passenger lift thorough examination defect what to do

Direct answer. A passenger-lift thorough-examination report is a safety decision point, not a filing exercise. When the competent person identifies a defect, read its classification and timescale, clarify the risk, take any required lift-use restriction immediately, arrange competent repair, retain the report, and obtain the evidence needed to confirm that the defect is remedied before lifting the restriction. A maintenance invoice alone does not close a statutory examination finding. HSE guidance for lift owners; HSE LOLER overview.

This England facilities guide is about the response to a reported passenger-lift defect, distinct from the existing general LOLER thorough-examination explainer. The LOLER compliance software page owns the commercial query. The article does not assert that every lift in a mixed-use building falls under LOLER: the applicable duties depend on who uses and controls it. HSE distinguishes lifts primarily used by people at work from those used by the public, though businesses still have wider safety responsibilities. HSE passenger lifts and escalators.

Know who receives and owns the report

Start with the lift identifier, building, owner or controller, maintenance contractor and competent examining body. In a multi-tenant building, the facilities team may receive a report while the legal control of the lift sits with a landlord or managing agent. Establish who can restrict the lift, who instructs repair, who receives confirmation from the examiner and who tells occupiers. Do not rely on a contract title to settle the question if actual control is shared; document the allocation and coordinate actions.

The report should identify the lift examined, date, scope and defects. HSE's owner guide explains the competent person's reporting duty and the owner's need to act on defects. Read the report itself, not just a dashboard status or broker's summary. If a finding or timeframe is unclear, ask the competent person to explain it promptly. A facilities manager should not downgrade a serious defect because the lift still operates. HSE INDG339.

The examiner and service contractor have different roles. Routine service may find and fix issues, but it does not replace an impartial thorough examination. HSE advises that the competent person should have sufficient independence and impartiality; the person assessing safety should not simply mark their own repair as acceptable without appropriate examination arrangements. HSE work-equipment FAQ.

Interpret the urgency without inventing a new category

The exact statutory report language and defect reporting requirements must be taken from the competent person's current report and LOLER Schedule 1. Some defects create an immediate or imminent danger and demand prompt cessation of use; others require remedy within the examiner's specified period. Do not convert all findings into a generic “red/amber/green” system that loses the legal timeframe or examiner's conclusion. If a report says the lift should not be used, take it out of service and prevent accidental use. HSE LOLER overview; HSE INDG339.

Where access must be restricted, isolate the lift through the competent maintenance procedure, post clear notices at every relevant landing, and tell reception, security, occupiers, contractors and anyone responsible for vulnerable users. Consider alternative access and evacuation arrangements; a lift taken out of service may affect disabled visitors or people moving essential goods. Accessibility planning does not justify continued use of an unsafe lift. Coordinate a safe temporary plan rather than silently leaving people stranded.

Example. An examiner reports a fault in a safety-critical door mechanism and says the lift must not be used. The building manager closes the lift, contacts the maintenance contractor and notifies tenants. A technician replaces the part. Before reopening, the manager asks the examiner or competent person what evidence is required to clear the report and retains that confirmation. The repair note is part of the trail but should not be treated as independent clearance by itself.

Distinguish examination from maintenance

HSE explains that thorough examination is a systematic and detailed examination by a competent person to detect defects that could be dangerous. It is additional to routine maintenance and inspection. A lift can be serviced frequently and still need its LOLER examination; conversely, a valid examination report does not remove the need for day-to-day maintenance. HSE LOLER overview; HSE lift owner guide.

For lifts used to carry people at work, HSE states the default thorough-examination interval is at least every six months, or as set by a competent person's examination scheme. Exceptional circumstances, significant changes or damage can require an additional examination. Do not use this interval for every device called a lift without checking whether it falls under LOLER and the relevant scheme. The live general LOLER guide owns the generic interval explanation; this guide addresses the defect workflow. HSE passenger lifts and escalators; HSE work-equipment FAQ.

Build a repair and verification plan

Give the maintenance contractor the examiner's actual finding, lift ID, restriction and deadline. Require a method statement or safe-work arrangement proportionate to the repair, especially if the lift needs isolation, work in a shaft or temporary access controls. Agree how the defect will be demonstrated as resolved, whether the examiner must reinspect, and who will authorise reopening. Keep any further defects discovered during repair visible; a partial fix should not disappear into a closed work order.

Record the replacement part, testing, dates and person doing the repair. Then obtain a competent confirmation that addresses the original finding, not just “lift serviced.” Where the report calls for action within a time limit, monitor it to closure. If the deadline cannot be met, retain the restriction and seek competent advice; do not extend the examiner's timeframe internally merely because procurement is delayed.

HSE's LOLER overview notes that dangerous defects are reported to the person using the equipment and the relevant enforcing authority as required. The report itself and competent person should guide the specific statutory reporting path. A facilities team's corrective-action tracker should preserve evidence of the report and notifications without falsely presenting a private status change as regulator clearance. HSE LOLER overview.

What should the records show?

Connect each lift's asset ID to its current report, examination date, examination scheme or next due date, defect details, restriction, repair instruction, work completion, verification and reopening authorisation. Keep the version received from the examiner and subsequent correspondence. Do not overwrite an adverse report when a later report is clean; the history shows what was discovered and how it was controlled.

Where the lift is leased, maintained by a third party or shared between occupiers, make sure all relevant parties can access the safety status. A report held by an insurer but not communicated to the person operating the building leaves a gap. Set an escalation if a report is expected but not received. A scheduled examiner visit is not itself proof that the examination took place.

An internal handover table can identify: defect, examiner instruction, current lift status, person in control, contractor, due date, verification needed and communication to users. Keep the examiner's wording alongside any shorthand. The purpose is to let the next shift answer whether the lift may be used and why.

Common mistakes

• Filing an adverse report while the lift remains in use.
• Assuming routine service and thorough examination are interchangeable.
• Treating an engineer's invoice as closure of the examiner's safety finding.
• Posting a notice on one floor while other landings remain accessible.
• Losing the examiner's timeframe when transferring the finding into an action tracker.
• Treating a six-month rule as universal for every lift and every legal setting.
• Reopening without telling reception, users and contractors that the restriction has changed.

Where Complys fits

The LOLER compliance software page is the commercial owner for reviewing how examination reports and corrective actions can be organised. This guide makes no claim that Complys performs examinations, diagnoses defects, reports to an enforcing authority, validates repairs or authorises a lift to return to service. Take one recent lift report and see whether its restriction, repair and competent clearance can be followed from start to finish.

Primary sources checked 4 October 2026

• HSE thorough examination and testing of lifts: guidance for owners.
• HSE passenger lifts and escalators.
• HSE LOLER overview and work-equipment FAQ.

Publication gate: Check the exact examiner report, LOLER Schedule 1 defect wording and applicable lift-use scope before adding any mandatory closure or notification rule to a site-specific version.