The moment an excavator is used for lifting, it is lifting equipment under LOLER and needs a thorough examination at least every 12 months. A 360 that only ever digs doesn't — but it still needs a PUWER inspection and maintenance regime. The dividing line is use, not the machine.
When an excavator becomes lifting equipment
HSE's position is short and unambiguous: "only excavators that are used for lifting operations are subject to thorough examination." When the machine is used for lifting — pipes, trench boxes, kerbs, anything slung from a lifting point, quick hitch hook or attachment — LOLER applies. HSE gives the example of a vacuum lifting attachment fitted to the boom for handling concrete pipes: "under these circumstances the excavator is considered to be a crane and the terms of LOLER apply."
Occasional lifting doesn't earn an exemption. HSE's FAQ says plainly: "if you plan to use an excavator for lifting, then you must have it thoroughly examined by a competent person as this is a control measure for the additional risks involved in lifting operations."
"But it's just lifting in connection with the digging"
A common assumption on site is that lowering pipes into the trench the machine has just dug is somehow part of excavation, not a lifting operation. It isn't. The Construction Plant-hire Association's guidance (produced with HSE involvement) states that LOLER Regulation 8 — proper planning by a competent person, appropriate supervision, safe execution — "includes lifting by earth moving machinery". The lift must be planned, risk assessed, covered by a method statement, and the machine itself must be in the thorough examination regime.
The CPA guidance also closes the person-lifting question for good: excavators "should not be used under any circumstances for the lifting of persons". So while LOLER's 6-month interval for people-lifting equipment exists on paper, for excavators it should never arise — use a MEWP, hoist or scaffold instead.
What the thorough examination covers
An excavator on lifting duties is examined as lifting equipment, and the competent person's attention goes to the lifting-specific elements as well as the machine's structural integrity:
| Item | What the examiner is looking at |
|---|---|
| Load hooking device / lifting point | The designated point on the dipper, quick hitch or bucket; if it's a hook, it must have a clip or device preventing the sling slipping off |
| Quick hitch | Condition, locking system, retaining pin arrangement; covered within the machine's examination if permanently fitted |
| Boom lowering control device (check valves) | Required (to ISO 8643) where rated lifting capacity exceeds 1 tonne or overturning moment exceeds 40,000 Nm |
| Warning device | An acoustic or visual device indicating when object-handling capacity or load moment is reached — required at the same threshold |
| Rated object handling capacity table | Must be available in the cab; CPA guidance says a machine without one should not be used for object handling at all |
A new machine accompanied by an EC Declaration of Conformity dated within the last 12 months doesn't need a first thorough examination report until that period expires — the same rule as for other lifting equipment.
The intervals: 12 months for the machine, 6 for the gear on it
Because an excavator used for object handling is lifting equipment rather than an accessory, the default LOLER Regulation 9 interval is at least every 12 months, unless a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person sets a different period.
The kit used with it follows the accessory rules:
- Slings, chains, shackles, loose hooks — thorough examination every 6 months.
- Buckets with integrated hooks or lifting eyes — classed as lifting accessories by CPA guidance: 6 months.
- Quick hitches — the split that catches people out. HSE operational guidance (OG-00004): permanently attached to the excavator, it can be treated as part of the machine and examined at least every 12 months with it; moved between machines, it's an accessory and needs examining every 6 months. Either way, when the hitch is used for lifting, its weight comes off the machine's rated capacity.
Record each on a Report of Thorough Examination — our free ROTE template carries every Schedule 1 field.
The quick hitch deserves its own paragraph
HSE's operational guidance exists because quick hitches kill. A significant number of investigated excavator accidents are attributed to "the bucket detaching from a QH and injuring a ground worker, most of which are fatal and major injuries" — and the majority involve semi-automatic hitches where the operator failed to fit the manual retaining pin. A semi-automatic hitch requires the operator to leave the cab and insert the pin; fully automatic hitches lock independently of hydraulic pressure from the cab. For an examiner, the hitch's locking system and pin arrangement are not a side item — they're one of the highest-consequence components on the machine.
PUWER never goes away
LOLER covers the lifting function; PUWER 1998 covers the machine as work equipment regardless. A digging-only excavator needs "an appropriate maintenance regime, including inspection of the machine at intervals specified by a competent person" under PUWER. A lifting-duty excavator needs both: thorough examination under LOLER for the lifting elements, and PUWER maintenance and inspection for the machine generally — pre-use checks by the operator each shift, recorded weekly inspections, and maintenance at no less than the manufacturer's intervals.
Where Core fits
Excavators are where mixed-fleet registers get messy: the machine on a 12-month cycle, a swappable quick hitch on 6, hooked buckets and slings on 6, and a PUWER inspection schedule running alongside. Core tracks each asset on its own statutory or scheme interval, flags what's due before it lapses, and generates the ROTE from the examination itself — with a portal where each client sees exactly what's compliant and what's coming due. See it on your own workflow.
Sources
- HSE — Excavators and LOLER (construction FAQ)
- HSE OG-00004 — Quick hitch devices on excavators (operational guidance)
- CPA — Guidance on Lifting Operations in Construction When Using Excavators (CIG 0801)
- LOLER 1998, Regulation 9 — legislation.gov.uk
- HSE INDG422 — Thorough examination of lifting equipment
Frequently asked questions
Do all excavators need a LOLER thorough examination?
No. HSE is explicit that only excavators used for lifting operations are subject to thorough examination. A machine used solely for conventional earthmoving falls under PUWER instead, which still requires maintenance and inspection at intervals set by a competent person — but not a LOLER thorough examination.
How often does an excavator used for lifting need a thorough examination?
At least every 12 months. An excavator used for object handling is lifting equipment, not a lifting accessory, so the 12-month interval in LOLER Regulation 9 applies — unless a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person specifies otherwise. The slings, shackles and hooks used with it are accessories and need examining every 6 months.
Is a quick hitch covered by the excavator's thorough examination?
It depends on whether it is permanently attached. HSE operational guidance says a quick hitch permanently attached to the excavator can be treated as part of the machine and examined at least every 12 months with it. A quick hitch that is moved between machines is treated as a lifting accessory and needs a thorough examination every 6 months.
Does lifting pipes into a trench the excavator dug still count as a lifting operation?
Yes. There is no carve-out for lifting done in connection with excavation work. CPA guidance confirms LOLER Regulation 8 applies to lifting by earthmoving machinery — the operation must be planned by a competent person and the machine thoroughly examined. HSE treats an excavator handling concrete pipes with a lifting attachment as a crane for LOLER purposes.
Can an excavator be used to lift people?
No. CPA guidance is unequivocal that excavators should not be used under any circumstances for lifting persons — their operating speeds and movements make them totally unsuitable. Access to height should be by equipment designed for the purpose, such as MEWPs, hoists or scaffolds.