Sector statutory inspections

Statutory Inspections for Performing Arts & Theatres

LOLER, PUWER, PSSR and COSHH LEV compliance from one independent inspection body.

A theatre hangs its show over people's heads every night: line sets, chain motors, lighting bars and scenery, all lifting equipment in law, much of it working directly above an occupied auditorium or a crewed stage.

SEIS examines the fly floor, the grid, the motors and the stage machinery in dark weeks and out of show hours, with the discretion a producing house expects.

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Independent & impartial
Competent engineer surveyors
Reports issued promptly

6-monthly

Performer flying and every people-lifting system

12-monthly

Line sets, hoists and bars lifting loads, or per the scheme

6-monthly

Slings, steels, shackles and every accessory

Over people

Loads above an audience leave no room for lapsed reports

Venue cover

Theatres, concert halls and arts centres
Touring houses, arenas and event venues
Examinations in dark weeks and out of show hours
Reports per line set, motor and accessory

What needs inspecting

What needs inspecting in a venue

The split is the usual LOLER one, applied to unusual kit: anything that flies a person runs every 6 months, anything that lifts loads runs every 12 or to the examination scheme, and every steel, sling and shackle in the building is an accessory on its own 6 month cycle, however short its part in the rig.

Equipment	Regime	Statutory position	What you receive
Counterweight fly systems and line sets	LOLER	Every 12 months or per the examination scheme, covering arbors, blocks and lines	Report of Thorough Examination
Performer flying systems	LOLER	Every 6 months, because they lift people	Report of Thorough Examination
Chain hoists and motors	LOLER	Thorough examination at least every 12 months	Report of Thorough Examination
Motorised lighting bars and winched grids	LOLER	Every 12 months; dead-hung bars fall to structural and PUWER inspection instead	Report of Thorough Examination
Stage, orchestra pit and band lifts	LOLER	Every 6 months where they carry people	Report of Thorough Examination
Tallescopes and access MEWPs	LOLER	Every 6 months, because they lift people	Report of Thorough Examination
Slings, steels, shackles and accessories	LOLER	Every 6 months, each item individually identified	Report of Thorough Examination
Scenic workshop dust and fume LEV	COSHH	Thorough examination and test at least every 14 months	LEV test report to HSG258

Stage machinery that moves without lifting, revolves and trucks among it, sits under PUWER: inspected at risk-based intervals with a written record kept, and no certificate exists for it whatever the hire paperwork says.

Sector compliance

Rigging law for rooms full of people

Entertainment rigging works to famously conservative factors of safety, and that culture is exactly why the statutory layer matters: an 8 to 1 design factor says the steel was strong when it was made, while the thorough examination says what condition it is in tonight.

The mixed estate problem

A working house runs manual counterweight sets, motorised bars, touring chain hoists and a decades-old grid side by side, and each carries its own examination logic: the line set as installed lifting equipment, the motor as a hoist with its hooks and chain, the touring kit under the same shared hire duties as construction plant, where the report travels with the motor and can lapse mid-tour.

Our reports itemise per line set and per motor, so the fly floor knows exactly which bar is in date rather than trusting the building as a whole.

How SEIS works around the show

Examinations book into dark weeks, changeovers and mornings before the half, with the fly floor walked alongside your head of stage so nothing is flown during the examination window. Get-ins and get-outs are worked around, not through.

Defects are graded against the reality of a venue: what must come out of use before tonight's performance, and what books into the next dark week. Reports sit in the client portal per asset, ready for the licensing authority, the insurer or a visiting production's rigger.

Related services

LOLER inspection servicesInspection, testing and certification for all lifting equipment MEWP examinations6 month cycles for access platforms Passenger and goods lift examinationsFront of house and stage lift cycles LOLER regulations explainedIntervals, schemes and the people-lifting rule

Common questions

Performing Arts & Theatres inspection FAQs

What kinds of venues do you cover?

Producing and receiving theatres, concert halls, arts centres, arenas, students' unions and event spaces, from a single counterweight house to a national venue group.

How quickly can you attend?

Usually within a few working days, planned into dark weeks and out of show hours. Call 0330 043 8191 with the venue and rig list and we will work around the programme.

How often does the fly system need examining?

Line sets lifting scenery and lighting run at least every 12 months or to the examination scheme; anything that flies a performer runs every 6 months. The framework is in our LOLER guide.

Are touring chain motors our responsibility?

Duties are shared. The supplier must send motors out with current reports, and the venue or production using them must ensure the examination does not lapse during the run, exactly the same split as hired construction plant. Check the next-due dates at the get-in.

Do our steels and shackles really need examining every 6 months?

Yes. Every sling, steel and shackle is a lifting accessory in its own right, individually identified, whichever bar or motor it happens to rig. HSE's simple guide to LOLER is at hse.gov.uk.

What about the orchestra pit lift?

It carries people, so a thorough examination at least every 6 months, alongside the stage lifts and any front of house passenger lifts on the same cycle.

Is the revolve covered by LOLER?

Usually not, because it moves rather than lifts: revolves and stage trucks sit under PUWER at risk-based intervals with a written inspection record. Where a revolve incorporates a lift, the lifting function is examined under LOLER.

Can you examine without disrupting the show?

Yes. Work books into dark weeks, changeovers and mornings, the fly floor is coordinated with your head of stage, and anything that must come out of use is flagged against tonight's performance, not just the calendar.

Book statutory inspections for your Performing Arts & Theatres operation

0330 043 8191 Request a quote