Lifting Equipment Register Template: Inspection & LOLER Guide

A LOLER-compliant lifting equipment register captures the same data per accessory that a Schedule 1 thorough examination report captures per examination, so the two documents cross-reference. Nine columns cover every accessory type. Unique asset ID — site-specific unique identifier (typically type-prefix plus serial like CHN-0184 or WEB-0421) matching the physical tag on the accessory, never reissued after destruction. Type and specification — accessory type, configuration, size or diameter, material or grade. WLL/SWL — working load limit as marked, configuration-derated where applicable, must match the legible tag per LOLER Regulation 7. Manufacturer and dates — manufacturer where known, batch number, purchase date, entry-to-service date, EC or UKCA declaration on file. Location — site, depot, rigging loft, storage location, person responsible, movement history. Last examination — date of most recent thorough examination, competent person name and qualification, report reference number, Schedule 1 report attached. Next due — calculated as last exam plus 6 months for accessories, alert cadence at 90/60/30/14 days. Status — in service, due, overdue, quarantined, destroyed. Certificate and history — original test certificate, all historical examination reports, defect history and corrective action, destruction record when removed.

Every 6 months. Under LOLER Regulation 9(3), all lifting accessories (chains, wire rope slings, webbing slings, round slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts, plate clamps, lifting beams, spreader bars) must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every 6 months. This is the same statutory interval that applies to equipment used to lift persons, and it is stricter than the 12-month interval for equipment used to lift loads only. There is no usage-frequency exemption — a webbing sling used twice a year in a storage facility still requires 6-monthly examination. The 6-month rule applies to every accessory regardless of how often it is used. A Written Scheme of Examination drawn up by a competent person can specify bespoke intervals, but in practice this is used to shorten the 6-month interval for high-risk or high-cycle use, not to lengthen it. The duty holder has no discretion to extend the statutory interval unilaterally. Every examination must be documented in a Schedule 1 report containing the 11 mandatory items, retained until the next report is made or 2 years, whichever is later. A crane's current certificate does not cover the accessories used with it — they are separate lifting equipment in their own right.

Every accessory type has its own numeric or observable withdrawal criteria under BS EN standards. Chain slings (BS EN 818): elongation over 5% of link pitch; wear over 10% of chain diameter; cracks, nicks, cuts; twisted or bent links; heat damage; missing or illegible tag. Wire rope slings (BS EN 13414): 10 broken wires randomly distributed in one lay OR 5 in one strand in one lay; kinking, birdcaging, crushing; corrosion or heat damage; damaged ferrules. Webbing slings (BS EN 1492-1): cuts over 10% of edge width; abrasion damage; heat or chemical damage (glazing, hardening); broken or damaged stitching; damaged end fittings; missing or illegible label. Round slings (BS EN 1492-2): cover damage exposing internal fibres; heat/chemical damage; UV degradation; any indication of overload. Shackles (BS EN 13889): deformation of bow or pin; elongation over 5%; cracks at pin holes; wear on pin bearing surfaces; thread damage on pin; illegible SWL marking. Eyebolts (BS EN 1677 series): bent shank; cracks around eye; damaged or worn threads; reduced neck diameter; heat damage. Any accessory failing an examination criterion is withdrawn from service immediately, quarantined, and either repaired by a competent authority (where the standard permits) or destroyed. Slings, shackles, and eyebolts are typically destroyed rather than repaired.

Three distinct checks apply to every lifting accessory and none substitutes for the others. Pre-use check: the user's or rigger's responsibility before every lift, under PUWER 1998 and Work at Height Regulations 2005 for people-lifting. Rigger visually inspects the accessory: ID tag legible, WLL matches the planned lift, no obvious defects (cuts, kinks, deformation), fit for intended configuration. Not documented against every lift; embedded in the lift plan and the rigger's competence. A defect spotted at pre-use triggers quarantine and a register defect entry. Routine inspection: the duty holder's responsibility at intervals set by risk (PUWER Regulation 6). Between statutory thorough examinations, a competent in-house inspector may run periodic checks on high-cycle or high-risk accessories. Documented and retained. Thorough examination: the statutory LOLER Regulation 9 duty, 6-monthly for accessories, by a competent person sufficiently independent of daily maintenance (typically an engineer surveyor from a SAFed-member inspection company). Output is a Schedule 1 report with 11 mandatory items. Cannot be signed by the user, rigger, or in-house maintenance technician with a commercial interest in declaring the accessory safe. All three checks are required and each has a specific role.

Yes. Every lifting accessory is lifting equipment in its own right under LOLER and requires unique identification, its own Schedule 1 thorough examination report, and its own entry in the lifting equipment register. Batching multiple accessories under a single register row or a single examination report is one of the most common HSE findings on lifting-related audits and improvement notices. Practically this means every sling, shackle, eyebolt, and beam carries a physical tag with its unique register ID (typically type-prefix plus serial, stamped or laser-etched for permanence), and every register row corresponds to exactly one physical accessory. A single overhead crane might be used with 40 to 50 separate slings, chains, and shackles — each requiring its own tag, own register row, and own 6-monthly examination. Managing this at scale on spreadsheets is where most compliance gaps originate: accessories get missed, combined into batches with single report dates, or examined but not recorded individually. The register should track each unique ID through its life from purchase to destruction, and the ID should never be reissued to a new accessory because doing so breaks the historical traceability that LOLER Regulation 11 depends on.