Passenger Lift Inspections in London

What a passenger lift inspection covers

A passenger lift inspection under LOLER is a thorough examination of the whole load path, and of every device that stops the car if something fails. On a typical lift that means:

• Suspension: the ropes or belts, their terminations, and the sheave they run over
• Brake: its condition, its adjustment, and whether it holds the car
• Overspeed governor and safety gear: that the governor trips and the safety gear grips the guide rails
• Doors and interlocks: landing and car door locks, and the protection that stops doors closing on people
• Car, guides and buffers: the car frame, the guide rails and their fixings, and the buffers in the pit
• Hydraulic lifts: the ram, cylinder, valves and hoses, and any creep or leakage
• Alarm and communication: the means of raising help from inside the car
• Controls and history: the controller and emergency stops, and anything repaired or modified since the last examination

The detail depends on the lift. A machine-room-less lift keeps much of this in the shaft or headroom, so access and isolation take longer than on a lift with a motor room.

Why passenger lifts are inspected every six months

LOLER 1998 Regulation 9 sets two intervals: six months for equipment that lifts people, and twelve for goods-only equipment. A passenger lift carries people, so it is six-monthly, unless a competent person has drawn up a written scheme of examination that sets a different interval for that lift. A maintenance visit is not the examination and does not reset its date, however often the lift is serviced.

What you get after the inspection

A Report of Thorough Examination with everything LOLER Schedule 1 requires — including the lift identified, the date it was examined, its safe working load, any defect with what must be done and by when, and the date the next examination is due — with each defect graded by severity. On top of that:

• Same-day report: issued digitally on the day of the inspection, not weeks later. HSE guidance for lifts says normally within 28 days
• Photographs: of what was examined and of any defect, in every report as standard, so you, your contractor and your insurer can see exactly what was found
• Records and reminders: we keep the lift's record on file and remind you before the next six-monthly inspection is due, so it never lapses unnoticed

If a defect means the lift is not safe to use, you are told in writing straight away, and the enforcing authority is notified as the law requires. Because we sell no repairs, a defect on the report is never a quotation in disguise.

Passenger lifts in flats, care homes and offices

Who controls the lift changes how the visit is planned. In a block of flats it is usually a managing agent or residents' management company, and residents need warning when a single lift will be out of service. In a care home the lift is examined alongside the hoists and stairlifts on the same six-monthly cycle. In offices and hotels we examine one car at a time, early or late, so the building is never without a lift. Mark is enhanced DBS checked for work in homes and care settings.