What Is The Difference Between LOLER and PUWER?

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Compliance is key when ensuring your site is operating safely, but with so many different types of certificates and inspections, it is easy to see why companies are confused as to what exactly they need. The difference between LOLER and PUWER alone is enough to cause confusion.
So let's start there. We will look into the difference between these areas of compliance, what they are, why you need them, and how they are different.

What is PUWER?

In health and safety, PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It is a broader set of rules that covers almost any machinery, tool, appliance, or installation used at a workplace. These can range from hand and power tools to industrial machinery like conveyors or a hydraulic press.
The main aim of PUWER compliance checks is to ensure all equipment is suitable for use and maintained in a safe condition. PUWER compliance requires that anyone using the equipment has had the right training and that there are clear safety measures, like guards and emergency stops, in place.

How often should PUWER Inspections take place?

PUWER does not specify fixed inspection intervals like LOLER. Instead, inspections must be carried out where equipment safety depends on installation conditions or where deterioration could create a risk.
Most companies perform checks at regular intervals, which should be based on how often the machine is operated. Often, there is a recommendation from the manufacturer. You will also need to conduct a PUWER inspection after any major change to the gear, such as relocation, a repair, or if the equipment has been sitting idle for a long time.

What is LOLER?

What is a LOLER inspection? LOLER refers to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. While PUWER covers all work gear, LOLER narrows the focus to lifting equipment and its accessories.
A LOLER thorough examination involves a much stricter regime to prevent equipment failure during a lift. The main aim is to ensure that lifting equipment and people are moved safely and to reduce any risk associated with wear and tear.

How often should LOLER Inspections take place?

The timelines for LOLER are strictly defined by law; equipment used for lifting people, such as hoists or access platforms, as well as lifting accessories, must be thoroughly examined every 6 months.
Other lifting equipment, such as overhead cranes or forklifts, must usually be thoroughly examined every 12 months unless a written examination scheme specifies different intervals.

What's the Difference Between LOLER and PUWER?

The easiest way to think about it is that PUWER is the "umbrella" regulation for all work tools, while LOLER is specific to lifting. PUWER and LOLER work together to ensure total site safety.
PUWER looks at the general safety, guarding, and controls of a machine, whereas LOLER focuses on the strength, stability, and integrity of the parts doing the actual lifting. If a machine lifts a load, it must meet the standards of both sets of regulations.

LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations)

  • Focuses on equipment that lifts or lowers loads

  • Requires thorough examination by an impartial person, typically every 6 or 12 months, or as set out in a written examination scheme

  • Covers cranes, hoists, slings, and lifts

PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations)

  • Covers nearly all equipment used at work

  • Requires regular maintenance and safety checks, based on risk assessment and usage

  • Covers lathes, power tools, motors, and drills

To better understand how these overlap, consider a forklift truck. Under PUWER, an inspector checks the brakes, the steering, the seatbelt, and the overhead guard to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive. Under LOLER, the inspector focuses on the mast, the chains, and the forks. They are looking for structural integrity and wear that could cause a load to drop.

Another major difference lies in who performs the checks. PUWER inspections can often be carried out by a trained, competent employee in-house as part of a routine maintenance schedule. However, LOLER inspections carry more legal weight. They must be completed by a competent person with sufficient independence and impartiality. This ensures there is no bias in the safety report, which is why most companies hire external LOLER inspection companies to remain compliant.

Keeping your documents up to date is different, too. PUWER requires evidence that equipment is maintained and safe, often kept in a general maintenance log. LOLER, on the other hand, requires a formal LOLER inspection certificate (officially a 'Report of Thorough Examination'). 

LOLER requires a formal Report of Thorough Examination. Reports for lifting accessories must typically be kept for at least two years, while reports for lifting equipment should be retained at least until the next examination.

Do you need to comply with both?

Most of the time, in industrial and construction settings, the answer will be yes.

Construction and engineering companies using tower cranes, mobile cranes, hoists, telehandlers, and excavators will need both, as do warehouse and manufacturing companies that use overhead cranes, conveyor systems, and machinery for production.

Essentially, if you operate a crane, it needs to meet PUWER standards for its general controls and motor safety, while also meeting LOLER standards for its hooks and cables. In these cases, it isn’t a choice, as ignoring one in favour of the other will leave gaps in compliance and site safety. 

Non-compliance may affect insurance claims and can expose businesses and directors to enforcement action, prosecution, fines, or imprisonment in serious cases.

Why do LOLER and PUWER matter?

Beyond just ticking a box, these regulations are ultimately there to stop accidents. Remaining compliant with both LOLER and PUWER protects your site and the people on site from injury, which keeps your business out of trouble.

Remaining compliant helps avoid the fines and legal costs that the HSE hands out for negligence. Since the removal of sentencing caps, UK courts can impose unlimited fines for serious breaches - scaled to the size and culpability of the business - and in the most serious cases involving large organisations, these have reached into the millions of pounds. It also keeps your insurance valid; without proof of these inspections, many providers will refuse to pay out after an incident.

How Eurocrane keeps you LOLER and PUWER Compliant

Whether you require a LOLER crane inspection, LOLER hoist inspection, or lifting accessories inspection, keeping examination reports and certificates up to date is essential for compliance - and Eurocrane are here to help you avoid the guesswork when it comes to workplace safety. Our expert engineers provide the impartial LOLER inspection services and thorough examinations required to keep your lifting gear legal.

By working with us, you get the peace of mind that your paperwork is in order and your team is protected. Get in touch with our team of Midlands-based lifting experts to find out more about our examination and inspection services today!

posted by eurocrane

Frequently Asked Questions about LOLER and PUWER

  • PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It is an umbrella regulation designed to ensure that all work equipment, ranging from simple hand tools to complex industrial machinery, is suitable for its intended use, maintained in a safe condition, and inspected regularly to prevent deterioration.

  • Think of it as a hierarchy: PUWER is the broad, "umbrella" regulation that covers almost all equipment used in a workplace to ensure general safety and functionality. LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) is a more specific, stringent set of rules that applies exclusively to equipment used for lifting or lowering loads and people. If you use lifting gear, it must comply with both sets of regulations.

  • The intervals for LOLER inspections are strictly defined by law:

    • Lifting equipment for people (e.g., hoists, access platforms): Every 6 months.

    • Lifting accessories (e.g., slings, chains, eyebolts): Every 6 months.

    • Other lifting equipment (e.g., overhead cranes, forklifts): Usually every 12 months, unless a specific written examination scheme dictates otherwise.

  • While you can often handle routine PUWER checks internally if you have a trained and competent employee, LOLER inspections are different. They require a "competent person" who possesses the necessary practical and theoretical knowledge and, crucially, sufficient impartiality and independence to ensure an unbiased report. Because of the legal weight and safety implications, most companies choose to hire professional LOLER inspection companies to remain compliant.

  • Failure to comply with PUWER and LOLER can lead to severe consequences, including:

    • Legal Action: Prosecution, heavy fines, or even imprisonment for directors in serious cases.

    • Void Insurance: Many insurance providers will refuse to pay out for accidents if you cannot produce valid, up-to-date inspection reports or certificates.

    • Safety Risks: Ultimately, ignoring these inspections increases the risk of equipment failure, which can lead to life-changing injuries or fatalities on-site.

  • A Report of Thorough Examination is the official document issued following a LOLER inspection. It serves as your legal proof that the equipment has been assessed by a competent person. You must retain these records: for lifting accessories, keep them for at least two years; for other lifting equipment, keep them at least until the next scheduled examination.