an HSE inspector on request.
Positioning, marking and safe use
Lifting equipment must be positioned and installed to minimise risk, clearly marked with its safe working load, and used only by trained, competent people working to a planned safe system of work.
Defect reporting and removal from service
Where a competent person reports a defect that is an existing or imminent danger, the equipment must be taken out of service until it is put right, and serious defects reported to the enforcing authority.
How CertFlow handles it
From due date to defensible certificate.
Lifting Equipment runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
Ready-to-issue templates
A built-in LOLER 1998 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Automatic scheduling
Put every lifting equipment asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Captured on site, offline
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Audit-ready proof
Every lifting equipment certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
What inspectors commonly find.
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on lifting equipment inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
- Lifting accessories with corrosion, distortion or worn pins and hooks
- Chains, slings and webbing past their discard criteria
- Missing, painted-over or illegible safe working load (SWL) marks
- Reports of thorough examination overdue, undated or never followed up
- Equipment still in service after a defect that should have stopped its use
Why it matters
Penalties & enforcement.
A missed or overdue thorough examination breaches LOLER 1998 and can invalidate insurance. The HSE can serve prohibition notices, prosecute and secure unlimited fines under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, particularly where a failure causes harm.
Free download: the Lifting Equipment duty-holder guide Hoists and Cranes UK Ltd Zero missed recertifications since go-liveQuestions
Lifting Equipment on CertFlow, answered.
How often does lifting equipment need a thorough examination?
Every 6 months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories such as chains, slings and hooks, and every 12 months for other lifting equipment such as cranes and hoists, unless an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person specifies different intervals.
What is the difference between an inspection and a thorough examination?
An inspection is a more frequent, risk-based check by a competent user. A thorough examination is the systematic, detailed examination required by LOLER, carried out by a competent person, that results in a written Report of Thorough Examination.
Does CertFlow produce the LOLER Report of Thorough Examination?
Yes. CertFlow ships the full Report of Thorough Examination template covering equipment identification, safe working load, defects and dates. Engineers complete it on mobile and the system outputs a branded PDF.
How does CertFlow stop a LOLER examination being missed?
Every asset sits on a recurring 6 or 12-month schedule. CertFlow generates the jobs automatically and flags equipment before it falls due, so nothing slips past its date.
Can a defect be turned into remedial work?
Yes. Any defect found during examination can be raised as a remedial job in one tap, assigned to an engineer and tracked through to a satisfactory re-examination.
Further reading
Guides and reference for lifting equipment.
Duty Holder’s Guide to LOLER 1998
What the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 actually require of you, in plain English.
References
Lifting Equipment: official sources
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
Related disciplines
Often run alongside Lifting Equipment.
Work Equipment
Prove every piece of work equipment is suitable, maintained and safe to use.
Electrical
EICRs, fixed-wire testing and PAT, captured on site, certified in minutes.
Pressure Systems
Written schemes of examination and pressure tests, scheduled and certified.
Customers
What firms say about lifting equipment on CertFlow.
We were running two sets of compliance records, one for the lifting side and one for height safety. CertFlow put both in one place. Six months in, certificates go out the moment a job is done, nothing slips past its due date, and an audit is a quick export rather than a day lost in folders.
CertFlow has put every lifting asset and every examination date in one place. Our engineers complete reports on site, defects are flagged straight to the client, and nothing slips past its due date. It is the first system that actually fits how a lifting inspection business works.
We used to live in fear of an examination date slipping through a spreadsheet. Now every asset and every date is in one place, reports go out the day we finish, and our clients can see exactly where they stand. It just fits how we work.
See it on your data
Run your first lifting equipment report in the demo.
We'll set up a live environment with your asset types and branding, then walk you through a LOLER 1998 job end to end.