We have had quite a few enquiries regarding L.O.L.E.R recently; mainly customers are concerned about what is covered and what isn’t covered under L.O.L.ER regulations but more importantly how to ensure their home is following these regulations.
Before I start I'm sure one or two of you may be asking what is L.O.L.E.R?, this actually stands for the lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations 1998 R9 (3)(A), 9(3)(B) and relates to any form of lifting or handling equipment. In our case we deal a lot with equipment which are a staple part of everyday life in a nursing home, these are patient hoists, bath hoists, stand aids, slings and electric baths.
The biggest queries is that homes are unsure of whether it was OK to inspect hoists and slings without the need of an external company to do this, As you can imagine, we cant just give the OK without proper clarification so we felt it was necessary to get a clear understanding direct from the HSE, this would help us ensure that we could help our customers gain a better understanding of this.
We were able to ask one of the Field Operations Directorate at HSE ,Ms Christina Goddard, who was able give clear explanation of what is involved and noted one of the main misconceptions homes are having.
It seems that a lot of Homes are confusing a regular in-service inspection of equipment with a more thorough inspection known as a STE (Statutory Thorough Examination)
Statutory thorough examinations
These should normally be carried out by a person independent of the organisation and be carried out on a six monthly basis by independent of the person carrying out routine servicing of the equipment. This is to ensure that the person carrying out the STE can report defects and order equipment to be taken out of use without fear of retribution. However, it is not a legal requirement that the STE is carried out by an independent person.
If an STE is carried out by an employee of the company/establishment, or by an engineer who also services the equipment, then they must be able to demonstrate that the STE has been carried out as though the engineer is independent and that conflicts of interest have been dealt with. In reality this is very difficult to prove, and it is considered good practice for the STE to be carried out by an external company.
In service inspections
These are inspections that can be carried out by suitably trained persons in the company/establishment. This can be a suitably trained member of staff who would carry out the inspections, report defects and ensure records of the inspection are kept.
I hope this is able to put some minds at ease regarding L.O.L.E.R , however if you are in any doubt whether you are following correct procedures or you would like to take advantage of our very own L.O.L.E.R Inspection service please don’t hesitate to contact us on the details attached.
I have read your post, Thanks for providing such good information about loler inspection services.
ReplyDelete