Lesson 4 of 7Safety and the law
Supplementary tests and load testing.
Some parts of a lift cannot be checked properly during a thorough examination. When that happens, the competent person can ask for a supplementary test. This lesson explains what the tests are, how they are requested and arranged, and where load testing fits in.
What supplementary tests are.
Under LOLER, a thorough examination is more than a look at the lift. The regulations allow it to include testing, where the competent person carrying it out judges that a test is needed.
The law
A thorough examination, “where it is appropriate to carry out testing for the purpose described in the paragraph, includes such testing by a competent person as is appropriate for the purpose”.
Most checks happen during the examination itself. The competent person watches the lift run, looks at its parts and operates its safety switches to prove they work, which the industry calls a functional test. But some parts cannot be checked properly that way. Safety gear only shows that it works when it is made to grip the rails, and a hydraulic cylinder buried in the ground cannot be seen at all. For parts like these, the competent person can ask for a supplementary test.
The tests support the examination. They are not part of the maintenance: the industry guidance says they are “solely to support the thorough examination”.
That guidance is published by the Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) as Guidelines on the supplementary tests of in-service lifts, known as LG1. HSE lists it as further reading in its guidance for lift owners, and SAFed says HSE believes its contents “represent good practice in the lift industry”. LG1 has no legal status, but SAFed says that following it will normally be enough to comply with health and safety law on supplementary testing.
How a test is requested.
Describe this diagram
The flow runs in six steps. The competent person examines the lift and assesses each part. If a test is needed, the report says which test, how far it goes and why. The owner arranges the test with a company competent to carry out and certify it. The test is carried out with the lift out of service, and the examiner may ask to witness it. The certificate and report go to the examiner and into the owner’s records. The competent person then reviews the results, straight away or at the next examination. If a requested test is not done, the examination may not be completed and the lift may have to be taken out of service.
The competent person decides whether a test is needed by assessing the lift. SAFed lists what that assessment should consider: the lift’s design and condition, how it is used, its operating environment, known problems with that equipment, the manufacturers’ recommendations and the integrity of the building and the installation. The answer can be that no tests are needed.
When a test is needed, it goes in the examination report. LOLER requires a report to give details of any test that formed part of the examination, and SAFed says the report should set out the type and extent of the test and the reason for asking for it. Only the competent person who carried out the examination should request supplementary tests. A request can be for a test needed to complete the current examination, or for one to be done before the next.
HSE guidance
“A thorough examination may include some testing, if the competent person considers it to be necessary. The competent person will normally determine what tests are required, taking account of the relevant guidance and standards”.
The dutyholder then arranges the test. SAFed’s guidance says it is “the lift owner’s responsibility to ensure that such supplementary tests are undertaken by those competent to carry out and certify such tests”. That may be the lift’s maintenance company or a specialist testing company. If the competent person wants to witness the test, they should say so at the examination.
Whoever carries out the test records the results on a certificate and test report. SAFed publishes model forms for this. The owner keeps the records with the examination report, as LOLER requires, makes them available to the competent person and sends a copy to the maintenance company.
A maintenance company can also recommend a test, if its own visits have found a possible defect that needs investigating. The results then go to the competent person, to be considered at the next examination.
The common tests.
SAFed’s guidance describes tests for the main safety parts of a lift, with suggested intervals. The table summarises them. The list is not complete, and the competent person decides which tests a lift needs and when.
| Test | What it checks | SAFed’s suggested interval |
|---|---|---|
| Earth continuity and fuse protection | That the lift’s metalwork is properly earthed, and that the fuses protecting the safety circuit will work | Every 5 years |
| Electric safety devices | Each switch in the safety circuit that the competent person cannot test at the examination | At least once a year |
| Overspeed governor | That the governor trips at the right speed and grips its rope hard enough to set the safety gear | Every 5 years |
| Safety gear | That the safety gear stops the car on the guide rails without help from the brake | Every 10 years |
| Ascending car overspeed protection | That the device stops a car travelling upwards too fast | Every 10 years |
| Unintended car movement protection (UCMP) | That the lift stops if the car moves away from a floor with its doors open | At each examination where possible, otherwise once a year, where the machine brake is the stopping device; every 10 years for other types |
| Oil buffers | That each buffer compresses fully and returns to its extended position | Every 5 years, or once a year for a buffer that cannot be checked and has no return switch |
| Brake, on older traction lifts | That the brake stops a car travelling down with 125 per cent of its rated load, and that the machine cannot drive through the brake | Every 5 years |
| Geared lift machine | Parts of the gearbox that cannot be seen without dismantling it | A comprehensive test after 10 years of use, which low use and good condition can delay to no later than 15 years |
| Hydraulic system | That the cylinder, pipes and valve block hold twice the full-load pressure for 15 minutes, losing no more than 10 per cent of it in the last 5 minutes | Every 5 years |
| Hydraulic rupture or restrictor valve | That the valve stops or slows the car if a hydraulic pipe bursts | Every 5 years |
| Hydraulic cylinder in a borehole | That a cylinder buried in the ground, which cannot be examined directly, is sound | Every 10 years, though SAFed says to test only where there is evidence of a defect |
| Car overload warning | That the overload warning works on a car with a large floor area for its rated load, such as a lift that carries hospital trolleys | Every 5 years |
| Power-operated doors | The closing force and energy of the doors | Every 5 years, and after any change to the doors |
Guidance, not law
SAFed’s intervals are a starting point, not a legal timetable. Its guidance says: “Periodicities detailed within this document are for guidance only and all supplementary tests are to be carried out at the request and discretion of the competent person.”
