When Have Your Fork Lift Trucks Last Had a
LOLER Thorough Examination Test or LOLER Test?
Introducing LOLER Thorough Examination Test
Are your workers safe with your lifting equipment?
If you own or operate a fork lift truck, or indeed any lifting equipment, you are required by law to ensure that it holds a report of Thorough Examination. This also applies to trucks for hire.
Failure to comply can leave you open to prosecution and could invalidate your insurance, should the worse happen… and much worse still can happen to you, in the case of a serious accident arising from faulty equipment.
What Is Meant By Lifting Equipment?
- Front-end loaders,
- forklift trucks,
- telescopic handlers,
- Attachments for lifting people,
- Cranes on machines (e.g. on lorries).
Contact Us Today to Get Your Equipment Checked for Safety Concerns
So, What Is A LOLER Thorough Examination?
First of all, we need to explain LOLER and PUWER:
- LOLER stands for: Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations, and
- PUWER stands for: Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
These 2 regulations came into effect in December 1998 and mean that, if you provide lifting equipment at work, then the LOLER test regulations apply to you.
This means that you must ensure that your lifting equipment meets the requirements of LOLER eg. the equipment is strong enough, stable enough and suitable for the proposed use.
Statutory Requirement
A LOLER Thorough Examination Test is a statutory requirement for lifting equipment under LOLER 98 Regulation 9.
It serves a similar purpose to that of a MOT for cars in that it provides a report confirming that the lifting equipment is safe to use, plus it offers advice on how to avoid risks in the use of that equipment.
The equipment is checked for serviceability and a report then issued to the owner or operator of the equipment. Understand that it is not a maintenance inspection of the truck.
LOLER Examination Covers…
Typical areas covered by a LOLER Thorough Examination Test include:
- Hydraulic hoses & connections,
- Rams & seals ,
- Power sources such as battery, battery leads & fuel,
- Configuration of fork & end stops,
- Lift chain & individual links/pins,
- Percentage wear,
- Jib & attachments,
- Indicators such as tyres warning device (horn etc…),
- All controls,
- Hydraulic oil, brakes & brake fluid,
- Cockpit, seat & protection cabin,
- Wheels & tyres,
- Seat & seatbelt,
- Reporting procedure.
This regulation applies to fork lift trucks that are over one year old.
From the one year point onwards, a LOLER Thorough Examination Test is required at least once every 12 months.
And in the case of a truck, in some instances, it will need to have a LOLER Thorough Examination Test more frequently. If you are in doubt about this, check this with your truck supplier or maintenance provider.
Just like an MOT for a car, a LOLER Thorough Examination Test, or forklift truck test, is not part of the maintenance process. It is something that must be carried out and reported on separately from routine maintenance.
Generally speaking, the employer of the operator of the fork lift truck (the owner or user) is responsible for ensuring that a LOLER Thorough Examination Test is carried out on time by a Competent Person and appropriate records must be kept.
Contact Us Today to Get Your Equipment Checked for Safety Concerns
Who Can Carry Out A LOLER Thorough Examination Test?
The regulations simply require that a LOLER Thorough Examination Test be carried out by a Competent Person.
A competent person is one who meets the requirements explained in LOLER, and could come from 1 of 3 general areas:
- an experienced fork lift truck engineer, or
- an insurance company examiner, or
- a specialist inspection company examiner.
In order to be classed as a ‘competent person’, the examiner should have at least 5 years experience as a fork lift truck engineer, and needs to have undertaken the necessary courses as required by the FLTA/BITA with revalidation being required every 5 years.
The examiner must be able to act without fear or favour, independently from the routine maintenance of the truck. This means that, for example, your regular service engineer generally would NOT be able to carry out a LOLER Thorough Examination Test.
It is worth noting that an “insurance inspection” is not necessarily a LOLER Thorough Examination Test, and if you rely on such inspections you should make sure you receive a document headed “Report of Thorough Examination Test ”.
For greatest peace of mind you should choose to have your LOLER Thorough Examination Test carried out by a company that is accredited with CFTS (as explained in the section headed National Scheme).
Failing this, you should select a company that is a Member of the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA). This association ensures that they are kept up to date on matters of legislation and provide specialist LOLER Thorough Examination courses.
Ideally, for your LOLER Thorough Examination Test, you should choose an FLTA member who is also accredited with CFTS.
FORKLIFT TRUCK & PLANT SCOTLAND
IS SUCH AN ACCREDITED COMPANY
Let us, therefore, the experts, conduct your tests professionally.
Since we do NOT repair any machinery, you can be sure that
we will not deliberately fail your trucks and other
equipment just to bring in money from repair work.
We offer honest and totally independent testing.
So, you can be sure to get value for money.
Contact Us Today to Get Your Equipment Checked for Safety Concerns
Who Should Carry Out A LOLER Thorough Examination Test?
If you, as the owner of lifting equipment, are considering arranging LOLER Thorough Examination Test, then there are a number of issues you will need to consider:
- you will need to ensure that the examiner is genuinely independent ie. s/he will not benefit financially from any repairs needed,
- you will need to ensure that the examiner has the required level of knowledge and experience to be classed as a ‘competent person’, and
- you will need to ensure that all future examinations are carried out as required by the examiner’s timescale.
FORK LIFT TRUCK & PLANT
SCOTLAND IS CAPABLE OF…
Fork Lift Truck & Plant Scotland is capable of offering you
such an independent LOLER thorough examination test
of your company’s fork lift trucks.
All documentation will be to FLTA standards, and all future
examinations will be carried out automatically, so
you will not have to remember future examination dates.
Contact Us Today to Get Your Equipment Checked for Safety Concerns
Do The Regulations Apply To Me?
If you are an employer or self-employed person providing lifting equipment for use at work, or you have control of the use of lifting equipment, then the Regulations apply to you.
Are You Qualified To Do LOLER Thorough Examination Test?
As part of your Statutory Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (1998) L.O.L.E.R obligations, Fork Lift Truck & Plant Scotland are committed to ensuring your lifting equipment is fit for purpose and service. Our engineers are all experienced and qualified.
We carry out LOLER Thorough Examination inspection programs for cranes, hoists, loose lifting equipment, forklift trucks, lorry mounted and mobile cranes.
GET LOLER CERTIFICATION
We offer LOLER Thorough Examination Certification,
non-destructive testing and inspection services.
We also ensure that plant registers are kept up to date in order
to help you, our customers satisfy the statutory requirements
for Thorough Examination called for by the LOLER Regulations.