LOLER inspection periods

[TomHoward]

Afternoon

 

We have some kit which is LOLER tested, but is barely used (some winch bars may be moved once) or not used at all (in the case of some chain blocks) between inspections.

Within LOLER there is scope for an engineer to recommend a different inspection period depending on a risk assessment, as per some multiple year periods on PAT testing.

 

Has anyone used this in practice or found engineers willing to offer multiple year inspection periods?

If it can't be done it can't be done, but just interested if this is ever used.

[ImagineerTom]

I've never found anyone prepared to vary to longer intervals. Since decay/corrosion/external factors can have significant and ultimate catastrophic effects on lifting devices I would be very surprised if anyone would be prepared to recommend less testing and inspections. For example mild steel in damp environments can rust though 1mm per year per side fairly easily - after 1 year a 6mm thick plate holding your winch up would be down to 4mm which would just about hold, but after 2 years of unchecked corrosion would be down to 2mm thick and almost certainly critically failing.

 

There may be an argument for switching out the lifting gear to make this a fixed installation and developing a new safe working practice to allow you to access it the once per year you need to however in designing this replacement rigging you also need to take account of the fact that it won't be inspected so frequently. IE a bar that's currently held up by multiple 5mm wire ropes would have to be looking at 12-16mm stud bars to replace each rope to allow for the fact that instead of being inspected annually the bar might now only be looked at once per decade..

[TomHoward]

Bah, not to worry, a regular inspector of ours who is familiar with the system suggested we could just miss every other year but still wasn't happy to recommend or supply a 2yr inspection interval.

It's not really feasible to change to fixed install as they are used occasionally but there is some loose kit that gets inspected more regularly than it's used, and some bars that are in positions that just mean they aren't used for scenic very often.

 

We could look at LOLER every 2nd year and doing a user check in the intermediate years but it probably wouldn't satisfy the insurance situation, looks like we'll just have to stick with 1yr intervals.

To be honest I don't think the saving would really warrant changing anything out as it isn't serious money, we've just been asked to look at all costs..

[ImagineerTom]

Ultimately as you say it's what your insurance company demands that will control the choices you make. I can see a path whereby you have an official inspection every 2 years plus in-house inspections in the intervening year but the paperwork involved in formally establishing that program to everyone's satisfaction and having a referral system so that if there is the slightest hint of a problem spotted in the unofficial inspections you can get the official engineer in to advise would almost certainly cost more than just having everything tested annually in one big session.