Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
England-focused reference checklist
Editorial source review: 2026-10-17
https://saeedazarshab.com/articles/england-building-regulations/loler-1998/

INDEPENDENT GUIDANCE — not project-specific legal/design advice or a compliance certificate. Check the official current requirements and applicable transition.

LOLER adds requirements for lifting equipment and lifting operations to the broader work-equipment framework. Lifts must be competently planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. Thorough examination, routine maintenance and checks serve different purposes; one certificate does not establish that a particular lift is safe.

WHAT TO CHECK
[ ] Have a competent person plan the operation proportionately to the lift's complexity and risk.
[ ] Check equipment and accessory suitability, identification and rated capacities for the actual arrangement.
[ ] Confirm required thorough examinations, defect reports and any examination scheme before use.
[ ] Coordinate supervision, exclusion arrangements, communication and interfaces with nearby activities.
[ ] Stop the operation if conditions change or a safety-critical defect or planning assumption is unresolved.

RECORDS TO KEEP
- Lift plan, role allocations and relevant competence evidence.
- Equipment identification, examination reports and defect close-out records.
- Inspection, maintenance and operation briefings for the actual lifting arrangement.

WHEN TO GET SPECIALIST HELP
Refer uncertain lifting arrangements or examination defects to the competent lift planner and examiner; never improvise capacities, rigging or people-lifting arrangements from this summary.

SCOPE AND EDITION
Sources reviewed 17 October 2026. England is within the Great Britain application. Examination timing depends on equipment, circumstances and any valid scheme; follow the applicable rule and competent examination advice rather than a generic interval.

OFFICIAL SOURCES
LOLER 1998 — latest available legislation
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/contents

HSE: LOLER guidance
https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/loler.htm

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. Original practical summary by Saeed Azarshab.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/