A thorough examination date label is a sticker. It shows the next date, and sometimes a number, that you ask to be printed. It is not the examination itself.
Titan does not carry out thorough examinations. A label shows the dates and wording you supply. It does not replace the written report.
What a thorough examination is
HSE describes a thorough examination as a systematic and detailed examination of the equipment and the safety-critical parts. A competent person carries it out and then completes a written report. That report has to contain the information required by Schedule 1 of LOLER, including the examination date, the date the next thorough examination is due, and any defects found which are, or could become, a danger to people.
The term competent person is not defined in the regulations. HSE quotes the Approved Code of Practice: the person should have the practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of that lifting equipment to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess how they affect safe use. They should be sufficiently independent. HSE says this should not be the same person who does the routine maintenance, because they would then be judging their own work.
What the label is for
Hire desks and dealers use a label so the next date is visible on the machine. The written report remains the record the competent person made. If the sticker and the report do not match, follow the report and correct the sticker. We print what you send. We do not choose the date, and we do not decide that the machine is safe to use.
When examinations are required
Regulation 9 requires a thorough examination before lifting equipment is put into service for the first time, unless it has not been used before and the employer has a declaration of conformity made not more than 12 months before it is put into service. Where safety depends on installation, it must be examined after installation and before first use, and after assembly before use at a new site or location.
Equipment exposed to conditions that cause deterioration which could lead to danger must be thoroughly examined while it is in service. Unless an examination scheme says otherwise, that is at least every 6 months for lifting equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment. It must also be examined each time exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise its safety have occurred. HSE gives examples: damage or failure, long periods out of use, and major changes such as modifications or repair of critical parts.
Defects and records
The person making the thorough examination must notify the employer forthwith of a defect which in their opinion is or could become a danger to people, and must make a written report as soon as is practicable. Where there is an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, a copy of the report must also go to the relevant enforcing authority. The employer must not use the equipment before that defect is rectified, or, where the report gives a time limit, after that time and before the defect is rectified.
HSE also says users may need simple pre-use checks, for example on chains and slings, or daily checks on lift trucks. Those checks are not a thorough examination. Same-day dispatch applies only to in-stock catalogue stickers, not to a custom date or a drawn examination scheme.
Sources
- HSE: Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment
- HSE L113: Safe use of lifting equipment (Approved Code of Practice and guidance)
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 9
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 10
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 11