What is LOLER?
LOLER is the legal requirements relating to the use of lifting
equipment, which in the case of hospitals and nursing homes are hoists.
The Regulations aim to reduce risks to people’s health and safety from lifting
equipment provided for use at work. In addition to the requirements of LOLER, lifting equipment is also subject to the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
What does LOLER do?
Generally, the Regulations require that lifting equipment provided for use at work is:
• Strong and stable enough for the particular use and marked to indicate safe
working loads;
• Positioned and installed to minimize any risks;
• Used safely, i.e. the work is planned, organized and performed by competent
people; and
• Subject to ongoing thorough examination and, where appropriate, inspection by
competent people.
What equipment is covered by the Regulations?
Lifting equipment includes any equipment used at work for lifting or lowering loads.
Health and Safety
Do the Regulations apply to me?
If you are an employer providing lifting equipment for use at work, or you have control of the use of lifting equipment, then the Regulations will apply to you.
While your employees do not have duties under LOLER, they do have general
duties under the HSW Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), for example to take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions and to co-operate with others.
What do the Regulations require me to do?
You need to ensure that in using any lifting equipment the requirements of LOLER are met.
For example, you should ensure that all lifting equipment is:
• Sufficiently strong, stable and suitable for the proposed use.
• Positioned or installed to prevent the risk of injury, eg from the equipment or the
load falling or striking people;
• Visibly marked with any appropriate information to be taken into account for its
safe use, eg safe working loads. Accessories, eg slings, should be similarly marked.
Additionally, you must ensure that:
• Lifting operations are planned, supervised and carried out in a safe manner by
people who are competent;
• Where equipment is used for lifting people it is marked accordingly, and it
should be safe for such a purpose, eg all necessary precautions have been
taken to eliminate or reduce any risk;
• Where appropriate, before lifting equipment (including accessories) is used for the
first time, it is thoroughly examined. Lifting equipment may need to be
thoroughly examined in use at periods specified in the Regulations (ie at least
six-monthly for accessories and equipment used for lifting people) or at intervals
laid down in an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. All
examination work should be performed by a competent person; and
• Following a thorough examination or inspection of any lifting equipment, a
report is submitted by the competent person to the employer to take the
appropriate action.
How are the Regulations enforced?
Health and safety inspectors enforce the Regulations. If you have duties under LOLER you will be given time to assimilate the new requirements. However, where there are serious risks, or the requirements are not new, inspectors will be prepared to take firm enforcement action.
** Information taken from: Simple Guide to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 - http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg290.pdf **
What Westmeria Healthcare can offer?
• 6 Monthly LOLER testing by competent Engineers.
• Full Management Reports, Tailor made to suit you
• To show how many LOLER tests done in a period
• Monthly/Bimonthly/Quarterly meetings – to suit you.
• Pricing plan around LOLER testing
• Ad-Hoc
• Contract
For more information relating to pricing, Contact the Repairs Dept on
0132 252 0560
