Before staff return to a building, confirm three things: people can use the lift safely and accessibly, the lift’s LOLER examination and service records are current, and any lift that has been switched off or left unused has been assessed and returned to service by a competent lift engineer. These checks apply to workplace lifts in Great Britain. The practical steps below use current Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance and distinguish it from pandemic-specific advice published by Stannah on 19 August 2021.
What lift readiness means now
A lift is not ready merely because its doors open and the car moves. Readiness combines safe operation, legal examination arrangements, maintenance, emergency communication and a plan for the people who will use it when the building becomes busy again.
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The three-check approach comes from Stannah’s 2021 article, COVID: Back to the office? 3 checks to get your lift ready (published 19 August 2021). Its advice about distancing and pandemic occupancy was tied to that period. Keep the underlying planning principles, but do not treat those old distancing examples as current government rules. Confirm any present public-health or occupancy requirement with current official guidance, your building risk assessment and the lift manufacturer’s instructions.
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The legal framework discussed here is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). HSE’s LOLER overview explains the general duties for lifting equipment. The detailed examination points below come from HSE’s current thorough-examination guidance.
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Check 1: Plan how people will move through the building
Reopening can create a short, intense demand on a lift at arrival, departure and break times. Treat the lift, entrance lobby and stair routes as one movement system rather than solving the lift in isolation.
Model the busiest periods
- Map likely arrival, lunch and departure peaks with tenants, reception and security teams.
- Decide whether start, finish or break times can be staggered to reduce queues.
- Identify where a queue can form without blocking fire exits, door swings, reception desks or accessible routes.
- Check whether stairs can absorb some traffic without creating an unsafe alternative for people who cannot use them.
Record the assumptions in the building’s operating plan. A temporary arrangement is easier to manage when staff know who monitors the queue, who communicates changes and who calls the lift contractor if service deteriorates.
Give users clear, current instructions
Use reception briefings, tenant notices, screens or signs to explain the building’s actual arrangements: which entrances are open, where to wait, whether any floors have controlled access, and how to report a fault. Remove outdated pandemic notices so users are not given contradictory instructions. If a rule is a building policy rather than a legal requirement, label it accurately.
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Protect accessibility
Keep an unobstructed route to the lift and make sure queue management does not disadvantage wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, people carrying equipment, or anyone who cannot safely use stairs. Check that call buttons, car controls, audible announcements, lighting and landing areas remain usable. Coordinate any temporary barriers or one-way systems with the person responsible for fire safety and with occupiers who rely on step-free access.
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Plan for a lift that is unavailable
Tell reception and facilities staff what to do if the lift is out of service. The plan should identify an accessible alternative where one exists, a way to notify affected occupants, and the contractor or responsible person to contact. Do not promise a service level that is not in the maintenance or breakdown agreement.
Check 2: Verify LOLER examination and service records
Start with the lift’s own documentation, not a generic calendar. Find the latest LOLER thorough-examination report, the written examination scheme if one exists, service and repair records, outstanding defect notices, and the details of the competent person or company responsible for examination.
Confirm the examination interval for this installation
HSE’s default intervals are shown below. They are defaults, not permission to ignore the lift’s individual examination scheme or a competent person’s written recommendation.
| Equipment use | HSE default thorough-examination interval | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment used to lift people, including a passenger lift | Every six months | Next due date on the report, unless a written examination scheme specifies another interval |
| Other lifting equipment | Every 12 months | Whether the equipment is correctly classified and whether its scheme sets a different date |
Use the date and interval recorded for the particular lift. HSE says an examination scheme can set different intervals when prepared by a competent person who understands the equipment, its use and the risks.
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Understand what a thorough examination is
A maintenance visit and a LOLER thorough examination are separate functions. HSE describes the latter as “a systematic and detailed examination of the equipment and safety-critical parts, carried out at specified intervals by a competent person who must then complete a written report.” Routine servicing does not cancel the examination duty, and a service invoice is not automatically a LOLER report.
The examiner must have appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience for the equipment. HSE quotes the LOLER Approved Code of Practice: “You should ensure that the person carrying out a thorough examination has such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the equipment.” HSE also advises that the examiner should be sufficiently independent and impartial; the person doing routine maintenance should not automatically be assumed to provide that independence.
Read the report for decisions, not just the date
- Check the lift identification, location, examination date and next due date.
- Read every defect, observation and deadline, including items requiring action before continued use.
- Confirm that corrective work has evidence of completion, not merely a work order number.
- Check whether the report requires a follow-up examination after repairs.
- File the report where the dutyholder and relevant staff can retrieve it quickly.
If the examiner identifies a dangerous defect, the dutyholder must take effective action. That can include preventing use until the defect is remedied. Isolate the lift, communicate the restriction and obtain the required repair and follow-up evidence; do not rely on a verbal assurance that it is “probably fine.”
