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.

An excavator digging trenches is not lifting equipment. The moment it slings a pipe or a manhole ring from a lifting point, it becomes a crane, and LOLER applies. The question for the examination is not the make of machine, but whether it is rigged and fit to lift at all.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
Object handlingLOLER applies once a machine is used to lift, not dig
12 monthsThe interval for a machine used for lifting loads
Fit to liftCheck valves, capacity chart, overload alarm, lifting point
ReportA Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your earth-moving machinery needs LOLER examination

Earth-moving machinery, an excavator, a backhoe or a loading shovel, is governed by how it is used. If it only ever moves earth, it sits under PUWER and needs inspection and maintenance, not a thorough examination. As soon as it is used to lift, suspend and place a load, what the HSE calls object handling, it is being used as a crane, and LOLER requires a thorough examination at least every twelve months, by a competent person independent of the operator. The duty follows the task, not the badge on the machine.

Before such a machine can lift, it has to be fitted for it, and the examination proves that fit. A machine over one tonne used for lifting needs check valves on the boom and dipper rams so the arm cannot drop if a hose bursts, a rated object-handling chart in the cab, and an overload warning or rated capacity indicator. It lifts from a certified lifting point, often built into a quick hitch or the bucket, never from an improvised shackle. A competent person proves these devices and the structure, and examines the quick hitch with the machine where it is fixed, or every six months as an accessory where it moves between machines.

Excavators (object handling)
Backhoe loaders
Loading shovels
Check valves on rams
Rated capacity indicator
Object-handling chart
Certified lifting point
Quick hitch
How it works

How we examine your earth-moving machinery

A competent person examines the machine as configured to lift, with a representative load where needed. We prove the lifting devices the law requires, the check valves on the boom and dipper rams, the rated capacity indicator or overload alarm, and the object-handling chart in the cab, then examine the boom, dipper and their pins, the certified lifting point and the quick hitch and its locking, before confirming the rated capacity and setting the next date.

  • 1

    Get in touch

    Tell us the machines you use for lifting, their capacity, and where they are based.

  • 2

    On-site examination

    A competent person examines each machine as rigged to lift, proving the safety devices and the lifting point.

  • 3

    Your record

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

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine the machine, we do not sell, hire or maintain it
  • Competent persons who know when a digger becomes a crane and what it then needs
  • The object-handling devices proven, check valves, capacity indicator and lifting point
  • Reports issued promptly, with defects and the next due date set out clearly
What we examine

Earth-moving machinery: what a thorough examination covers

Ram check valves

The check valves at the base of the boom and dipper rams, proven to hold, because these are what stop the arm and a suspended load dropping to the ground if a hydraulic hose fails.

Rated capacity indicator

The overload warning or rated capacity indicator tested, because a machine lifting near its limit on a long reach needs to warn the operator before it becomes unstable.

Object-handling chart

The rated object-handling chart present and legible in the cab, because the safe load changes sharply with reach and over the side, and the operator has to be able to read it.

Certified lifting point

The lifting eye or point, often in the quick hitch or bucket, examined for cracks and wear and proven to be a rated point, because lifting from an improvised attachment has killed people.

Quick hitch

The quick hitch and its locking mechanism examined closely, because a hitch that is not fully locked can release the bucket or attachment, a known cause of fatal incidents, and it forms part of the load path.

Boom, dipper and pins

The boom and dipper structure, the pivot pins and bushes, and the bucket linkage examined for cracks, wear and the play that grows under the side loads a lift puts through the arm.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

Earth-moving machinery used for lifting is examined at least every twelve months, the interval for equipment that lifts loads. Where the machine lifts people, in a man-riding basket, the interval is six months, as it is for the slings and other lifting accessories used with it. A machine that only digs is not lifting equipment and needs no thorough examination, though PUWER inspection and maintenance still apply. The line is the use, not the machine: the HSE is clear that an excavator used for object handling must be thoroughly examined and fitted with the additional safety devices that make a lift safe. A competent person can set a shorter interval in a written scheme for arduous use.

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

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

Does an excavator need a LOLER thorough examination?
Only if it is used for lifting. An excavator that only moves earth sits under PUWER; one used to lift, suspend and place a load is object handling, so LOLER applies and a thorough examination is required. You can read the duty in the HSE guidance on LOLER.
When does a digger become a crane?
The moment it is used to lift, suspend or place a load rather than dig. At that point it is being used as a crane, and it needs to be fitted to lift and thoroughly examined under LOLER before it does so safely.
Is it a certificate or a report?
You receive a Report of Thorough Examination, the record LOLER requires. People often call it the LOLER certificate, and that shorthand is common, but the legal document is the report. Our guide to LOLER sets out what it must contain.
What must be fitted before a machine can lift?
A machine over one tonne used for lifting needs check valves on the boom and dipper rams, a rated object-handling chart in the cab, and an overload warning or rated capacity indicator, and it must lift from a certified lifting point, not an improvised one.
Does the quick hitch need examining?
Yes. Where it is fixed to the machine it is examined with it. Where it is moved between machines it is a lifting accessory in its own right and is examined every six months, because a hitch that is not fully locked can release the attachment.
How often does the machine need examining?
At least every twelve months while it is used for object handling, and every six months if it lifts people or for the slings and accessories used with it. A competent person can set a shorter interval in a written scheme.
Who is competent to examine earth-moving machinery for lifting?
A competent person with the knowledge and experience to know what a machine needs before it can lift, what to examine, what to look for and what to do about anything found, and who is independent of the operator.
Do you examine earth-moving machinery across the UK?
Yes. We work nationwide, with engineer surveyors who travel to sites and depots wherever they are, one machine or a whole fleet. Call 0330 043 8191 to arrange a visit.

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