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A LOLER inspection is the thorough examination required by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998: a systematic and detailed examination by a competent person to find defects that are, or might become, dangerous. Once a used telehandler, forklift, crane or access platform is yours and used at work, the duties are yours: no lifting without evidence of its last examination, then examination at least every 6 or 12 months unless a written scheme says otherwise. PUWER covers the rest of the machine.
What is a LOLER inspection, and why is it your job once you buy?
What the trade calls a LOLER inspection is a thorough examination: a systematic and detailed examination of lifting equipment by a competent person to detect defects that are, or might become, dangerous. The duty sits with whoever provides or controls the equipment at work. Once you buy the machine and put it to work, that is you.
Machines such as telehandlers, forklifts and access platforms appear in our plant machinery auctions, sold from the seller's premises or the location stated in the lot details. Universal Auctions Group Ltd acts solely as auctioneer and agent for the vendor and is not a party to the contract of sale, which is formed between the vendor and the successful bidder. Our auctions are trade-only, so bidders register and bid in a business capacity and there is no consumer cooling-off right.
Listings are prepared from information and photographs supplied by the vendor. UAG does not mechanically inspect or test assets or provide condition reports. Any examination report comes from the vendor's own records. For the mechanical checks on a telehandler's boom, chains and tyres, see buying used excavators and telehandlers at auction.
Which machines and accessories on a plant lot fall under LOLER?
LOLER covers work equipment for lifting and lowering loads, plus the accessories that attach a load to it. HSE's examples include telehandlers and industrial lift trucks, scissor lifts, cranes, vehicle tail lifts and vehicle lifts, with slings, hooks, shackles and eyebolts as accessories. Equipment whose principal function is not lifting, such as a conveyor or a tractor's three-point linkage, sits outside LOLER but still under PUWER.
- Forklift or telehandler. Position under HSE guidance: Lifting equipment. What it means for you: Lifting parts need periodic thorough examination.
- Scissor lift or boom platform. Position under HSE guidance: Lifting equipment that lifts people. What it means for you: Six month interval unless a scheme applies.
- Loader crane on a truck. Position under HSE guidance: Lifting equipment. What it means for you: Examination history matters as much as the chassis.
- Chains, slings or shackles sold with the lot. Position under HSE guidance: Accessories for lifting. What it means for you: Six month interval unless a scheme applies, with their own records.
- Tail lift on a van or truck. Position under HSE guidance: Lifting equipment. What it means for you: Easily missed on a vehicle lot.
- Simple pallet truck. Position under HSE guidance: Usually outside LOLER examination; confirm with your competent person. What it means for you: PUWER still applies: keep it maintained and safe.
One use catches buyers out. An excavator used to lift suspended loads is treated as lifting equipment, so ask your competent examiner how that use is to be examined before it starts.
How often does used lifting equipment need a thorough examination?
HSE's in-service intervals are at least every 6 months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for all other lifting equipment, unless a competent person's examination scheme sets different intervals. An examination is also needed after exceptional circumstances, such as damage or failure, a long period out of use, or a major change in use likely to affect the equipment's integrity.
The date on the previous owner's report is the first thing to read. A scheme can set longer or shorter periods, but HSE says a longer period must rest on a rigorous assessment of the risks, and a scheme written for the seller's conditions may not fit yours. So if you know or suspect a machine has been damaged or stood unused for a long period, plan a fresh examination whatever the old report says.
HSE's lift truck guidance adds that lift trucks and attachments used to lift people, even occasionally, must be examined at least every six months, so a forklift or telehandler you intend to use with a working platform moves onto the shorter cycle.
What does a report of thorough examination tell you, and what does it not?
The report is the competent person's written record. Schedule 1 of LOLER lists eleven items it must contain, including the equipment's identity, its safe working load, the date of the examination, the latest date for the next one and any defect that is or could become a danger. It records the machine's position on that date. It is not a service record, a warranty or proof of condition at the sale.
- Equipment identity and date of manufacture. Why it matters: Ties the report to this machine. What to do with it: Match make and serial against the listing photographs.
- Date of examination and next due date. Why it matters: Shows how much interval is left. What to do with it: Work out where the clock stands at collection.
