Lifting Operations and Lifting Assurance — Authoritative Sources

Use the source that has authority for the decision

A source can be useful without having the force of law. Primary legislation, an Approved Code of Practice, regulator guidance, industry recommended practice, a voluntary standard and a classification code each answer different questions.

A listing in this library does not make a voluntary standard mandatory or confirm that it applies to a particular lift, item of equipment, vessel or project.

Curated authoritative sources

The library links to publisher-controlled access points. No third-party publication or proprietary matrix is copied or bundled with the website.

How I use a lifting-equipment or LOLER matrix

I principally use a lifting-equipment or LOLER matrix when planning or reviewing proof-load testing, determining examination and certification requirements, accepting equipment and accessories into the project register, and checking whether a proposed test route is appropriate for the equipment type.

The matrix is a structured prompt. It can help identify:

• the proof-load or test requirement that may need confirmation;
• the type and extent of examination;
• the certification and traceability expected for the equipment;
• whether competent-person, third-party, Class or other witnessing is required by the applicable regime;
• whether the available evidence supports acceptance for the intended use.

Before accepting lifting equipment

Acceptance should connect the physical item to its approved configuration, current status and controlled evidence. The applicable regime determines which records and approvals are required.

• Confirm that the manufacturer or equipment nameplate is present and readable.
• Record the manufacturer, model and serial number where applicable.
• Confirm the unique equipment identification.
• Check the SWL or WLL marking, as applicable.
• Confirm capacity for the intended configuration and use.
• Check that equipment and accessory markings remain legible.
• Match the physical identity to the certificate and register entry.
• Confirm entry in the controlled lifting-equipment register.
• Confirm the current examination status.
• Review the current thorough-examination report or equivalent.
• Review the proof-load or test certificate where required.
• Identify stated limitations, conditions and outstanding observations.
• Confirm that reportable defects have been formally cleared before return to service.
• Check the requirements of the approved examination scheme.
• Confirm third-party or competent-person certification where required.
• Confirm Class or Flag acceptance and register entry where applicable.
• Check calibration status for load cells, test equipment and measuring instruments relied upon.
• Establish traceability between the equipment, accessories, examination records and turnover documentation.

Third-party witnessing, Class certification and proof loading are not automatic requirements for every item. They apply where required by the legal regime, examination scheme, Class, Flag, client or project.

Separate lift readiness from proof-load-test hold points

Ordinary lift readiness and proof-load testing are different control situations. General lift readiness should confirm the approved plan, load and lifting-point information, equipment status and configuration, operating conditions, roles, communications, interfaces, exclusion arrangements and stop criteria required by the governing procedure.

My non-negotiable hold points for proof-load testing

• The test area is cleared.
• An effective barricade and controlled exclusion zone are established.
• Strict no-entry controls are in force.
• The equipment applying and measuring the test load is correctly rated.
• Load-measuring and test equipment is calibrated and certified.
• The intended test load has been verified against the applicable requirement.
• Equipment identity and configuration match the approved test procedure.
• No visible or recorded fault is present that could affect load capacity or safety limits.
• Required permits, communications, witnessing and emergency arrangements are confirmed.
• Everyone involved understands who has authority to stop the test.

A visual inspection alone does not establish structural integrity or fitness for proof-load testing. The hold point can be released only through the approved procedure and by the authority defined for the test.

Routine, non-routine and complex lifts

Lift categorisation determines the level of planning, engineering review, risk assessment, competence, supervision, approval, communication, contingency planning and SIMOPS control. The descriptions below are qualitative working distinctions, not universal legal definitions.

The governing project procedure must define the actual categories, terminology, thresholds and approval routes. Do not invent a category from load percentage alone or override the definitions required by the applicable regime.

Control SIMOPS and lifting interfaces

Lifting may interact with commissioning, construction, marine operations, vessel activities, vendors and the receiving operations team. The control objective is to prevent one group from changing the conditions relied upon by another.

