Guide · LOLER

LOLER Inspection Software for UK SMEs

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 require lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined at set intervals by a competent person. LOLER inspection software is how UK businesses keep those examinations on schedule and the reports easy to produce when an inspector or insurer asks.

What LOLER actually requires

• Lifting equipment used to lift people: thorough examination at least every 6 months.
• Other lifting equipment and accessories: at least every 12 months.
• Additional examinations after exceptional circumstances (damage, long storage).
• A written report from a competent person, kept for inspection.

None of this is optional, and none of it should live in one person's diary.

What LOLER inspection software should do

1. Item register. Every hoist, sling, chain, harness anchor and lifting accessory recorded once, with location and owner.
2. Interval tracking. 6- or 12-month intervals set per item, with the next-due date rolling forward automatically after each examination.
3. Competent person reports. The written report attached to the item so it can be produced instantly.
4. Reminders. Automatic emails before each thorough examination is due, so nothing goes overdue.
5. Audit trail. A history of every examination for the life of the item.

One system for LOLER, PUWER and calibration

Businesses that lift also usually calibrate — load cells, torque tools, pressure gauges. Running calibration tracking in one tool and LOLER in another duplicates the register and doubles the audit work. The compliance and safety guides cover the wider picture: regulatory compliance software and health and safety compliance.

How FileGuard fits

FileGuard treats a LOLER item the same way it treats a calibration item: a record, an interval, an attached report and a reminder. Multi-site, multi-user, with a full activity log — so at the next audit the answer is "here it is" rather than "let me look for it".