LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Platform lift and disability lift thorough examination

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

A platform lift earns its place by being the way a wheelchair user gets between floors. It rises slowly, over a short distance, on an open platform with a low barrier and a gate, and it is held to run by the person using it. Because it carries a person, the examination treats it as seriously as any full passenger lift.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
6 monthsThe interval for a platform lift, because it carries a person
DriveA screw and nut, or a hydraulic ram, examined for wear and hold
Safety edgePressure edges that stop the platform on an obstruction
ReportA Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your platform lift needs LOLER examination

A platform lift, sometimes called a vertical or step lift, is the accessibility lift you find at a half landing, a stage, or a change of level in a public building. It carries a person, usually a wheelchair user, so LOLER treats it exactly as it treats a passenger lift: a thorough examination at least every six months, by a competent person who is independent of whoever installs or maintains it. The short rise and the open platform do not lower the duty, they change where the risk sits.

That is why the examination concentrates on the parts a passenger lift does not have. A competent person proves the drive, a screw and nut turned by a motor, or a hydraulic ram and its holding valve, and then the safety devices that suit an open platform: the pressure edges that stop the platform the instant it meets an obstruction, the hold-to-run controls, the half-height barrier and the landing gate interlocks, and the battery backup that lowers the platform safely if the power fails. On a screw drive the load-bearing nut is examined for wear, because it is what holds the platform on the column.

Vertical platform lifts
Step and half-landing lifts
Cabin platform lifts
Screw and nut drive
Hydraulic drive and holding valve
Safety edges and sensors
Hold-to-run controls and gates
Battery backup and safe lowering
How it works

How we examine your platform lift

A competent person rides the lift through its full travel, with and without load, and proves the parts that protect an open platform. We examine the screw and nut or the hydraulic ram and its holding valve, test the pressure edges and the hold-to-run controls, prove the gate interlocks and the half-height barrier, and check the battery backup brings the platform down safely on a power failure, because the people who use these lifts depend on every one of those features working first time.

  • 1

    Get in touch

    Tell us the platform lifts you have, the drive type and where they are based.

  • 2

    On-site examination

    A competent person rides each lift through its full travel and tests its safety devices.

  • 3

    Your record

    You receive a Report of Thorough Examination for each lift, with anything to address flagged and the next date set.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine the lift, we do not install or maintain it
  • Competent persons who test the safety edges, gates and safe lowering, not just the ride
  • Screw and hydraulic platform lifts examined to LOLER, every six months
  • Reports issued promptly, with defects and the next due date set out clearly
What we examine

Platform lift: what a thorough examination covers

Drive

The screw and nut, or the hydraulic ram and its holding valve, examined for wear and hold, because the load-bearing nut or a creeping ram is what holds the open platform on its column.

Safety edges

The pressure edges proved to stop the platform the instant it meets an obstruction, because there is no full enclosure and the edge is the main guard.

Hold-to-run controls

The hold-to-run controls and the emergency stop proved, because the platform moves only while the user holds the control and must stop the moment they let go.

Gates and barrier

The landing gate interlocks and the half-height barrier examined, because they keep the user on the platform and stop it moving with a gate open.

Safe lowering

The battery backup and the safe-lowering proved, because a power cut must bring the platform gently to a landing, not strand a wheelchair user between floors.

Platform and guides

The platform structure, the carriage and the guides checked for wear, because play in the carriage shows as a platform that no longer runs true.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

A platform lift carries a person, so it is thoroughly examined at least every six months, the same interval as a full passenger lift. The short rise and the open platform make no difference to the interval; if anything they put more weight on the safety edges and the hold-to-run controls, because there is no full enclosure. A competent person can set a tighter interval in a written scheme where use is heavy or the environment is harsh. Whatever the interval, the examination is independent of the maintenance, and the safe-lowering battery and the gate interlocks are proven every time, because a stranded user on an open platform is exactly what those features exist to prevent.

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.

Full statutory cover

Part of our full LOLER inspection service

Platform lift 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

Platform lift examination: common questions

Does a platform lift need a LOLER thorough examination?
Yes. A platform lift carries a person, so it is lifting equipment for lifting people and LOLER applies in full. You can read the duty in the HSE guidance on LOLER.
How often must a platform lift be examined?
At least every six months, because it carries a person, the same interval as a passenger lift. Heavy use or a harsh setting 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.
What are the safety edges and do you test them?
Safety edges are pressure-sensitive strips on the platform that stop it the moment it touches an obstruction, so it cannot trap a foot or a wheel. We test them at the examination, because they are the main guard on an open platform.
What happens if the power fails while someone is on it?
A platform lift has a battery backup that lowers it gently to the nearest landing so no one is stranded. We check that safe-lowering works, because a power cut is exactly when it is needed.
Do you examine both screw and hydraulic platform lifts?
Yes. On a screw drive we examine the load-bearing nut for wear; on a hydraulic drive the ram, the seals and the holding valve. Both have their safety edges, gates and controls proven.
Is a domestic through-floor lift covered?
LOLER bites where the lift is used at work or in a public setting. A lift in a care home, a school or a workplace is squarely within it; a competent person can advise on a particular installation.
Do you examine platform lifts across the UK?
Yes. We work nationwide, attending public buildings, care homes and workplaces wherever they are. Call 0330 043 8191 to arrange a visit that suits the site.

Is your platform lift 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