As a lift owner or facilities manager you’re likely already aware of the legal obligations relating to the thorough examination of the lift(s) on your premises. Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) in fact states…
“every employer shall ensure that lifting equipment which is exposed to conditions causing deterioration which is liable to result in dangerous situations is thoroughly examined (i) in the case of lifting equipment for lifting persons or an accessory for lifting, at least every 6 months; (ii) in the case of other lifting equipment, at least every 12 months.”
Following your thorough examination you will receive a report about the condition of your lift. The comments will fall into one of three categories as follows:
(a). Defects which require corrective action before further use or before a specified date
(b). Defects requiring corrective action as soon as reasonably practical
(c). Observations
The presence of an ‘a’ on your report means that immediate action is needed and the lift will need to be taken out of operation. Most often though you are more likely to see ‘b’s and ‘c’s.
It’s most likely that your insurance company or other independent body will be conducting the thorough examinations, and most of the time these won’t be the cause for any concern. It is possible, however, that supplementary tests are called for following an examination. Supplementary tests are defined by SAFed in the SAFed Guidelines on Supplementary Tests of In-Service Lifts as…
“Appropriate tests and/or examinations called for by the competent person where concerns regarding the condition of equipment arise from the thorough examination.”
In other words, if the competent person conducting the thorough examination has any concerns about any aspect of your lift or lifting equipment he/she may call on a specialist lift testing/servicing company to conduct further tests to establish the equipment’s suitability for continued use.
Understandably, if you have been informed that supplementary tests are required you may be a little daunted by the prospect. To make things simple we have listed the main types of supplementary lift tests that are specified in the SAFed guidelines below. These tests are sometimes also referred to as ‘Annex Tests’ due to their location in the annex of the SAFed Guidelines.