---
title: "LOLER Inspection Management Software | Papertrail"
description: "Schedule LOLER thorough examinations, record results on site and produce the report from each item's record. Trusted for 26M+ inspections."
canonical: https://www.papertrail.io/loler-inspections
last_updated: 2026-10-21
---

# Manage your LOLER equipment inspections in seconds

Schedule every LOLER thorough examination, record the result on site and produce the report from the
equipment's record.

No credit card required.

## All about LOLER

## What is LOLER, and why does it matter?

LOLER, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, is the UK's statutory
instrument for lifting equipment: a thorough examination by a competent person, on a set schedule,
for anything that lifts. It's enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, not a voluntary code, and
unlike PUWER's risk-assessed intervals, LOLER sets the intervals: every 6 months for equipment that
lifts people and for lifting accessories, every 12 for other lifting equipment, unless an
examination scheme sets a different interval.

In Papertrail, each piece of lifting equipment can have its own examination schedule and checklist,
signed off by your competent person, with every report kept on its record.

## Records requirements

## What a LOLER thorough examination report contains

Each item's record can hold the details Schedule 1 asks for: identity (equipment ID, safe working load,
manufacture date), history (the date of the last examination, whether this is the first) and
sign-off (the examiner's name, qualifications and the next-due date), all on one item record.

Every examination, defect and repair is logged against that same record, and the report is built
from the completed checklist, so it's there when an auditor asks.

## From examination schedule to signed report

| Feature | Copy |
| --- | --- |
| Schedule Manager | LOLER's 6 or 12-month thorough examination runs on its own frequency per item, with an alert before anything falls due. |
| Inspections | Every examination records who carried it out, against which checklist, with the outcome landing on the item's permanent history. Restrict who's allowed to add or edit a record at all, so only the people you authorise can sign one off. |
| Certificates | Your report of thorough examination is filled in from the equipment's record and the completed checklist, with the details LOLER requires, ready to share once it's signed off. |
| Task Manager | When a check fails, Papertrail can raise a task for the repair, so it doesn't sit unresolved in a completed checklist. |

## Related modules

| Category | Copy | Links to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Staff competency | Competent-person qualifications and renewal dates, tracked centrally so you can show who's signed off to examine. | [/modules/staff-competency](https://www.papertrail.io/modules/staff-competency) |
| Document control | Method statements, risk assessments and examination reports, held alongside the equipment they concern. | [/modules/document-control](https://www.papertrail.io/modules/document-control) |

## Who this applies to

**Equipment owners and employers** must arrange the examinations, keep the records, and produce
them on demand. See how renewables teams use Papertrail → [/industries/renewables](https://www.papertrail.io/industries/renewables)

**Competent persons and inspection contractors**, in-house engineers or an external inspection
company, need to hand back evidence the equipment owner's auditor will accept.

### 6 months or 12 months: which applies to my equipment?

Every 6 months for lifting equipment used to lift people, and for lifting accessories generally,
such as slings, chains and shackles. Every 12 months for other lifting equipment, such as general
lifting gear, cranes and hoists, unless a written examination scheme sets a different interval.
(LOLER Regulation 9.)

### Who counts as a "competent person" for a LOLER examination?

Someone with the appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment
being examined, able to detect defects or weaknesses and judge their significance for safety, and
independent and impartial enough to make that judgement. It's a functional standard, not one
specific certificate, and the person can work in-house or be brought in externally. Papertrail can
also restrict who's allowed to add or edit an inspection log at all, so authority in the system
matches who's actually authorised to sign one off under LOLER.

### Are digital LOLER inspection records acceptable to HSE?

Yes. HSE guidance accepts electronic records, provided they're secure, retrievable and properly
attributed to who completed the examination and when.

### Can Papertrail produce LOLER certificates?

Yes, on every plan. The report of thorough examination is filled in from the equipment's record and
the completed checklist, with the particulars LOLER Regulation 10 and Schedule 1 require, and
exported as a PDF with your company logo. You can produce one for a single item, for several items
or for a whole folder. Each certificate is kept with the item's inspection history, so you can show
it whenever an auditor or client asks. If you need your own layout, we can build a custom certificate
template for your account, for a one-off charge based on how complex it is.

## Run every LOLER examination from one record

Book a demo and we'll walk through it with your own lifting equipment, or start for free and add
your first item.