LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Lifting tackle thorough examination

Independent thorough examination and certification of your lifting tackle as lifting equipment, by a competent person under LOLER.

Lifting tackle is the most overlooked equipment on any site and the most directly load-bearing. The slings, chains, shackles and hooks below the hook carry the whole load on the smallest parts, and they are easy to leave in a corner unexamined. LOLER does not let them slip: every six months, without exception.

0330 043 8191 Request a quote
  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
6 monthsThe interval for lifting tackle, as lifting accessories, without exception
The tagA legible safe working load and identification, or it is not used
Below the hookSlings, chains, shackles, hooks and master links
ReportA Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your lifting tackle needs LOLER examination

Lifting tackle is everything below the hook: chain, wire rope and fibre slings, shackles, hooks, eyebolts and master links. As lifting accessories they are thoroughly examined at least every six months, by a competent person independent of whoever uses them. This is the equipment most often missed, because tackle is cheap, portable and easy to overlook, yet it is the smallest part carrying the whole load, and the six month interval applies to it without exception.

The examination is item by item, because each kind of tackle fails in its own way. A competent person proves chain slings for link wear, stretch beyond the manufacturer's limit and bent or seized links, wire rope slings for broken wires, kinks, birdcaging and corrosion at the splice or ferrule, and webbing and round slings for cuts, abrasion and heat damage, with the sewn label intact. Hooks are checked for throat opening and stretch and a working safety latch, shackles for the correct pin, distortion and marking, and the master link and terminations for wear. Through all of it runs the tag: every item carries a legible safe working load and identification traceable to its certificate, and a sling with no tag is set aside, not used.

Chain slings
Wire rope slings
Webbing and round slings
Hooks and safety latches
Shackles and eyebolts
Master links and terminations
Safe working load tags
Identification and certificates
How it works

How we examine your lifting tackle

A competent person examines each item of tackle in turn, against the way it wears. We measure chain slings for stretch and check for bent or seized links, look over wire rope for broken wires, kinks and birdcaging, check webbing and round slings for cuts, abrasion and heat, and prove hooks, shackles, eyebolts and master links, then confirm every item carries a legible safe working load tag traceable to its certificate, because the smallest part below the hook is carrying the whole load.

  • 1

    Get in touch

    Tell us the tackle you hold, slings, chains, shackles and hooks, and where it is based.

  • 2

    On-site examination

    A competent person examines each item in turn and checks its tag and certificate.

  • 3

    Your record

    You receive a Report of Thorough Examination listing the tackle, with anything to address flagged and the next date set.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine the tackle, we do not sell or hire it
  • Competent persons who examine each item against the way it wears, not by eye alone
  • Chain, wire rope and fibre slings, shackles and hooks examined to LOLER
  • Reports issued promptly, with defects and the next due date set out clearly
What we examine

Lifting tackle: what a thorough examination covers

Chain slings

Chain slings measured for link wear and stretch and checked for bent or seized links, because a chain stretched past tolerance is replaced, not adjusted.

Wire rope slings

Wire rope examined for broken wires, kinks, birdcaging and corrosion at the splice, because a wire rope fails wire by wire before it fails as a whole.

Webbing and round slings

Fibre slings checked for cuts, abrasion and heat damage, with the sewn label intact, because a cut or a burn in the webbing is a direct loss of strength.

Hooks

Hooks checked for throat opening, stretch and a working safety latch, because a stretched throat is a sign of overload and a missing latch lets a sling jump the hook.

Shackles and eyebolts

Shackles checked for the correct pin, distortion and marking, and eyebolts for the thread and seating, because the wrong pin or a distorted shackle is a weak link in the chain.

The tag

The safe working load tag and identification confirmed on every item, traceable to its certificate, because a sling with no tag is set aside, not used.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

Lifting tackle is a set of lifting accessories, so it is thoroughly examined at least every six months, without exception, however light or seldom used. Slings, chains, shackles, hooks, eyebolts and master links all fall to the same six month interval, because each carries the load below the hook. A competent person can set a tighter interval in a written scheme where use is heavy or the environment harsh. Whatever the interval, the examination is independent of the supplier, and every item is examined against the way it wears and confirmed to carry a legible safe working load tag, because tackle is the equipment most easily forgotten and the least forgiving when it fails.

6 monthsEquipment that lifts people, and all lifting accessories
12 monthsOther lifting equipment, unless an examination scheme sets otherwise
Schedule 1A Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
IndependentWe examine it, we do not sell or maintain it

You receive a Report of Thorough Examination, the record LOLER requires, with anything that needs attention set out clearly.

The price follows your equipment, not a rate card: see what drives a LOLER quote.

Full statutory cover

Part of our full LOLER inspection service

Lifting tackle is one of the many kinds of equipment we cover. We inspect the full range, across every sector, as an independent provider, one item or a whole site, anywhere in the UK.

See our full LOLER inspection service
Other services

Other statutory inspections we carry out

Many sites run more than one regime. We can examine all of it, under one independent provider.

PUWER inspectionInspection of work equipment against the five PUWER duties, with a written record. PSSR examinationWritten Schemes and certified examination of pressure systems. LEV testingLEV thorough examination and test of your extraction systems.
LOLER FAQs

Lifting tackle examination: common questions

Does lifting tackle need a LOLER thorough examination?
Yes. Slings, chains, shackles, hooks and eyebolts are lifting accessories, so LOLER requires a thorough examination at least every six months, without exception. You can read the duty in the HSE guidance on LOLER.
How often must lifting tackle be examined?
At least every six months, the interval for all lifting accessories, however light or rarely used. Heavy or harsh use can bring it in, set by a competent person in a written scheme.
Is it a certificate or a report?
You receive a Report of Thorough Examination, the record LOLER requires. People call it the LOLER certificate, which is fair shorthand, but the legal document is the report. Our guide to LOLER sets out what it must contain.
Why is tackle the most commonly missed equipment?
It is cheap, portable and easy to leave in a corner, so it slips off the examination list, yet it is the smallest part carrying the whole load. That is exactly why the six month interval applies to it without exception.
What do you look for on a chain sling?
Link wear, stretch beyond the manufacturer's limit, and bent or seized links. A chain stretched past tolerance is replaced, not adjusted, so the chain is measured rather than just looked at.
What about wire rope and webbing slings?
Wire rope is checked for broken wires, kinks, birdcaging and corrosion at the splice. Webbing and round slings are checked for cuts, abrasion and heat damage, with the sewn label intact and legible.
What if a sling has no safe working load tag?
It is set aside, not used. Every item must carry a legible safe working load and identification traceable to its certificate, so an untagged sling cannot go back into service until that is resolved.
Do you examine lifting tackle across the UK?
Yes. We work nationwide, attending sites, workshops and stores wherever they are, and we list every item on the report. Call 0330 043 8191 to arrange a visit that suits you.

Is your lifting tackle due a thorough examination?

Talk to an engineer surveyor, get a quote and book your inspection anywhere in the UK.

0330 043 8191 Request a quote