- Basis: 6 months, 12 months, scheme or exceptional. Why it matters: Tells you which regime the seller ran. What to do with it: Ask for the scheme if one was used.
- Safe working load and configuration. Why it matters: The load rating for the last configuration examined. What to do with it: Check it against the attachments in the lot.
- Defects with a timescale. Why it matters: Must be remedied within that time. What to do with it: Ask whether the repair was done; price it if not.
- Name of the employer it was made for. Why it matters: Identifies the previous dutyholder. What to do with it: Expect your own reports to be issued to you.
HSE is clear that thorough examination may indicate areas of poor maintenance but is not intended to replace it. A clean report on chains and forks says nothing about the engine.
How is a PUWER inspection different from a LOLER thorough examination?
LOLER's thorough examination concentrates on the lifting mechanism. PUWER, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, applies to all work equipment: it must be suitable, maintained in a safe condition and inspected where conditions cause deterioration, and users need adequate training. HSE's forklift example splits the work: chains and forks under LOLER, brakes, lights and fall-over protection under PUWER.
On a lifting machine you therefore owe four different things:
- LOLER thorough examination. The lifting mechanism, by a competent person, at the 6 or 12 month interval or under a scheme, with a written report.
- PUWER inspection. The non-lifting safety parts, at suitable intervals. HSE says the two regimes can be combined where appropriate.
- Maintenance. Required under PUWER for lifting and non-lifting parts alike. Where a machine has a maintenance log, PUWER requires it to be kept up to date.
- Operator pre-use checks. The checks operators carry out before using the machine. HSE's INDG422 notes that the examination regime does not replace them.
What paperwork should you ask for before you bid?
Ask for the most recent report of thorough examination, any examination scheme, the maintenance log if one exists, and records for any accessories sold with the lot, and check the safe working load markings in the photographs. Under regulation 9 of LOLER, lifting equipment obtained from another business must not be used in yours unless it is accompanied by physical evidence that its last required thorough examination was carried out.
HSE says all lifting equipment, including accessories, must be clearly marked with its safe working load, with each configuration shown where the rating depends on it, and equipment for lifting people must also show how many people it can carry. Those plates are often visible in a vendor's photographs; reading them is covered in judging machine condition from photographs. Ask your questions through us before the lot closes. Hour readings are supplied by the vendor and have not been independently verified by UAG. Buyers should satisfy themselves as to their accuracy before bidding. Viewing is available strictly by prior appointment and is strongly recommended; any testing must be agreed in advance and is subject to the vendor's site and safety requirements.
No paperwork is not a reason to walk away. It means the examination comes out of your budget before the machine lifts. You can price the examination before the close, but not the repairs it may find, so leave room for both.
What should you do on day one, before the machine lifts anything?
Keep it out of lifting work until the paperwork is settled. If there is no evidence of the last thorough examination, the next one is due, or the machine may have been damaged or stood unused for a long period, have a competent person examine it first. Then inspect and service the non-lifting parts, confirm operator training and diarise the next date.
- File what arrived: the report, any scheme, the log, and photographs of the plates.
- Book a thorough examination where evidence is missing, out of date or overtaken by damage or a long period out of use.
- Have the non-lifting safety parts inspected and the machine serviced: brakes, lights, steering, tyres and fall-over protection.
- Confirm operators are trained on this machine and its attachments, and set the pre-use check routine.
- Diarise the next examination and keep the records: HSE says in-service reports are kept until the next report or for two years, whichever is later.
Who can carry out the examination, and what happens if it finds a defect?
A competent person with enough practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to detect defects and judge how much they matter. HSE says they should be independent and impartial and should not be the person who maintains the machine, though they may be your own staff. A defect that is or could become dangerous is reported to you immediately; one that is already dangerous means the machine must not be used until it is put right.
Where a defect involves an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, the examiner must also send a copy of the report to the enforcing authority, even if it is put right on the spot. Defects given a timescale must be remedied within it. That is why the examination is worth booking before you commit the machine to a contract: the report can turn a keenly bought lot into a repair job. Winning-bid costs are covered in the real cost of buying at auction.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating a service sticker as an examination. HSE says maintenance and thorough examination are different things. A freshly serviced machine still needs its report.
