How often does an overhead crane need a LOLER inspection?

Ryan Leavesley

14 hours ago

5 min read

An overhead crane that only lifts goods needs a LOLER thorough examination at least every 12 months. The slings, chains, shackles and other gear hung from its hook need examining every 6 months. A crane also needs examining after installation and before first use, and again after anything that could affect its safety, like damage, a major repair or an alteration.

That’s the same for most cranes you’ll find in a factory, warehouse or workshop: overhead travelling cranes, gantry cranes, jib cranes and monorail hoists. The difference is usually in what’s hanging from the hook, and in the checks that happen between examinations.

Crane inspection intervals at a glance

Type of crane	LOLER thorough examination	Worth knowing
Overhead travelling crane (single or double girder)	At least every 12 months	The runway and end stops are examined as well as the crane
Underslung or monorail crane with a hoist	At least every 12 months	The beam and its fixings to the building are part of it
Gantry crane (fixed or mobile A-frame)	At least every 12 months	Mobile gantries need examining again after being moved and reassembled
Wall or pillar jib crane	At least every 12 months	Its fixing to the wall, column or floor matters as much as the arm
Lorry loader crane	At least every 12 months	Separate from the vehicle’s MOT
Any crane used to lift people	At least every 6 months	Only cranes designed and set up for lifting people should ever do it
Slings, chains, shackles, lifting beams and other gear used with any crane	At least every 6 months	They’re lifting accessories, with their own dates
A new, moved or altered crane	Before it’s used	Its safety depends on how it’s installed (Regulation 9(2))

These intervals come from LOLER Regulation 9(3)(a). A written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set different intervals, for example shorter ones for a crane working three shifts in a steel stockholder.

The hook and everything below it

This is where most crane paperwork goes wrong - The crane’s own hook and hook block are part of the crane, on its 12-month examination. But anything you hang from that hook, like a chain sling, a webbing sling, a shackle, a lifting beam or a plate clamp, is a separate lifting accessory. Each one needs its own thorough examination at least every 6 months, and its own record.

So a factory with one overhead crane might have one 12-month date for the crane and a dozen 6-month dates for the gear in the rack next to it. If your last report only lists the crane, ask where the accessories are. More on that on our lifting tackle inspections page.

Engineer surveyor examining the hoist and hook block of an overhead travelling crane

Inspections between examinations

LOLER also asks for something most people miss. Where a crane is exposed to conditions that could make it deteriorate, it should be inspected by a competent person at suitable intervals between thorough examinations (Regulation 9(3)(b)).

In practice, that usually means:

a quick check by the operator before use, every shift
a recorded inspection at a regular interval set by your risk assessment, often weekly for a busy crane
the 12-monthly thorough examination on top

The inspection doesn’t have to be done by an outside examiner. It can be someone on site who’s trained and knows what to look for, as long as it’s recorded.

When a crane needs examining early

Don’t wait for the 12-month date if:

the crane has been installed, moved or reassembled (Regulation 9(2))
it’s been overloaded, struck or damaged, or dropped a load
it’s had a major repair or alteration, like a new hoist unit, a new trolley or changes to the runway
it’s been out of use for a long time
a pre-use check or inspection finds something that affects its safety

LOLER treats all of these as exceptional circumstances (Regulation 9(3)(a)(iv)).

Does a crane need a load test every year?

Not usually - HSE says most lifting equipment doesn’t need routine testing as part of a thorough examination, and that unnecessary overload tests can damage equipment. The need for a test should be based on risk. A load test is more likely after installation, a major repair or an alteration to a load-bearing part. If someone tells you a crane “needs” a full proof load test every year, ask why.

What a crane examination covers

On a typical overhead crane, I’ll be looking at:

the hook, hook block and safety catch, and measuring hook wear and opening
the wire rope or chain, its terminations and anchor points
the hoist brake and motor
upper and lower hoist limits
the trolley, end carriages, wheels and long travel brakes
the bridge girder, runway beams, rails, end stops and their fixings
the pendant or radio controls, emergency stop and warning devices
the safe working load marking on the crane and hoist

Crane inspections across the Midlands

We examine overhead cranes, gantries, jib cranes and the lifting gear used with them for factories, steel stockholders, workshops and warehouses across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Loughborough and Lincoln, out to Newark, Mansfield and Grantham, and into the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Cannock and Tamworth. We also travel anywhere in the UK.

Every examination is carried out and signed by me, Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with over 14 years’ experience. We don’t sell, install or service cranes, so we’re never checking our own work. The crane and every accessory get their own written report, we contact you before each examination falls due, and once we’ve agreed a price, it stays fixed for all your ongoing examinations.

More on our crane inspections page. Or tell us what cranes you have and what’s in the lifting gear rack, and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.