Do lifting beams and lifting eyes need a LOLER inspection?
It depends whether they move. Lifting beams, spreader beams and removable lifting eyes or eyebolts are lifting accessories, so they need a LOLER thorough examination at least every 6 months. Eyes welded to a load or built into a machine, and fixed anchor points in a building, are different, but they still need checking.
Most people know slings and shackles are on a 6-month clock. Lifting beams and eyes are where it gets blurry, because the same word, “lifting eye”, can mean a screw-in eyebolt, a welded lug on a generator or a steel eye bolted into a ceiling beam - They’re treated differently.
Does yours need a LOLER inspection?
Item | LOLER thorough examination? | At least every | Note |
Lifting beam or spreader beam hung from a hook | Yes, as a lifting accessory | 6 months | It attaches the load to the lifting equipment and isn’t a permanent part of the load |
Removable eyebolt, eye nut or swivel hoist ring (screws in) | Yes, as a lifting accessory | 6 months | HAE’s bulletin gives “a generator with a screw-in eye bolt” as an example where LOLER applies |
Beam clamp or plate clamp | Yes, as a lifting accessory | 6 months | |
Lifting eye welded to a load, or built into a machine | Not under LOLER | Inspect at suitable intervals | Industry guidance treats it as part of the load or machine, covered by PUWER |
Beam, runway or support that carries a hoist, chain block or crane | Yes, as part of that equipment | Same as the hoist or crane: 12 months, or 6 if it lifts people | HSE says lifting equipment includes its attachments for “anchoring, fixing or supporting it” |
Fixed anchor point that forms part of the building or structure | No | Set by a competent person | HSE says LOLER doesn’t extend to these, but the connection to lifting equipment should be designed, certified and checked |
Pallet, skip, cage or lifting frame carrying a load | Usually not | Keep in good condition | HSE treats equipment carrying a load, not permanently attached to the lifting machine, as part of the load |
What makes something an accessory?
HSE’s lifting FAQ defines a lifting accessory as any equipment used to attach a load to the lifting equipment, and gives hooks, ropes, chains, shackles and eyebolts as examples. The key test is that it isn’t a permanent part of the load.
That’s why a spreader beam hung from a crane hook is an accessory. You can unhook it, move it and use it on another load. The same goes for a screw-in eyebolt.
And it’s why a welded lug isn’t - because it’s part of the load itself.
Lifting beams and spreader beams
A lifting beam or spreader beam sits between the hook and the load. It spreads the load across more than one point, or keeps slings at a safe angle. It’s an accessory, so it needs a thorough examination at least every 6 months, with its own identification, its own safe working load and its own record.
Look for: cracked welds, distortion, wear at the lifting points and a missing safe working load marking. A beam with no safe working load shown shouldn’t be used until that’s sorted.
Lifting eyes and eyebolts
Industry guidance, a technical bulletin from Hire Association Europe (HAE), splits lifting eyes into two groups:
Removable eyes, such as screw-in eyebolts, are lifting accessories and must be thoroughly examined at intervals not exceeding 6 months.
Permanently attached eyes, such as eyes welded to a load, are part of the load and don’t need a LOLER thorough examination. They should be inspected at suitable intervals under PUWER Regulation 6.
Lifting points designed into a machine are part of the machine, and are covered by its maintenance and PUWER inspections.
This is industry guidance, not law, but it follows HSE’s definition of an accessory and it’s what most examiners work to.
On the eyebolts themselves, check the thread, that it screws in fully and seats properly, and the direction of pull. An eyebolt pulled at an angle it wasn’t designed for is a common way for one to fail.
Fixed lifting points in a building
HSE says LOLER does not extend to fixed anchor points that form part of a building or structure. An eye cast into a slab, or a lifting eye on a steel frame, isn’t a lifting accessory.
But HSE also says lifting equipment includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. So the beam that carries your chain block, or the fixing holding a hoist to the ceiling, is part of that equipment, and gets examined with it.
