engineering

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 rather than just read about it. In short: The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2307) (LOLER) are set of regulations created under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which came into force in Great Britain on 5 December 1998 and replaced a number of other pieces of legislation which previously covered the use of lifting equipment.

Key takeaways

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2307) (LOLER) are set of regulations created under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which came into force in Great Britain on 5 December 1998 and replaced a number of other pieces of legislation which previously covered the use of lifting equipment. The purpose of the regulations was to reduce the risk of injury from lifting equipment used at work. Areas covered in the regulations include the requirement for lifting equipment to be strong and stable enough for safe use and to be marked to indicate safe working loads; ensuring that any equipment is positioned and installed so as to minimise risks; that the equipment is used safely ensuring that work is planned, organised and performed by a competent person; that equipment is subject to ongoing thorough examination and where appropriate, inspection by competent people.

Lifting equipment The regulations define lifting equipment as "work equipment for lifting or lowering loads and includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it". The regulations involve anything which involves the lifting of goods or people at work. Equipment covered would include lifts, cranes, ropes, slings, hooks, shackles, eyebolts, rope and pulley systems and forklift trucks. The regulations apply to all workplaces and all the provisions of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2306) also apply to lifting equipment.

Safe working load A safe working load (SWL) should, according to the regulations be marked onto lifting equipment with the relevant SWL being dependent on the configuration of the equipment, accessories for lifting such as eye bolts, lifting magnets and lifting beams should also be marked. The load itself would be based on the maximum load that the equipment can lift safely. Lifting equipment that is designed for lifting people must also be appropriately and clearly marked.

Passenger lifts The regulations stated that all lifts provided for use with work activities should be thoroughly examined by a 'competent person' at regular intervals. Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations requires all employers to have their equipment thoroughly examined prior to it being put into service and after there has been any major alteration that could affect its operation. Owners or people responsible for the safe operation of a lift at work are known as 'dutyholders' and have a responsibility to ensure that the lift has been thoroughly examined and is safe to use. Lifts when in use should be thoroughly examined every six months if, at any time, the lift has been used to carry people. Lifts used to only carry loads should be examined every 12 months. Any substantial or significant changes should have been made to the equipment then this would also require an examination as would any change in operating condition which is likely to affect the integrity of the equipment.

LOLER Inspections These are a legal requirement and should be carried out by a competent person. Though a "competent person" is not defined within the legislation, guidance is given in the HSE LOLER Approved Code of Practice and guidance which gives further details that the person should have the "appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment" which would allow them to identify safety issues. In practice, an insurance company may provide a competent person or request a third party independent inspector. These inspections should be carried out at 6 monthly intervals for all lifting items and at least every 12 months for those that could be covered by PUWER, although a competent person may determine different time scales. Standards state that as a minimum;

Every six months for lifting equipment used for lifting/lowering persons. Every six months for lifting accessories. Every 12 months for all other lifting equipment not falling into either of the above categories A competent person may deem different time scale LOLER Frequency (in months):

Employers' and workers' obligations LOLER 1998 put in place four key protocols that all employers and workers must abide by. All equipment must be safe and suitable for purpose. The manufacturer must identify any hazards associated with the equipment in question, they must then assess these hazards to bring them down to acceptable levels. All lifting equipment is normally put through an independent type testing process to establish that it will safely perform the tasks required to one of the below standards.

BS (British Standard, used mainly in the UK) ISO Standards (International Standard) EN (Euronorm, used throughout Europe) CEN/CENELEC (Euronorm Standards) The above standards are a published specification that establishes a common language and contains a technical specification or other precise criteria. They are designed to be used consistently as a rule, guideline or definition. All personnel must be suitably trained. All manufacturers of lifting equipment are obliged to send out instructions for use of all products. The employer is then obliged to make sure employees are aware of these instructions and use the lifting equipment correctly. To achieve this the employees must be competent. Competence is achieved through experience, technical knowledge and training. All equipment must be maintained in a safe condition. It is good practice for all personnel using lifting equipment to conduct a pre-use inspection on all items. Regulation 9 of LOLER also outlines specific requirements for the formal inspection of lifting equipment at mandatory intervals. These inspections are to be performed by a competent person and the findings of the inspections recorded. Maximum fixed periods for thorough examinations and inspection of lifting equipment as stated in regulation 9 of LOLER are:

Equipment used for lifting persons – 6 Months Lifting accessories – 6 Months Other lifting appliances – 12 Months or in accordance with a written scheme of examination. Any inspection record must be made in line with the requirements of schedule 1 of LOLER. The only exception to this is: If the lifting equipment has not been used before and; In the case of lifting equipment issued with an EC declaration of conformity, the employer has possession of such declaration and it is not made more than 12 months before the lifting equipment is put into service.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

In research: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1998 in British law, Health and safety in the United Kingdom, Lifting equipment, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 in simple terms?

Why does Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.