CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskThe 6-monthly thorough examination under LOLER 1998 is a formal legal requirement, not a service check. The documentation it produces is what CQC and HSE ask to see. Here is what the register must contain.
A service is maintenance work -- cleaning, lubricating, adjusting, replacing worn parts. A thorough examination is a formal assessment by a competent person of whether lifting equipment is safe to continue in use. Under LOLER 1998, lifting equipment used for lifting persons (hoists, ceiling tracks, passenger lifts, bath hoists, stairlifts) must be thoroughly examined every 6 months. This cannot be substituted by a service visit. The competent person carrying out the examination must be independent of the organisation's maintenance function.
LOLER Regulation 10 specifies the information that must be included in the written report of every thorough examination. The report must identify: the lifting equipment examined; the date of examination; the safe working load (SWL); the examination results including any defects found; whether the equipment is safe to continue in use; any repairs or conditions required before continued use; and the date of the next examination. The report must be provided within 28 days of the examination. Where an imminent danger defect is found, the examiner must notify the responsible person immediately and in writing.
A LOLER register is a live record of every item of lifting equipment on site. It must include: a unique asset identifier for each item; the equipment type and model; the location of the equipment; the safe working load; the date of the last thorough examination; the certificate reference number; and the date of the next examination due. The register must be kept current -- add new equipment immediately on commissioning; mark decommissioned equipment as retired. Any item with an overdue examination date must be removed from service. The register is what you produce when CQC or HSE ask for your LOLER evidence.
Hoist slings are lifting accessories under LOLER and must be included in the 6-monthly examination programme. A separate sling register or sling section within the LOLER register should record: each sling by unique ID; the material type (disposable or reusable); the SWL; the resident it is assigned to (for individually-assigned slings); the date of last examination; and the next examination due date. Slings with no examination record must not be used. Disposable slings must not be reused beyond the manufacturer's rated life.
If a thorough examination is overdue, the equipment must be taken out of service until an examination has been carried out. Do not allow the examination date to pass without action -- there is no grace period under LOLER. If an examination reveals that equipment requires repair before it can be safely used, it must be taken out of service immediately, regardless of the disruption this causes. Document the out-of-service decision, the reason, the date the equipment was removed, and the date it was returned to use following a satisfactory examination. This documentation is your evidence of responsible management.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.