The line between those two isn’t always obvious. LEEA, the lifting equipment industry body, says the connections between a lifting appliance and a structure should be properly designed for lifting, tested and certified, and periodically thoroughly examined. LEEA also publishes guidance on verifying the beams and slabs that support lifting equipment at the top of a lift shaft, for designers, installers, testers and examiners.
What that means in practice:
Ask who designed and installed it, and whether you have paperwork showing it can take the load.
Have it checked by a competent person at intervals that follow a risk assessment.
Don’t assume a fixed eye is safe because it’s always been there.
Whether the building itself can carry the load is a design question for the person who designed or installed it, or a structural engineer. An examiner can tell you whether the fixing looks sound, is marked and recorded, and is working as it should.
Do they need a load test?
Not as a matter of routine. HSE says most lifting equipment doesn’t need routine testing as part of a thorough examination, and that the need for a test should be based on an assessment of risk. A new or repaired beam is a case where a test is more likely. See does lifting equipment need examining after a repair or move?
What do you get?
A written report of thorough examination, with each beam and eyebolt listed with its identification, safe working load, whether it’s safe to use, any defects with dates and when the next one’s due (LOLER Regulation 10 and Schedule 1). Each item should have its own mark or tag so it can be traced to its record.
Check yours in 2 minutes
List what you’ve got: beams, spreaders, eyebolts, hoist rings, clamps. Count the screw-in ones too.
Check each has an identification mark and a safe working load.
Find the last report. Is each item under 6 months old?
Look at what’s fixed to your building or machines. Do you know who checks it?
Check eyebolts are the right type for the direction of pull.
Independent lifting beam and lifting eye examinations across the East Midlands
We carry out LOLER thorough examinations on lifting beams, spreader beams, eyebolts, shackles, slings, chains and clamps, for workshops, warehouses, factories, construction firms and care homes. We cover Nottingham and the Midlands, and we also travel anywhere in the UK.
Every examination is carried out and signed by me, Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with 14 years’ experience. Reports are written on site before I leave, with photos of anything that needs fixing. We don’t sell, hire, service or repair equipment, so we’re never checking our own work. Once we’ve agreed a price, it stays fixed for all your ongoing examinations.
See our lifting tackle inspections page, or tell us what you’ve got and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
FAQs
Do lifting beams need a LOLER inspection?
Yes. A lifting beam or spreader beam attaches the load to the lifting equipment and isn’t a permanent part of the load, so it’s a lifting accessory. It needs a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 6 months.
Do eyebolts need a LOLER inspection?
Removable eyebolts, eye nuts and swivel hoist rings that screw into a load are lifting accessories, so they need a thorough examination at least every 6 months. Each should have its own identification and record.
Do lifting eyes welded to a machine need a LOLER inspection?
Not under LOLER. Industry guidance treats permanently attached lifting eyes as part of the load or machine, so they’re inspected at suitable intervals under PUWER instead. A removable eye is different and does need examining.
Do fixed lifting points in a building need a LOLER inspection?
HSE says LOLER doesn’t extend to fixed anchor points that form part of a building or structure. But the connection to lifting equipment should be properly designed, certified and periodically checked by a competent person.
How often should a spreader beam be examined?
At least every 6 months, because it’s a lifting accessory. A written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set a different interval. It should also be checked before each use for cracks, distortion and a readable safe working load.
Does a beam that carries a hoist or chain block need examining?
Yes, with the hoist. HSE says lifting equipment includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. So the beam and its fixings are examined with the equipment, at 12 months, or 6 if it lifts people.
Do lifting beams need a load test?
Not routinely. HSE says most lifting equipment doesn’t need routine testing as part of a thorough examination, and that the need for testing should be based on an assessment of risk. A new or repaired beam is more likely to need one.
Who can examine lifting beams and lifting eyes?
A competent person with the knowledge and experience to examine them, who is independent enough to make an objective judgement. HSE says that shouldn’t be the person who routinely maintains the equipment.
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