CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
School LOLER Applicability Assessment
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- Maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England, including people responsible for premises, health and safety, equipment, contractors and competent-person examination arrangements.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Assessment of the provision and use of lifting equipment at work, including site evidence, equipment and user identification, work activities, applicability of LOLER, and examination arrangements. Applicability remains conditional and must be determined from evidence rather than assumed.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
Unconfirmed presence or use of lifting equipment at work, resulting in the applicability of LOLER not being determined.
- Existing controls
- No site evidence, existing assessment, equipment register or other control has been supplied. Record any evidence available, including confirmation that no relevant lifting equipment or work use has been identified.
- Proposed controls
- Obtain and record site-specific evidence about whether the school provides lifting equipment for work or has people using lifting equipment at work. Do not mark LOLER as applicable solely because the school is an education setting. If evidence indicates that lifting equipment is provided or used at work, continue with the detailed entries in this register.
Local assessment and additional controls
Relevant lifting equipment is not identified, including equipment used by school staff, contractors or other people at work.
- Existing controls
- No equipment list, location information, ownership information or contractor information has been supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Where site evidence indicates that lifting equipment is provided or used at work, create an equipment register recording the equipment description, intended work use, location, owner or responsible party, users, and whether the equipment is school-owned, hired, leased or provided by a contractor. Confirm the scope of equipment requiring further LOLER consideration using appropriate competent advice where necessary.
Local assessment and additional controls
People using or managing lifting equipment are not identified, so responsibilities and competence arrangements cannot be established.
- Existing controls
- No information has been supplied about equipment users, managers, contractors, employers, representatives or competent persons.
- Proposed controls
- For each item identified, record the people who use, supervise, manage, maintain or arrange examination of the equipment, including relevant contractors. Identify who acts as or appoints the competent person for examination where LOLER applies. Record evidence of relevant competence, authority and arrangements without assuming that any individual or organisation is competent.
Local assessment and additional controls
The need for detailed LOLER controls is not determined for equipment that may be within scope.
- Existing controls
- No equipment-specific assessment, scope decision or existing LOLER control information has been supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Where evidence identifies lifting equipment or people using lifting equipment at work, make and record an equipment-specific decision on whether detailed LOLER controls are needed. Consider the equipment, work activity, users and arrangements with competent advice where required. Record the decision and the evidence supporting it; retain the decision as conditional where information is incomplete.
Local assessment and additional controls
Required competent-person examination arrangements are absent, unclear or not linked to applicable equipment.
- Existing controls
- No examination reports, schedules, certificates, competent-person appointment details or equipment-to-report links have been supplied.
- Proposed controls
- If LOLER applies to identified equipment, record the competent person or competent organisation responsible for examination, the equipment covered, examination arrangements, report or certificate reference, examination date, next due date where established, and actions arising. Do not enter dates, findings or equipment links unless supported by site records or other evidence.
Local assessment and additional controls
The applicability decision and supporting evidence are not reviewed when equipment, users, work activities or contractors change.
- Existing controls
- No review arrangements, change-control process or reassessment record has been supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Define an owner for this applicability assessment and review it when new or changed lifting equipment, work activities, users, premises arrangements or contractors are introduced, or when examination information changes. Record the review date, evidence considered, decision, outstanding actions and responsible person. Keep the assessment conditional where current evidence does not establish applicability.
Local assessment and additional controls