LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Order picker thorough examination

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

An order picker is the one warehouse truck that lifts the operator. They ride up with the load, clipped to a harness, to pick stock by hand at height. That is why it sits in the same six-month LOLER bracket as a MEWP, not the twelve-month bracket of a fork-lift.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
6 monthsThe maximum interval, because an order picker lifts a person
Lifts the operatorThe reason it sits in LOLER's six-month bracket
Harness to chainsAnchor point, platform cage, gate, lift chains and mast
ReportA Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your order picker needs LOLER examination

An order picker, sometimes called a man-up or high-level picker, is built for one task: lifting the operator and a pallet up to a pick face so stock can be selected by hand, level by level, often to eight metres or more. Because the operator is raised with the forks, the law treats it as equipment that lifts people, and LOLER requires a thorough examination at least every six months, the same strict bracket as a MEWP, by a competent person who is independent of whoever hires or maintains the truck.

What makes the examination different from any other truck is the operator platform. As well as the mast, lift chains and hydraulics, a competent person has to prove the things that stop a fall: the harness anchor point the operator clips to, the platform floor, gates and guardrails, and the controls that only allow movement when it is safe. LOLER covers the lifting and the platform; PUWER covers the travel, brakes and steering, and Work at Height duties sit alongside, so fall protection is examined as carefully as the lift itself.

Low-level order pickers
Medium-level pickers
High-level man-up pickers
Mast and lift chains
Operator platform and cage
Harness anchor point
Guardrails and gate
Controls and interlocks
How it works

How we examine your order picker

A competent person examines the picker through its full lift, on firm level ground, with the platform and its safety systems proven under control. We work up the mast and its channels, check the lift chains for stretch and wear and the hydraulics for leaks and drift, then prove the operator platform: the harness anchor, the floor, gates and guardrails, and the interlocks that hold the truck still or limit it while the operator is raised.

  • 1

    Get in touch

    Tell us the order pickers you run, the pick height, and where they are based.

  • 2

    On-site examination

    A competent person examines each picker through its full lift, with the platform and fall protection proven.

  • 3

    Your record

    You receive a Report of Thorough Examination for each truck, with any defects and the next date set out.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine the truck, we do not hire or maintain it
  • Competent persons who treat the order picker as people-lifting equipment, not a fork-lift
  • Fall protection proven, the harness anchor, gates and guardrails, alongside the lift
  • Reports issued promptly, with defects and the next due date flagged
What we examine

Order picker: what a thorough examination covers

Harness anchor point

The anchor the operator's lanyard clips to, examined for the cracks, distortion and loose fixings that would let it fail in a fall, because on a raised platform this is the last line of protection.

Platform cage and guardrails

The platform floor, the guardrails and the entry gate examined for security and for the self-closing action, because a gap or a gate left open at height is a fall waiting to happen.

Lift chains

Examined for stretch, stiff or seized links and corrosion and measured against the manufacturer's wear limit, in each run, because the chains carry the operator as well as the load.

Mast channels and rollers

The channels, rollers and bearings the platform rides on, examined for wear and free movement, so the platform lifts squarely and does not snatch with a person aboard.

Hydraulic cylinders and hoses

The lift cylinders checked for scoring, drift and leaks and the hoses for chafing, so the platform holds its height and lowers under control with the operator raised.

Controls and interlocks

The platform controls, the emergency stop and lowering, and the interlocks that prevent travel or turning while raised, tested because an order picker tips most easily when it is moved with the platform up.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

An order picker is examined at least every six months. Because it lifts a person there is no twelve-month option: raising the operator with the load is exactly what puts it in the same bracket as a MEWP, and a competent person may set a tighter interval still for heavy multi-shift use. The examination is independent of routine service and of the operator's pre-use checks, neither of which it replaces. Each is a separate layer: the daily check before use, the service by the maintainer, and the thorough examination by an independent competent person, with the harness anchor and platform proven every time.

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

Order picker 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

Order picker examination: common questions

Does an order picker need a LOLER thorough examination?
Yes. An order picker lifts the operator, so it is equipment used to lift people and LOLER applies, in the strictest bracket the regulations set. You can read the duty in the HSE guidance on LOLER.
Why is it six months and not twelve?
Because it lifts a person. LOLER sets a maximum of six months for any equipment used to lift people, the same bracket as a MEWP, rather than the twelve months that applies to a fork-lift that lifts loads only.
Is it a certificate or a report?
You receive a Report of Thorough Examination, the record LOLER requires. It is often called the LOLER certificate, and that shorthand is common, but the legal document is the report. Our guide to LOLER explains what it must contain.
Do you examine the harness anchor point?
Yes. The harness anchor is examined as part of the fall protection, because on a raised picking platform it is the last line of defence if the operator slips or the truck is jolted. We check it for cracks, distortion and loose fixings.
Is it the same as a fork-lift examination?
No. An order picker is people-lifting equipment, so the examination covers the operator platform, harness anchor, gates, guardrails and interlocks on top of the mast, chains and hydraulics, and it runs to the six-month interval.
What is the difference between LOLER and PUWER for an order picker?
LOLER covers the lifting and the operator platform. PUWER covers the travel parts, the brakes and steering. Work at Height duties sit alongside LOLER, which is why fall protection is examined as carefully as the lift.
Who is competent to examine an order picker?
A competent person with the knowledge and experience of these machines to know what to examine, what to look for and what to do about anything found, and who is independent of the company that hires or maintains the truck.
Do you examine order pickers across the UK?
Yes. We work nationwide, with engineer surveyors who travel to warehouses and depots wherever they are, one truck or a whole fleet. Call 0330 043 8191 to arrange a visit around your shifts.

Is your order picker 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