• Identify interfaces during advance planning.
• Coordinate the work through the required planning and SIMOPS meetings.
• Confirm the permit-to-work basis and responsible authorities.
• Agree the sequence, timing and any deferred activities.
• Define lifting, commissioning and system boundaries.
• Establish controlled exclusion zones with visible signs, barriers and status identification.
• Agree the communication method, command structure and responsible people.
• Confirm isolation, energisation and equipment-status conditions.
• Review nearby work that could affect the lift or its supporting systems.
• Give every work group clear stop-work authority.
• Record decisions, constraints, changes and deferred work.

Preserve as-found evidence when a defect is identified

When equipment condition may affect safety or capacity, the immediate purpose is to prevent further use while preserving reliable evidence. Recording the defect does not make the equipment acceptable.

1. Control the item. Stop the activity where required, then isolate, quarantine or tag the equipment and prevent unauthorised adjustment, repair or return to service.
2. Record the as-found state. Capture the equipment identity, configuration, visible damage, relevant readings and controlled photographs where permitted.
3. Raise the controlled record. Record the issue on the applicable ITR and raise the required observation, punch item, defect report or NCR. Update the examination record and equipment-register status where appropriate.
4. Determine the disposition. The authorised technical, competent-person, OEM, Class or project authority decides the repair, replacement, further assessment and examination route.
5. Demonstrate return to service. Retain repair evidence, re-examination or re-certification, acceptance and the formal status change linking the physical item, register and turnover record.

An observation added to a certificate is evidence that an issue was recorded; it is not evidence that the defect was technically resolved.

Resolving conflicting requirements

A project should define its governing hierarchy of precedence. There is no safe universal order for every jurisdiction and contract, and “apply the most stringent requirement” is not a complete resolution: requirements may address different subjects, or combining them may produce an invalid test or configuration.

1. What jurisdiction governs the equipment and activity?
2. Which national and local legal requirements apply?
3. Do Flag or Class requirements apply?
4. What does the contract define as the hierarchy of precedence?
5. What does the approved examination scheme require?
6. What are the OEM’s stated limits and instructions?
7. Are the referenced standards current?
8. Are two requirements genuinely conflicting, or do they address different subjects?
9. Has the conflict been referred to the appropriate technical, legal, Class or client authority?
10. Is the agreed resolution formally approved and recorded?
11. Have the lift plan, procedure, register and certification records been updated consistently?

Commissioning and handover evidence

For construction completion and commissioning, the record should show what was tested, in which configuration, against which acceptance basis and with what result. Relevant evidence may include:

• the approved commissioning or test procedure;
• the lifting or proof-load test plan;
• relevant permits and risk controls;
• the equipment-register entry;
• equipment and accessory certificates;
• thorough-examination reports;
• calibration certificates;
• ITRs and test sheets;
• as-found and as-left results;
• actual test readings and load data;
• witness and acceptance signatures;
• photographs where required and permitted;
• defects, observations, punch items and NCRs;
• technical dispositions and repair evidence;
• re-examination or re-certification;
• approved deviations;
• Class, Flag, client or third-party acceptance where required;
• final status in the commissioning and handover system;
• traceability into the turnover dossier.

A pass/fail tick alone is not adequate where actual readings, equipment identity, configuration or acceptance conditions are material to the handover decision.

Anonymised lifting-equipment failure patterns

These examples identify assurance questions only. They do not describe a named client, project, location, cause, repair, result or outcome.

NSL/ASCO lifting-equipment matrix status

The current lifting-equipment or LOLER matrix has been requested directly from ASCO Lifting Assurance. As of 31 July 2026, an official response, current edition and redistribution position remain pending.

The website therefore does not host or reproduce a matrix, copy its classifications or proof-load tables, link to an unofficial mirror, publish an older edition as current, or imply that ASCO has authorised redistribution.

View ASCO’s official Safety Products and Handbooks page (opens in a new tab)