The Lifts and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) have put together this really useful guidance covering ‘Checks and inspections of lifts for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts, and lifts with recall’

If you have a lift in your building you'll find this very useful as it provides practical advice for lift owners/ responsible persons, competent persons undertaking a thorough examination and calling for any supplementary tests, and lift maintenance providers.

Lift owners/ responsible persons might find this guidance of use in fulfilling their duties under regulations such as The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

There’s also a section which helps you to identify the different lift types.

This Approved Code of Practice and guidance is for those that work with any lifting equipment provided at work or for the use of people at work, those who employ such people, those that represent them and those who act as a competent person in the examination of lifting equipment.

It sets out what you should do to comply with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).

LOLER applies to lifting equipment and builds on the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER).

This edition brings the document up to date with regulatory and other changes. The guidance clarifies which equipment is subject to the provisions of the Regulations and the role of the competent person.

Owners/duty-holders of lifts and lifting equipment which are work equipment must have their lifts and lifting equipment periodically thoroughly examined to ensure their continued safe use, under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).

Lifts to which LOLER does not apply should be thoroughly examined to satisfy s3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) according to HSE guidance. Escalators and moving walks should be thoroughly examined/inspected according to SAFed guidance.

This leaflet provides general information about the requirements of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). It describes what you, as an employer, may need to do to protect your employees in the workplace.

It will also be useful to employees and their representatives. However, it is important that you also refer to the Regulations and Approved Code of Practice to familiarise yourself fully with your duties.

If you are an employer or self-employed person providing lifting equipment for use at work, or if you have control of the use of lifting equipment, you must make sure the lifting equipment is safe. The main requirements for you as a ‘duty holder’ are in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).

This leaflet provides advice on the options you have under LOLER relating to the requirement for thorough examination and inspection of lifting equipment and explains the benefits of having an ‘examination scheme’. However, this does not replace the necessity for operators to carry out checks to lifting equipment and accessories before use.