CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskSmaller lifting equipment is easy to overlook in LOLER compliance programmes. What care homes with stairlifts, platform lifts and dumb waiters need to know.
A stairlift in a care home is lifting equipment used to lift people and is therefore subject to LOLER 1998. The statutory thorough examination interval is every six months. The examination must be carried out by a competent person independent of the maintenance organisation. Stairlifts must display their SWL and must not be used to lift a person who exceeds that limit. In addition to the six-monthly thorough examination, an annual service in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations is best practice. Keep the examination reports and service records together in a stairlift file, alongside the original installation certificate and any modification history.
Vertical platform lifts and inclined platform lifts (for wheelchair users) are used to lift people and fall under LOLER, requiring a six-monthly thorough examination. Platform lifts often serve as a DDA-compliant alternative to passenger lifts in older care buildings where lift shaft construction is impractical. They require the same management discipline: a maintenance contract with a competent contractor, 24-hour emergency cover, a rescue plan for entrapment, and a logbook. Note that platform lifts are generally slower and have lower duty cycles than passenger lifts -- they may not be suitable as the sole means of access for a large care home and should be assessed for capacity as part of the building's risk assessment.
A dumb waiter -- a small goods lift used to move food, laundry or supplies between floors -- is lifting equipment for loads rather than people. Under LOLER, the statutory thorough examination interval for equipment not used to lift people is 12 months. Despite this, dumb waiters are frequently absent from LOLER compliance schedules, particularly in older care homes where they may have been installed many years ago. They must display their SWL, must not be used to carry people under any circumstances, and must be maintained in good working order. Add any dumb waiter to your LOLER equipment register and ensure it is included in the annual examination programme.
Every piece of LOLER-in-scope equipment on your site should appear in a single LOLER equipment register. The register should record for each item: a unique reference number, description (type, make, model), serial number, location, SWL, date of most recent thorough examination, due date of next examination, and a link to the most recent examination report. The register is the core management tool for your LOLER compliance programme. Review it at least monthly to identify any examinations coming due and to follow up on any defects not yet resolved. Share the register with your thorough examination provider so they can plan examination visits in advance.
When LOLER-in-scope equipment is disposed of -- whether because it has reached end of life, has been condemned following a thorough examination, or is no longer required -- record the disposal date and reason in the equipment register and retain the final thorough examination report for at least two years. When new lifting equipment is installed, do not put it into service until a LOLER thorough examination has been carried out. Where the equipment is new, the examination may be carried out before first use and the interval then starts from that date. Brief the installation contractor on your LOLER programme and obtain the declaration of conformity and installation test certificate as part of the handover documentation.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.