If you work with lifting equipment in the
UK, you'll want to be aware of something that's been moving through the
regulatory system since late 2025.
Specifically, in October of 2025, the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a Call for Evidence to review the
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 that have been
regulating lifting operations in workplaces for over 25 years in the UK. The
review aims to facilitate the regulatory process without compromising workplace
safety.
Here at Lifting Gear Direct, we've been supplying lifting equipment in the UK since the day the first version of LOLER became valid. And in our experience, such regulatory changes tend to cause more confusion than anything else in the early stage. Hence, we have prepared a simple guide that covers what has been done so far and what may follow in the future.
As mentioned above, this isn't a result of
safety failures or an unexpected political decision. In March of 2025, HM
Treasury published the UK Government's Regulatory Action Plan with the purpose
of modernising and streamlining the regulatory system to support economic
growth. The plan focuses on three key factors: reducing bureaucracy, improving
regulatory efficiency, and modernising due to technological progress.
LOLER was written in 1998, while the
lifting industry has significantly changed since then due to technological
advancements. Hence, there is a necessity to make sure that the regulations are
still relevant, technology-neutral, and innovation-friendly.
Kate Haire, Deputy Director of Direction
and Policy at HSE, called it a targeted approach to regulatory reform that does
not involve a complete revision of the frameworks, but focuses on enhancing
their clarity and efficiency.
That context is crucial because there won't be a complete revision of LOLER, but a targeted review aimed at identifying areas of regulations where businesses may face excessive burden without getting additional safety.
During the review, HSE sought to ensure
that the regulations remain effective and proportionate and do not contradict
modern technologies, which would enable to identify areas where the regulations
place unnecessary burdens on businesses.
The Call for Evidence was aimed at
assessing whether the aspects of regulations impose administrative or financial
burdens that do not contribute to risk reduction and whether the regulations
have become irrelevant.
Along with it, the review focused on LOLER
interactions with other legislations, namely, the Supply of Machinery (Safety)
Regulations and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER).
The consultation was held till November 2025, while the input was solicited from industry stakeholders, professional organisations, and any entity that could contribute with relevant knowledge and experience. Various organisations, ranging from trade associations to equipment manufacturers, employers, and safety professionals, provided the input.
That is the point where we would recommend
to be cautious. At the time of this writing, no draft amendments to the
regulations have been published, and HSE is analysing the responses from the
Call for Evidence. Any changes will be subject to further consultations and may
become law only after them.
Areas that the review may include, based on
the framing in government and industry commentary, include whether current
inspection and certification frequencies are proportionate to real-world risk,
how smart sensors, remote monitoring, data-loggers, and condition-based
maintenance could sit alongside or replace some traditional time-based checks,
and whether expectations for competent persons need tightening, including how
experience, training, and authorisation are evidenced.
In our experience, the question of
inspection frequencies is the most important issue for our business partners.
At the moment, the statutory intervals for six months (for lifting accessories
and equipment used for lifting of persons) and twelve months (for the rest of
the lifting equipment) have been valid since 1998. Whether they will be
adjusted or modified, remains to be seen.
Another important point is the question of
competent persons. Currently, there is no specific qualification for competent
persons in LOLER, which leads to the inconsistency in the industry. Tightening
of the requirements for competence would affect the examinations program and
how the evidence of the examinations is to be collected.
Finally, technology is another aspect to watch. Modern lifting equipment is equipped with digital condition monitoring and sensors. Whether they can officially reduce the frequency of physical inspections or act as supplements to them remains the question for many years.
Despite the review process, the existing
duties of LOLER remain fully in force. Businesses should continue ensuring
maintenance and examinations of all lifting equipment.
Our experience shows that one of the
mistakes of businesses during the regulatory reviews is relaxing their
compliance due to potential changes. However, this is a considerable risk
because nothing in LOLER has been suspended or removed so far. All obligations
that were applicable before the Call for Evidence remains valid without
changes.
Examinations should be carried out at the statutory intervals. Competent persons should perform examinations and keep the records. Defects should be reported. All of it is not under discussion in terms of current operations.
Comply with current obligations. That is
the most important thing to do. Review process does not provide any exemption
from the existing regulations.
Stay informed. The HSE is expected to
publish its response to the Call for Evidence in due course and the draft
amended regulations would be subject to consultations. The fastest source of
information on that matter would be industry associations and trade
associations.
In our experience, those businesses that
comply with LOLER have little trouble with any future regulatory changes. If
the examination program and the records are properly managed and competent
persons are credible, then any changes would not disrupt the operations
significantly. This concerns the businesses that run close to minimums or below
them.
Consider the issue of technology. If the business does not use any kind of digital condition monitoring and load data logging, it would be worth knowing what is available on the market. Note that we don't suggest to use those solutions instead of statutory examinations; they cannot replace them at the moment. However, this would provide useful information on how equipment is used and how it performs between examinations. That data may be increasingly important as the regulatory framework is evolving.
We have been working in the industry long
enough to experience the adoption of LOLER in 1998. In our experience,
well-drafted regulation usually reflects best practices.
Those businesses that we supply and that
take their safety seriously don't consider LOLER as a burden. They see it as a
useful framework. Thus, if the review is aimed at reducing administrative
burden for compliant businesses without modifying the essence of LOLER, that
would be a reasonable result.
What we would be concerned about – and what the HSE's own framing suggests it tries to avoid – is any weakening of safety requirements that are embedded in the regulations. The six-monthly and twelve-monthly examination cycle, competent persons framework, marking and certification requirements – all of them have greatly contributed to reducing lifting accidents in workplaces over the past 25 years. Any changes in that sphere would need to be evidence-driven and carefully considered.
LOLER review is a process that has not been
finished yet. A Call for Evidence was conducted between October and November of
2025 as a part of the Government's Regulatory Action Plan. HSE is currently
reviewing the results and no draft amended regulations have been published yet.
All requirements of the current version of
LOLER remain fully in force. Businesses should continue following them without
relying on the future changes.
We will continue monitoring the situation
and would update it in case of new developments. If you have any questions on
your current LOLER obligations, feel free to contact us; our experience in the
lifting equipment sector is worth its weight.
For more information on LOLER compliance and lifting equipment, contact us at 01384 76961.
