PUWER vs LOLER: what's the difference?
They are constantly confused, and the answer is simple: PUWER covers all work equipment; LOLER adds extra duties for lifting equipment. For a lot of kit, both apply at once.
| PUWER | LOLER | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | All work equipment | Lifting equipment and lifting accessories only |
| Key duties | Suitable, maintained, inspected, guarded, used by trained people | Strong/stable/marked, positioned to minimise risk, lifts planned by a competent person, thorough examination |
| Periodic check | Inspection where deterioration could cause danger, at a risk-based interval | Thorough examination: 6-monthly for people-lifting and accessories, 12-monthly for other lifting equipment, or by a competent person's scheme |
| Example item | Bench saw, ladder, photocopier, forklift | Crane, hoist, sling, tail-lift, passenger lift, forklift |
Those two regimes generate four activities that are easy to confuse. They answer different questions about the same asset:
| Activity | Purpose | Typical trigger | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-use check | Spot obvious faults before use | Each use or shift, where appropriate | Usually a simple check; the simplest checks are not normally recorded |
| PUWER inspection | Detect unsafe installation or deterioration | After relevant installation, at suitable risk-based intervals, or after an exceptional event | Result retained at least until the next inspection |
| Maintenance | Keep equipment in efficient working order and good repair | Manufacturer's instructions, a risk-based plan, or a reported fault | Service or repair evidence |
| LOLER thorough examination | Systematically find safety-critical defects in lifting equipment | Before certain first uses or installations, in service, and after an exceptional event | Competent person's written report with the information LOLER requires |
The simple way to hold it in your head
PUWER is the baseline for every piece of work equipment. Is it suitable, maintained, inspected, guarded, and used by trained people? LOLER then adds a lifting-specific layer on top for anything that lifts: is it strong, stable and marked, positioned to minimise risk, examined thoroughly on schedule, and are lifts planned by a competent person? Nothing that lifts escapes PUWER by being under LOLER, because it has to satisfy both.
Where they overlap
The overlap is where most confusion lives. A forklift, a vehicle tail-lift and a scaffold hoist are each work equipment under PUWER and lifting equipment under LOLER. In practice that means PUWER maintenance and inspection and LOLER thorough examination, both recorded. The regimes complement rather than replace each other.
PUWER inspection vs LOLER thorough examination
The comparison that trips people up most is not the two sets of regulations but the two kinds of check. A PUWER inspection is a safety check of work equipment where installation, deterioration or an exceptional event could create a significant risk. Its scope and interval come from a risk assessment, not a fixed national date, and HSE says formal inspection is not needed for every item. The person carrying it out needs enough knowledge and experience of that equipment to know what to look for and what to do about a defect. See PUWER inspection requirements.
A LOLER thorough examination is a more detailed, systematic examination of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts by a competent person, followed by a written report with the information LOLER requires. The routine intervals are six months for equipment and accessories used to lift people, six months for lifting accessories, and twelve months for other lifting equipment, or another interval set by a competent person's examination scheme. Examination may also be needed before first use after installation, or after an exceptional event. See LOLER thorough examination explained.
Two points matter for both. Maintenance is a separate duty: a current examination report does not mean maintenance is up to date, and a freshly serviced item may still need an independent examination. And neither check makes newly damaged equipment safe. If a defect appears after the last report, act on the actual condition rather than the date on the certificate.
Two more points are worth recording. Retention differs between the regimes: keep a PUWER inspection result at least until the next inspection of that equipment, and keep an in-service LOLER thorough-examination report until the next report or for two years, whichever is later. And if a thorough examination finds a serious defect, the competent person must tell the dutyholder straight away, follow up in writing and send a copy to the enforcing authority; the dutyholder then makes the equipment safe and records the basis for any return to service. A competent person should not normally examine their own routine maintenance work. HSE work equipment inspection. HSE lifting equipment examinations.
Classify each asset before you set a regime
The mistake that creates most confusion is allocating duties to a category instead of an asset. For each item, record its unique identifier, its owner and controller, whether it lifts or lowers a load, what failure could injure someone, and the information that supports the answer, such as the manufacturer's instructions or an examiner's report. Include accessories, detachable parts and installed systems. A single label such as plant is too broad to allocate duties or to build a defensible inspection plan.
Consider a small facilities team whose cordless drill, step ladder, vehicle lift and lifting sling all need safe selection and use. That does not mean identical cycles. The drill needs routine checks and repair when faults appear; the ladder's inspection regime depends on its use and risk; and the vehicle lift and sling carry lifting-specific duties and a LOLER thorough examination. Define the regime asset by asset rather than copying one annual-inspection field across the whole register.
Track both, in one register
Complys holds your equipment register and tracks PUWER inspection and LOLER thorough-examination due dates against each item, so nothing falls between the two regimes. It does not carry out the inspection or the examination itself; a competent person does that and Complys keeps the record and the reminder.
FAQs
Does LOLER replace PUWER for lifting equipment?
No. It adds to it. Lifting equipment must still meet PUWER, meaning suitable, maintained, safe controls and trained users, and also meet LOLER's extra lifting-specific duties. Both apply at once.
Is a PUWER inspection the same as a LOLER thorough examination?
No. A PUWER inspection is a safety check at a risk-based interval by someone with enough knowledge of that equipment to spot deterioration. A LOLER thorough examination is a systematic examination of lifting equipment and its safety-critical parts by a competent person, followed by a written report. Lifting equipment often needs both, and neither replaces routine maintenance.
Does a current examination report mean damaged equipment is safe to use?
No. A report records the equipment's condition at that examination. If a defect appears afterwards, deal with the actual condition: withdraw or isolate the item, arrange a competent assessment, and record the basis for any return to use. The date on the last report cannot resolve a new fault.
Why is a forklift covered by both?
A forklift is work equipment under PUWER and it lifts loads under LOLER. So it needs PUWER maintenance, inspection and safe use, and also LOLER thorough examination and planned lifting operations. It is the classic example of the two regimes overlapping.
Do both apply in Northern Ireland?
The equivalents do: the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999. The Great Britain regulations are the 1998 versions.
Related: what is PUWER, what is LOLER, and LOLER thorough examination explained.
Equipment workflows: equipment defects and return to service, hired plant handover, repeated equipment defects, and for hired equipment the equipment hire compliance checklist.