LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Earth Moving Machinery Thorough Examination

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

Across an earth moving fleet the real question is which machines the law counts as lifting equipment this year. We thoroughly examine earth moving machinery used for lifting, from excavators to loaders and dumpers with lifting points, and help you draw the LOLER line across the whole fleet correctly.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
12 monthsThe statutory maximum interval for machines used for object handling
6 monthsSlings, lifting eye buckets and swapped quick hitches, as accessories
The work decidesDigging and hauling stay under PUWER; object handling brings in LOLER
One fleet viewMachines, hitches and accessories certified and tracked together
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your earth moving machinery needs LOLER examination

Earth moving machinery covers the whole muck shifting family: excavators, loading shovels, dumpers, dozers, graders and scrapers. None of it is lifting equipment by default. HSE's position is that a machine doing conventional earth moving sits under PUWER, with maintenance and inspection to match, and it crosses into LOLER the day it handles objects, a pipe on the hook, a cage on the forks, a trench box swung into place.

Fleet reality is that the line moves machine by machine and season by season, and the cost of guessing wrong runs in both directions: an uncertified machine lifting on site is a prohibition waiting to happen, while blanket certifying machines that never lift buys paperwork instead of safety. We examine what lifts, document what does not, and keep the fleet register showing which is which.

360 and 180 excavators
Loading shovels and wheel loaders
Dumpers with lifting points
Dozers and graders
Quick hitches and couplers
Lifting eye buckets
Chains, slings and shackles
Fleet LOLER registers
How it works

How we examine your earth moving machinery

For each machine on lifting duty the examination covers the structure and pins, the quick hitch or coupler, the certified lifting point and its marking, the safety devices lifting requires, and a demonstrated lift, while the accessories that ride with the fleet, slings, shackles and lifting eye buckets, are certified on their 6 monthly cycle in the same visits.

  • 1

    Triage the fleet

    We walk the fleet list with you and establish which machines handle objects, which never do, and which quick hitches and accessories travel between them.

  • 2

    Examine what lifts

    Machines on lifting duty are examined and proven under load, with the deeper machine specific detail covered on our excavator and loading shovel pages.

  • 3

    Keep the register honest

    Reports, accessory dates and the PUWER position of the non lifting machines are held in your portal as one fleet view that survives an audit.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • One provider across LOLER examinations and PUWER inspections for the same fleet
  • Clear, documented reasoning for which machines are certified and which are not
  • Accessory and quick hitch dates tracked with the machines they serve
  • Site visits batched so the fleet is certified in days, not months
What we examine

Earth moving machinery: what a thorough examination covers

The uncertified lifter

The most dangerous machine in the fleet is the one that quietly started lifting after its last review. The triage exists to catch exactly this machine.

Quick hitches that travel

A hitch swapped between machines is an accessory on a 6 monthly cycle, and one that stays put is examined with its machine yearly. Fleets mix both; the register must say which is which.

Lifting points and markings

Every certified lifting point needs a legible SWL, and every uncertified attachment point needs to be treated as if it does not exist. We record both.

Accessories in the welfare van

The slings and shackles that follow the fleet are on the 6 monthly cycle wherever they happen to be. We certify them in the same visits as the machines.

Check valves and RCI across the fleet

Machines lifting over a tonne need hose burst protection and a working rated capacity indicator. We verify the fit across the fleet, not just on the flagship.

The paper trail at the gate

Reports must be producible at the machine when a principal contractor asks. Portal copies plus cab copies close the gap between the office and the site.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

Each machine on lifting duty closes its examination with a Report of Thorough Examination under LOLER Regulation 10, accessories carry their own 6 monthly reports, and the fleet register in your SEIS client portal records the lot, including the documented position of machines that stay under PUWER. Defects are classified with timescales and dangerous defects notified immediately, so the fleet's compliance picture is always current and always producible.

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

Earth moving machinery 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

Earth moving machinery examination: common questions

Is earth moving machinery covered by LOLER?
Only when it is used for lifting. HSE treats conventional digging, dozing and hauling as PUWER territory, and object handling, lifting discrete loads, as LOLER territory requiring thorough examination.
Which machines in a typical fleet end up under LOLER?
Usually every excavator that lifts into trenches and any loader that runs forks or a jib. The machine specific detail lives on our excavator thorough examination and loading shovel thorough examination pages.
What happens to the machines that never lift?
They stay under PUWER, which still demands maintenance and inspection at intervals set by a competent person. We document the position so an auditor sees a decision, not an omission.
How often are the examinations?
12 months for machines on lifting duty, 6 months for accessories such as slings, lifting eye buckets and quick hitches that move between machines, or as a written scheme sets out.
Do dumpers and dozers ever need thorough examination?
Occasionally. A dumper with a certified lifting point used to lower kit into an excavation, or any machine adapted for object handling, crosses the line. The work decides, not the badge on the bonnet.
Can you also cover the PUWER side of the fleet?
Yes. The same visit programme can take in PUWER inspection of the non lifting machines, which is usually cheaper and always tidier than running two providers over one fleet.
Where is the digging versus lifting rule set out?
In HSE's construction guidance on excavators and object handling under LOLER 1998. HSE guidance on LOLER covers the examination duty itself, and our LOLER regulations guide explains reports, intervals and defect handling.
How do I arrange a fleet review and examinations?
Call 0330 043 8191 or send the fleet list through the contact form. We will triage the fleet, schedule the examinations in batches, and hand you a register that answers the question before an inspector asks it.

Is your earth moving machinery 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