SAFed, Guidelines on the supplementary tests of in-service lifts (LG1)
Some tests are also needed after changes, whatever the interval. SAFed says the safety gear system should be tested whenever a change is made to it, such as fitting a new governor rope, and power-operated doors whenever the door equipment is adjusted or replaced. Our lesson on lift safety systems explains how the governor, safety gear and buffers work.
Load testing.
For cranes and some other lifting equipment, a load test can mean lifting a test load heavier than the safe working load, known as an overload test. Lifts in service are different: LOLER sets no routine load test for them, and HSE leaves the decision to the competent person.
HSE Approved Code of Practice
“The competent person should decide whether or not a load test is necessary, and the nature of the test, as part of the thorough examination.”
HSE’s guidance adds that conventional overload tests can damage some designs of lifting equipment, so the competent person should take account of the manufacturer’s instructions.
New lifts are tested with loads before they are first used. For example, where an approved body carries out a new lift’s final inspection under the Lifts Regulations 2016, the tests must include running the lift both empty and at its maximum load to check its safety devices, and a “static test with a load equal to 1.25 times the rated load”. The approved body then checks that nothing has been distorted or has deteriorated.
Some supplementary tests on lifts in service use loads too. On older traction lifts, SAFed suggests checking that the brake stops a car travelling down with 125 per cent of its rated load. Where there is no record that the safety gear was ever tested, the test may need the rated load in the car. Others, such as a repeat safety gear test on a lift with a record of an earlier test, are run with an empty car.
Planning for tests.
A supplementary test takes the lift out of service while it runs, and some tests need test weights brought into the car. A little planning keeps the disruption down:
- Read each new examination report for test requests, and note when each test is due
- Ask the company doing the test what it involves and how long the lift will be out of service
- Warn residents or staff in advance, and plan for anyone who cannot use the stairs if the building has only one lift
- Check whether your maintenance contract covers supplementary tests, or whether they are quoted separately
- If the competent person wants to witness the test, agree a date that suits them
- Keep the certificate and test report with the examination report, and send copies to the competent person and your maintenance company
Leave tests to lift engineers
Supplementary tests deliberately operate a lift’s safety devices, such as the safety gear and the buffers, and some use heavy test weights. Only trained lift engineers should carry them out, with the lift out of service. Never try to test a lift’s safety devices yourself.
If we maintain your lift, we can plan the tests your competent person asks for with you, arrange access and pass the results to your examiner. Our LOLER inspections page explains how we help with examinations and the work that follows, and our lesson on how to read a LOLER report shows where test requests appear.
Check your understanding.
Three quick questions on this lesson. Choose an answer to check it, or open the answer below each question.
-
Who decides whether a lift needs a supplementary test?
Show the answer
B. The competent person who examines the lift. The competent person carrying out the thorough examination decides which tests are needed and when. A maintenance company can recommend a test, but the results go to the competent person to consider.
-
SAFed suggests testing an overspeed governor every five years. What does that interval mean?
Show the answer
B. It is guidance, and the competent person decides. SAFed says the intervals in its guidance are for guidance only, and that all supplementary tests are carried out at the request and discretion of the competent person.
-
An examination report asks for a supplementary test. Who must make sure it is carried out?
Show the answer
B. The dutyholder, such as the lift owner. SAFed’s guidance says it is the lift owner’s responsibility to make sure the tests are carried out by people competent to carry out and certify them, and to keep the records with the examination report.
Sources.
The primary sources for this lesson. We checked them when the lesson was last updated on 18 October 2026. How we research and check our lessons.
Finished this lesson? Mark it as complete to see your progress on the course page. This is saved in your browser only.
Keep learning.
Related reading
Has your examiner asked for tests?
Talk to us about planning the tests in your report, arranging access and keeping your lift in service.
Common questions.
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
Do passenger lifts need a load test?
Not as a routine. LOLER does not set a regular load test for lifts. HSE’s Approved Code of Practice says the competent person should decide whether a load test is necessary, and what kind, as part of the thorough examination. New lifts are tested with loads before they are first used, and some supplementary tests on lifts in service use test loads, such as the brake test on older traction lifts.
What are supplementary tests on a lift?
Tests that the competent person asks for when part of a lift cannot be checked properly during the thorough examination, such as the safety gear, the overspeed governor or a hydraulic cylinder. They support the examination and are not part of the maintenance. The Safety Assessment Federation’s LG1 guidance describes the common tests.
How often do lifts need supplementary tests?
There is no fixed legal interval. SAFed’s guidance suggests intervals for the common tests, such as five years for an overspeed governor, oil buffers and a hydraulic system, and 10 years for safety gear. It says these are for guidance only, and that the competent person decides which tests are needed and when.
Who carries out supplementary tests?
A company or person competent to carry out and certify them, such as a lift maintenance company or a specialist testing company. The competent person may ask to witness the test. The lift owner is responsible for making sure the tests are done and for keeping the results with the examination report.
What happens if a supplementary test is not done?
SAFed’s guidance says that failing to complete requested tests may prevent the thorough examination from being completed, which can mean the lift has to be taken out of service and not used. If a test cannot be arranged in time, talk to your competent person straight away.