A plain-English guide to the inspection rules for work-at-height PPE.
If you work on ropes in the UK, two sets of regulations govern your gear: PUWER and LOLER. They overlap, people mix them up, and getting them straight keeps you legal, safe and on the job. This guide explains what each one covers, which of your kit falls under which, how often it needs examining, and the records to keep.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations cover all work equipment. It must be suitable for the job, kept in good repair, and inspected so it stays safe to use. For rope access that means your gear is fit for purpose, maintained, and given a pre-use check every time you kit up. PUWER is the baseline that applies to everything you use at work.
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations sit on top of PUWER for equipment used for lifting, and that includes lifting people. The harness, rope, connectors and descenders that hold you on the line are lifting equipment. Under LOLER they need a thorough examination by a competent person, the work is planned and supervised, and equipment is marked and used within its limits.
Your load-bearing kit, the harness, ropes, connectors, descenders, back-up devices, slings and anchors, is lifting equipment, so it meets both PUWER and LOLER. Items that are personal protective equipment rather than lifting equipment, like your helmet, fall under PUWER and the PPE rules but not a LOLER thorough examination. When in doubt, treat anything that holds or lifts you as LOLER kit.
Think in three layers. A pre-use check before every job, done by you, looking for damage, wear and anything out of date. Interim inspections where your risk assessment calls for them, for example after arduous use or a shock load. And the thorough examination, the formal LOLER check by a competent person, recorded and signed off. The pre-use check never replaces the thorough examination; they stack.
Equipment used to lift people, and lifting accessories, need a thorough examination at least every six months. Other lifting equipment is usually twelve months. Either can instead follow a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person. On top of that, a pre-use check happens every single time you kit up. For most rope access techs the six-monthly exam is the date that matters, and letting it lapse takes you off site.
Keep a dated thorough examination report for every item, noting any defects and what was done. Log serial numbers and pre-use checks so the history is traceable, and keep it all retrievable, because clients and auditors will ask to see it. Our guides on building a kit register and keeping records audit-ready go deeper.
Cowstail keeps the whole register in your pocket, with serial numbers, pre-use logs, and a reminder before each six-monthly exam is due, so nothing lapses while you are on site. See Kit & LOLER tracking.
Not legal or safety advice. This is general guidance for UK rope access work, and the rules and current intervals can change. Check the current HSE guidance, the equipment manufacturer, or a competent person for your situation.
Both. PUWER is the baseline for all work equipment, and LOLER applies on top because your harness, rope, connectors and descenders lift and support you. So your load-bearing kit has to meet both.
At least every six months for equipment used to lift people and for lifting accessories, which covers your harness, rope, connectors and slings. It can also follow a written scheme of examination.
A competent person with the right knowledge, experience and enough independence to judge objectively. In practice that is a qualified inspector, not just your own pre-use check.
No. The pre-use check before every job sits on top of the six-monthly thorough examination and any interim inspections, it does not replace them.
A dated thorough examination report for each item, noting any defects, kept retrievable. Clients and auditors will ask, so keep pre-use logs too.
No. A helmet is PPE rather than lifting equipment, so it is not subject to a LOLER thorough examination, but you should still inspect it per the manufacturer's guidance.
Related: Kit & LOLER tracking, kit register guide, audit-ready records.