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Integrity Lift Compliance
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Is LOLER Changing? HSE's Review Explained

Not at this time. In October 2025 HSE asked for evidence on whether LOLER is still fit for purpose, as part of a commitment to review older, prescriptive regulations. Its response, published in September 2026, found no case for changing the law: the evidence did not show that reform would reduce the burden on businesses without undermining safety, or that its benefits would outweigh the cost of the change. HSE plans to update its guidance instead, and every duty, interval and report requirement stays as it was.

Written and reviewed by Mark Crowley, Director, Integrity Lift Compliance Ltd — 26+ years hands-on lifting equipment engineering — NHS, commercial and industrial estates

Is LOLER changing?

Not at this time. HSE's response to its 2025 call for evidence says the responses did not show that changing the law would reduce the burden on businesses without undermining safety, or that it would deliver benefits outweighing the cost of the transition, so no opportunity for legislative reform was identified. HSE says it will keep the evidence under review.

What did the review look at?

A call for evidence ran for six weeks, from 1 October to 11 November 2025. It asked about LOLER's scope and whether the way it applies is still fit for purpose. It came from HSE's regulatory action plan, which committed HSE to review older, prescriptive regulations, LOLER among them, and to identify any unnecessary burdens. A call for evidence gathers information before any decision is made, so nothing changed while it ran.

What happens next?

Guidance rather than law. HSE says it will seek to improve understanding and support businesses with compliance through updated guidance, as opportunities arise. For lifting equipment, the guidance that carries most weight is L113, HSE's Approved Code of Practice for LOLER, whose second edition was published in 2014 and amended in 2018. An Approved Code of Practice has a special legal status: if you are prosecuted for a breach and did not follow the relevant part of the code, you will need to show that you complied with the law in some other way. Revised guidance can change what is expected in practice, but the Regulations themselves stay the same.

What stays the same?

Everything a duty-holder has to do:

  1. A thorough examination at least every six months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories, and at least every twelve months for other lifting equipment, unless a written scheme of examination sets different intervals.
  2. An examination before first use where one is required, after installation or assembly at a new site where safety depends on it, and after anything liable to affect safety, such as damage or a major alteration.
  3. A written report containing what Schedule 1 requires, with any dangerous defect reported to the duty-holder at once and, where there is an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, a copy sent to the enforcing authority.
  4. Every lifting operation properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.
  5. Reports kept, and available for inspection.

Should I wait for new guidance before booking examinations?

No. Nothing in the review paused or relaxed any duty, and equipment past its examination date is in breach today, exactly as it was before. Keep the register up to date and book each examination before it falls due.

Where can I read HSE's response?

On HSE's consultation website, linked below, which sets out what the call for evidence asked and HSE's response to it.

Sources & Further Reading

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Related Knowledge

LOLER 1998 Regulation by Regulation
Almost every conversation about LOLER is a conversation about Regulation 9 — the thorough examination — because that is the bit somebody sells you. It is one of eight duties that actually apply to you, and it is not the one most prosecutions turn on. This sets out what each regulation requires and where people come unstuck.
Read article
What is LOLER?
LOLER is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. It applies across Great Britain to lifting equipment used at work, and requires that equipment to be strong and stable enough for the job, properly installed and marked, used in planned lifting operations, and thoroughly examined by a competent person at set intervals: at least every six months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories, and at least every twelve months for everything else, unless a written examination scheme sets different ones.
Read article
How Often Are LOLER Inspections Required?
At least every six months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories, at least every twelve months for everything else, or in line with a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. That is the whole rule. What catches duty-holders out is rarely the interval itself — it is when the clock starts, what resets it, and the examinations that fall outside the cycle altogether.
Read article