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Confirm when the last planned service occurred, what work is overdue, which components or safety systems are subject to outstanding repair, and how to obtain help if passengers are trapped. Check that the contract covers the lift’s manufacturer and configuration, gives the building an emergency contact route, and states response arrangements that match the building’s operating hours. Service coverage supports reliability, but it does not by itself prove LOLER compliance.
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Check 3: Treat shutdown or long inactivity as a recommissioning decision
A lift that has been switched off, isolated or rarely used needs a deliberate return-to-service decision. Stannah warns that equipment unused for a period may not perform as expected and says a switched-off lift should be switched back on by a competent lift engineer before use. HSE likewise lists being out of use for long periods among exceptional circumstances that may jeopardise safety and may call for examination.
Collect the facts before anyone energises the lift
- Record when and why the lift was taken out of service.
- Note whether power, ventilation, heating, fire systems or water protection were changed while it was idle.
- Check for leaks, corrosion, standing water, pest damage, building works or stored materials in the lift shaft, machine room and landings.
- Find the last examination report and the written examination scheme, if applicable.
- Tell the service provider how long the lift has been inactive and what work occurred nearby.
Do not ask reception, security or general maintenance staff to restart, run an empty test or reset safety circuits. The competent lift engineer should determine the inspection, cleaning, lubrication, testing and controlled recommissioning required for that installation.
Ask the competent person whether an examination is due
Long inactivity does not create a universal, identical checklist for every lift. The competent person should review the circumstances, the examination scheme, the last report and the manufacturer’s instructions, then state what examination or testing is needed before passengers return. If the report is overdue, arrange the required thorough examination before putting the lift back into normal service.
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Before reopening, obtain written confirmation of what the engineer inspected, defects found, repairs completed, tests performed, restrictions that remain and the date the lift may be used. Update the building log and brief the people who will manage faults. If any safety-critical defect remains, keep the lift isolated until the report and corrective work permit use.
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A practical reopening sequence
Use this order to keep the three checks connected:
- Nominate the dutyholder. Identify who owns or controls the lift, who holds the records and who can authorise isolation.
- Assemble the file. Gather the latest LOLER report, examination scheme, service history, defect close-outs, contractor contacts and trapped-passenger procedure.
- Review the dates and findings. Confirm the next examination date for this lift and resolve any overdue or dangerous items.
- Declare inactivity. Tell the competent lift engineer how long the lift was unused and describe building changes during that period.
- Complete professional inspection or recommissioning. Keep the lift out of passenger service until the engineer provides written release or identifies further work.
- Walk the user route. Check entrances, queues, landings, lighting, accessible circulation, signs and alternative arrangements at the busiest expected time.
- Brief staff and occupiers. Give reception, security, facilities and tenants one current instruction set and an emergency contact route.
- Monitor the first operating days. Log faults, unusual noise, door problems, delays, overcrowding and accessibility issues, then escalate through the agreed service route.
How to select or brief the competent provider
If you are appointing a new contractor or separating maintenance from examination, compare the scope rather than the company name. HSE’s independence principle is particularly important when the same organisation offers both services.
| Decision point | Questions to ask | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Lift-specific competence | Does the examiner have practical and theoretical experience with this lift type, controls and safety systems? | Written competence details and the examiner’s identity |
| Scope | Is the quotation for routine maintenance, repair, a LOLER thorough examination, or a defined combination? | Separate scope and deliverables for each function |
| Impartiality | How is the thorough examiner sufficiently independent from routine maintenance decisions? | Company or examiner explanation of independence |
| Reporting | Will you receive a compliant written report, defect priorities, deadlines and follow-up requirements? | Report, defect register and closure documents |
| Emergency response | Who handles entrapments and breakdowns, at what times and through which number? | Current contact card and escalation process |
| Existing scheme | Can the provider work to, review or update the lift’s written examination scheme? | Scheme review and any agreed revision |
Stannah’s 2021 checklist is useful as a prompt to ask about servicing, breakdown cover, records and trapped-passenger communication. It is not evidence that one provider is required, nor does a maintenance contract replace an independent thorough examination.
Common reopening mistakes and the corrective action
- “It passed service, so LOLER is covered.” Obtain the separate written thorough-examination report and check its findings.
- “The lift has not moved, so nothing can have changed.” Disclose the inactivity and surrounding building conditions to a competent engineer before use.
- “We can power it up to see whether it works.” Keep restart and testing with the competent lift engineer.
- “The old COVID sign is still useful.” Replace historical instructions with current, verified building arrangements.
- “A queue is only a comfort issue.” Manage queues so they do not block exits or remove accessible circulation.
- “A verbal repair promise is enough.” Keep the lift restricted until dangerous defects are remedied and the required written evidence is available.
Scope and limits of this checklist
This article addresses workplace lifts in Great Britain. Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions may apply different legislation or guidance, and specialist premises may have additional requirements. The responsible person must apply the rules for the equipment, building use and jurisdiction, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and obtain advice from a suitably competent person where the records or condition are uncertain.
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