LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Rescue Tripod and Winch Thorough Examination

Independent thorough examination and certification of your rescue tripod and winch as lifting equipment, by a competent person under LOLER.

A rescue tripod and its winch exist for the worst ten minutes on site, lifting a person out of a shaft, tank or chamber. Because they lift people, LOLER puts them on the 6 monthly cycle, and we thoroughly examine the tripod, the winch and the fall arrest attachments as one system.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
6 monthsThe statutory maximum interval, because this equipment lifts people
EN 795Tripods also serve as Type B anchor devices, and are examined as such
Reg 10A Report of Thorough Examination for the tripod and the winch each
One systemHead pulley, winch, rope and connectors examined together
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your rescue tripod and winch needs LOLER examination

A rescue tripod is a portable anchor frame erected over a manhole, shaft or vessel opening, carrying a pulley at its head and usually a winch on one leg. Paired with a man riding winch or a retrieval fall arrest block, it lowers a worker into a confined space and, if the day goes wrong, brings them back out without a second person entering the hazard. Water companies, utilities, food and chemical plants and anyone with below ground assets keep them on standby.

Standby is the problem. Rescue kit spends its life in a van or a store, deployed rarely and checked less, yet the one lift it exists for is a person, vertical, through a hole with no second chance. That is why the law gives it the people lifting interval of 6 months rather than 12, and why the examination treats the tripod, winch, rope and connectors as one load path rather than a bag of separate parts.

Confined space rescue tripods
Man riding winches
Retrieval fall arrest blocks
Head pulleys and swivel eyes
Winch wire ropes
Leg chains and spread stops
Davit arms and sockets
Karabiners and connectors
How it works

How we examine your rescue tripod and winch

The examination assembles the system as it would be used: legs extended and pinned, head pulley and anchor eyes checked for wear, the winch stripped of its covers where the design allows, brake and ratchet proven under load, the wire rope run out full length and examined to the termination, and the retrieval function of any fall arrest block demonstrated, not presumed.

  • 1

    Deploy it properly

    The tripod is erected and loaded as it would be in anger, because a folded tripod in a bag tells an examiner almost nothing.

  • 2

    Prove the winch both ways

    Lowering under control and recovery under load are demonstrated, with the brake, pawl and clutch each shown to do its job.

  • 3

    Certify the system

    Tripod and winch each receive a Reg 10 report with the 6 monthly next date, filed in your portal beside your team's harness records.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • The tripod, winch and connectors examined as one working system
  • 6 monthly scheduling managed for you, so standby kit never lapses
  • Examiners who understand confined space entry, not just lifting gear
  • Reports in the SEIS portal, ready for permit issue and audits
What we examine

Rescue tripod and winch: what a thorough examination covers

Winch brake and pawl

The brake must hold a suspended person indefinitely and lower under control. We prove it with load on the hook, in both directions.

Wire rope at the termination

The metre nearest the hook does all the bending and takes all the abuse. Broken wires, kinks and crushed strands here condemn the rope.

Head pulley and pin

The pulley carries every rescue at a full 180 degree wrap. Groove wear, seized bearings and pin elongation are measured, not eyeballed.

Leg pins and spread restraint

Locking pins in the wrong holes and a missing spread chain turn a tripod into three loose poles. Geometry and pins are verified against the markings.

Retrieval blocks

A fall arrest block with a recovery winch must do both jobs. The arrest lock on and the retrieval gearing are each demonstrated separately.

Feet and floor grip

Rescue happens on wet concrete and gratings. Worn rubber feet, missing spikes and bent leg ends are recorded and replaced before they cost grip.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

The tripod and the winch each receive their own Report of Thorough Examination under LOLER Regulation 10, on the 6 monthly people lifting cycle, with defects classified and the next date stated. Because rescue kit is standby kit, we track the due dates in your SEIS client portal and remind you before they lapse, so a permit to work is never held up by an out of date report on the one device the permit depends on.

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

Rescue tripod and winch 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

Rescue tripod and winch examination: common questions

How often must a rescue tripod and winch be examined?
Every 6 months. The equipment exists to lift people, and LOLER sets the shorter interval for anything that lifts or lowers a person, however rarely it is used.
Our tripod has never been used, does it still need examining?
Yes. The interval is a legal maximum, not a usage meter, and unused kit stored in vans and containers suffers exactly the corrosion and perishing the examination exists to find.
Do you examine the winch and the tripod separately?
Each receives its own report, but we examine them assembled as the working system, because the rescue depends on the head pulley, rope, winch and connectors behaving together.
Can the same winch lift tools and people?
A man riding winch may lower tools, but goods only winches must never carry a person, and nothing should ever be lifted over someone suspended below. The reports state what each unit is rated to do.
Is the tripod also an anchor point for fall arrest?
Usually, yes. Most tripods are certified as EN 795 Type B anchor devices for a fall arrest block as well as supporting a winch, and the examination covers both duties.
What about the harnesses the rescue team wear?
They are examined as lifting accessories on the same 6 monthly cycle, and we usually certify them in the same visit. See our fall arrest and fall restraint thorough examination service.
Where is the legal requirement set out?
In LOLER 1998, which covers equipment for lifting and lowering people, alongside the confined space and work at height duties on the job itself. HSE guidance on LOLER summarises the examination duty, and our LOLER regulations guide explains the reports and intervals.
How do I book a rescue tripod and winch examination?
Call 0330 043 8191 or use the contact form with the kit list and site. We schedule 6 monthly visits in advance so your standby equipment never runs out of date.

Is your rescue tripod and winch 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