LOLER 1998 · Lifting equipment

Telescopic handler thorough examination

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

A telehandler is a fork-lift, a crane and a work platform in one machine, and what it lifts changes with every attachment. That is what makes the LOLER examination more involved than a plain fork-lift, and what decides the interval it runs to.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
12 monthsA telehandler lifting loads on forks or a hook
6 monthsWith a work platform fitted, the platform and machine together
Boom and forksThe telescopic boom, wear pads, carriage and any attachment
ReportA Report of Thorough Examination, your legal record
Lifting equipment we examine

Why your telescopic handler needs LOLER examination

A telescopic handler earns its keep because the boom reaches up and out, but that reach is exactly what an examination has to follow. Capacity falls away as the boom extends and the angle drops, so the load chart and the load moment indicator are as much a part of the safe machine as the steel itself. A competent person examines it independently of whoever services or hires it.

The duty follows the attachment. On forks it lifts loads and is examined every twelve months. Fit a hook or a jib and that becomes a lifting accessory, examined every six months. Fit a work platform and it lifts people, which brings the whole machine into the six-month bracket and adds the platform to the scope. One base machine, several duties, depending on what is on the carriage.

Fixed-frame telehandlers
Rotating telehandlers
Forks and carriage
Hook and jib attachments
Work platform baskets
Telescopic boom and wear pads
Load moment indicator
Stabilisers and frame levelling
How it works

How we examine your telescopic handler

A competent person examines the handler with the boom run through its full range of extension and elevation, and with the attachments you use in place. We work along the boom sections and their wear pads, the boom pivot and any telescopic chains, the hydraulics including the frame levelling and stabilisers, the fork carriage or quick hitch, and the load moment indicator that warns the operator before the machine reaches its limit.

  • 1

    Get in touch

    Tell us the handlers you run, the attachments you use and where they are based.

  • 2

    On-site examination

    A competent person runs the boom through its range and examines it with your attachments fitted.

  • 3

    Your record

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

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine the handler, we do not sell, hire or maintain it
  • Competent persons who examine the boom, the attachments and the load moment indicator together
  • Examined through the full range of extension and elevation, with the attachments you use
  • Reports issued promptly, with defects and the next due date flagged
What we examine

Telescopic handler: what a thorough examination covers

Boom sections and wear pads

The telescopic sections examined for cracks, distortion and corrosion, and the wear pads for the clearance that, left to grow, lets the boom rattle and snatch under load.

Boom pivot and telescopic chains

The pivot pins and bushes, and where fitted the extend and retract chains, checked for wear and correct tension against the manufacturer's figures.

Hydraulics, levelling and stabilisers

The lift, extend, crowd and levelling cylinders checked for scoring, drift and leaks, with the frame levelling and stabilisers proven to hold the machine square.

Forks, carriage and quick hitch

Fork heel wear, cracks and splay, with the carriage and the quick hitch locking, so an attachment is held positively and a fork cannot drop a load.

Load moment indicator

The load moment indicator and its sensors tested, because capacity changes constantly with reach, and this is the warning that keeps the machine inside its chart.

Attachments and load charts

Each attachment matched to its own rated chart, with the charts present, legible and correct for the machine, because the wrong chart is the wrong machine.

Intervals and certification

How often, and what you receive

A telehandler lifting loads on forks or a hook is examined at least every twelve months, and a competent person can shorten that for heavy or arduous use. Two things pull the interval to six months. A lifting accessory such as a hook or jib is examined every six months in its own right. A work platform makes the machine lift people, which brings the whole handler, platform included, into the six-month bracket. So the same base machine can carry a twelve-month date and a six-month date at once, depending on what it is set up to do.

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

Telescopic handler 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

Telescopic handler examination: common questions

Does a telescopic handler need a LOLER thorough examination?
Yes. A telehandler is lifting equipment, and the boom, carriage, forks and any attachment are all examined under LOLER, by a competent person who is independent of whoever maintains the machine. You can read the duty in the HSE guidance on LOLER.
How often does a telehandler need examining?
Every twelve months when it lifts loads on forks or a hook, and every six months when a work platform is fitted, because it then lifts people. Heavy use can bring the date in further under a written scheme.
Does fitting a work platform change the interval?
Yes. With a platform fitted the machine lifts people, which moves the whole handler into the six-month bracket and adds the platform itself to the examination. The platform and the machine are examined together.
Are attachments examined separately?
A non-permanent attachment such as a hook or a jib is a lifting accessory and is examined every six months in its own right, with its own rated chart. Each attachment changes what the machine can safely lift, so the right chart must be present.
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, but the legal document is the report. Our guide to LOLER sets out what it must contain.
Is the load moment indicator part of the examination?
Yes. On a telehandler capacity changes with every degree of boom angle and metre of reach, so the load moment indicator is central. We test it and its sensors, because it is the warning that keeps the machine inside its load chart.
Who is competent to examine a telehandler?
A competent person with the knowledge and experience to examine the boom, the attachments and the safety systems and to judge what any finding means, and who is independent of the company that maintains or hires the machine.
Do you examine telehandlers 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 telescopic handler 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