The short version
PUWER is the baseline for everything that does work on your site. LOLER is an extra layer for anything that lifts. They are not alternatives and you do not choose between them: a telehandler is work equipment under PUWER every day of its life, and lifting equipment under LOLER every time it picks something up.
Side by side
| LOLER 1998 | PUWER 1998 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Lifting equipment and lifting accessories | All work equipment used at work |
| Typical plant | Telehandlers, cranes, MEWPs, excavator lifting points, chains and slings | Excavators, dumpers, rollers, saws, generators, hand tools |
| Formal check | Thorough examination, with a written report | Inspection, recorded and kept until the next one |
| Interval | 6 months for lifting people and all accessories; 12 months otherwise; or per a written scheme | No fixed interval — set by risk, use and manufacturer guidance |
| Who signs it | A competent person, independent enough to give an objective opinion | A competent person for that equipment, often in-house |
| Extra triggers | After installation, relocation, or exceptional circumstances such as damage | After conditions causing deterioration, and before first use in a new location |
| Marking | Safe working load marked on equipment and accessories | Warnings, markings and controls suitable for safe use |
| If it lapses | The machine should not be used for lifting until re-examined | Use continues only if the risk assessment still stands — in practice, take it out of use |
Lifting equipment inspection frequency, decided properly
The default intervals are simple enough. Six months if the equipment lifts people, and six months for every lifting accessory — chains, slings, shackles, lifting eyes, quick hitch lifting points. Twelve months for other lifting equipment. A written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person can replace both, and on hard-worked plant it often shortens them.
What catches fleets out is the accessory list. A telehandler on a twelve month cycle is fine, but the chains hanging on its forks are on six, and they rarely have an owner. If an accessory is not on your register with its own expiry date, it is not being tracked.
Which of your machines fall under both
Telehandlers, cranes, MEWPs and anything with a man basket are clearly dual. Excavators depend on use: lifting a pipe or a chamber with a certified lifting point makes the lifting function subject to LOLER, while a machine that only digs sits under PUWER alone. Dumpers, rollers and site saws are PUWER only. The practical rule is to record the answer per asset, at the point you add the machine to the register, rather than deciding it again each time a certificate lands.
Keeping both on one record
The failure mode is two systems: a folder of thorough examination reports, and a pad of weekly check sheets in the cab. Neither answers the question that matters on the day — is this machine fit to use right now. Put the LOLER certificate with its expiry date and the PUWER check history on the same asset, flag the machine when either lapses or a defect is raised, and make that visible to whoever is standing next to it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between LOLER and PUWER?
PUWER 1998 covers all work equipment and asks that it is suitable, maintained and inspected as risk requires. LOLER 1998 sits on top of that for lifting equipment and accessories, adding a thorough examination by a competent person at set intervals, plus marking of safe working loads. Lifting plant needs both.
Is a telehandler covered by LOLER or PUWER?
Both. As a machine it is work equipment under PUWER, so it needs routine inspection and maintenance. When it lifts using forks, a jib or a man basket it is lifting equipment under LOLER, so it also needs a thorough examination and the accessories need their own records.
When is a LOLER inspection every 6 months rather than 12?
Six months applies to lifting equipment used to lift people, and to all lifting accessories such as chains, slings, shackles and lifting eyes. Twelve months applies to other lifting equipment. Either interval is overridden by a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person, and an examination is also needed after installation or exceptional circumstances such as damage.
Does an excavator need a LOLER examination?
If it is used for object handling — lifting pipes, chambers or cages with a quick hitch or lifting eye — then yes, the lifting function falls under LOLER and needs a thorough examination, normally every 12 months. If it only ever digs, PUWER applies but LOLER does not.
Can one record cover both regimes?
Yes, and it should. The same machine carries a LOLER report of thorough examination with an expiry date and a rolling set of PUWER inspection records. Keeping them on one asset record is what stops a machine looking current on one list and lapsed on the other.
This guide is general information about record keeping, not legal advice. Refer to LOLER 1998, PUWER 1998 and current HSE guidance for the requirements that apply to your equipment.
Track both regimes in Conformiq
- Certificate expiry dates with automatic email reminders
- Weekly LOLER/PUWER checklists with a digital signature
- Lifting accessories tracked as assets in their own right
- QR code on the machine opens its current status on site