- Relying on an old report after exceptional circumstances. Damage or a long period out of use calls for a fresh examination, whatever the seller's report says.
- Forgetting the accessories. Chains, slings and shackles sold with a lot run on a six month interval, unless a written scheme sets otherwise, and need their own records before they go on a hook.
- Fitting a working platform and keeping the 12 month cycle. A forklift or telehandler used to lift people, even occasionally, moves to six months.
- Letting your fitter sign it off. HSE says the competent person should not be the one who does the routine maintenance, because they would be assessing their own work.
About this guide, and where to check the terms
Last reviewed 25 October 2026. This guide is general information for trade buyers and is not legal, tax or financial advice, and any example in it is illustrative rather than typical or achievable. Machine condition, examination status and VAT treatment turn on the individual lot and your own operation, so check each listing and take your own advice where the position matters. The terms of the individual sale govern each lot.
- Auction terms and conditions. Registration, bidding, payment, collection, storage and export: universalauctionsgroup.com/terms-and-conditions.
- Plant machinery auctions. Current plant and machinery sales: plant machinery auctions.
- How to bid. Registration and buying, step by step: buying with us.
- Buyer fees. The buyer's premium and any other charges for a lot are stated on that lot's Additional Fees tab.
Frequently asked questions
What is a LOLER inspection?
It is the thorough examination required by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998: a systematic and detailed examination of lifting equipment by a competent person to detect defects that are, or might become, dangerous. The examiner issues a written report setting out the date of the examination, the latest date for the next one and any defects found. It applies to forklifts, telehandlers, cranes, access platforms and lifting accessories used at work.
How often is a LOLER inspection required?
HSE's in-service intervals are at least every 6 months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories such as chains, slings and shackles, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment such as forklifts and telehandlers lifting loads. A competent person's examination scheme can set different intervals. An examination is also needed after exceptional circumstances, such as damage, a long period out of use or a major change in how the equipment is used.
Does a used forklift or telehandler bought at auction come with a LOLER certificate?
Only what the listing states comes with the lot. Listings are prepared from information and photographs supplied by the vendor. Ask before the lot closes whether a recent report of thorough examination exists. Under LOLER regulation 9, lifting equipment obtained from another business must not be used in yours unless it is accompanied by physical evidence that its last required thorough examination was carried out, so without a report, budget for an examination before first use.
Can I rely on the previous owner's thorough examination report?
The regulations accept physical evidence of the last thorough examination for equipment obtained from another business, and the next examination is then due by the latest date on that report. HSE also says to examine lifting equipment after exceptional circumstances, so if you know or suspect the machine has been damaged or out of use for a long period, have it examined before it lifts, whatever the report says. Check that the identity on the report matches the machine.
What is a PUWER inspection and how does it differ from LOLER?
PUWER, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, requires all work equipment to be suitable, maintained in a safe condition and inspected where conditions cause deterioration. On a forklift, HSE's example puts the chains and forks under the LOLER thorough examination and the non-lifting parts, such as brakes, lights and fall-over protection, under PUWER inspection. Maintenance of both falls under PUWER, and the two inspection regimes can be combined where appropriate.
Who can carry out a thorough examination of lifting equipment?
A competent person with enough practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to detect defects and judge how much they matter. HSE says they should be sufficiently independent and impartial, and should not be the person who carries out the routine maintenance, because they would be assessing their own work. They may be employed by a separate company or chosen from your own staff.
Sources and references
- Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/thorough-examinations-lifting-equipment.htm
- Thorough examination of lifting equipment: A simple guide for employers (INDG422) · HSE, 2008 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg422.pdf
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 9: Thorough examination and inspection · legislation.gov.uk, 1998 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/regulation/9
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, Schedule 1: Information to be contained in a report of a thorough examination · legislation.gov.uk, 1998 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/schedule/1
- PUWER overview · HSE, 2026 https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer-overview.htm
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View current plant auctionsUniversal Auctions Group. This article is general information for trade buyers and sellers and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
