HSE Guidance is explicit:
A competent person carrying out a thorough examination must be independent and impartial enough to judge the equipment objectively. This is why it advises against the same firm maintaining and examining the same lift. PULO only ever does the examination.
"It is also important that the competent person is sufficiently independent and impartial to allow them to make an objective assessment of the lift. For this reason, it is not advisable for the same person who performs routine maintenance to carry out the thorough examination, as they are then responsible for assessing their own work."
Taken from HSE Guidance INDG339, Thorough examination and testing of lifts.
HOW PULO STAYS INDEPENDENT
PULO carries out thorough examinations only - not lift maintenance, servicing or repair contracts. There's no maintenance relationship to protect and no repair work to upsell, so a defect gets reported because it's there, not weighed against what it costs the business relationship.
Every PULO examination is carried out and signed by experienced engineer surveyors, led by Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with fourteen years' experience. You can see exactly what that looks like on our sample report.
Same company vs independent examiner
Get in touch to talk about an independent second opinion, or read more about LOLER 1998 and what it requires.
Frequently asked questions
Can the company that installed or maintains my lift also examine it?
Is using an independent examiner a legal requirement, or just best practice?
Does using an independent examiner cost more than a combined maintenance-and-inspection contract?
My maintenance contract already includes "inspections" - is that the same thing?
Is PULO independent of every maintenance company?
What should I ask a provider who does both maintenance and examination?
