Inspection Services
Over 400,000 statutory examinations completed every year across the UK and Ireland. Our inspectors cover lifting equipment, work equipment, pressure systems, ventilation and gas systems — with LOLER and S.I. 299 compliant reports delivered digitally through our online asset management and certification portal.
Compliance Is Not Optional — Neither Is Uptime
If you operate lifting equipment, work equipment, pressure systems or local exhaust ventilation, UK and Irish law requires those assets to be thoroughly examined by a competent person at defined intervals. Miss an examination and you are exposed on two fronts at once: enforcement action and insurance, and an asset you can no longer safely put to work.
WH Scott & Son Engineers has been in engineering since 1897, and the group today handles more than 400,000 statutory examinations a year across the UK and Ireland. We are a LEEA member company, and our inspectors work to written schemes of examination — so every visit produces a defensible record, not just a sticker on the equipment.
Because we cover both jurisdictions, multi-site clients get one inspection programme, one point of contact and one reporting portal — whether the asset sits in Aberdeen, Birmingham or Dublin.
What We Inspect
- Lifting equipment — overhead cranes, gantries, jibs, hoists, runway systems
- Lifting accessories — slings, shackles, chains, eyebolts, beam clamps
- Work equipment — fixed and mobile plant, machinery, access equipment
- Pressure systems — vessels, steam plant, pipework, safety devices
- Ventilation — LEV extraction systems and filtration performance
- Electrical — portable appliances and workplace power tools
- Gas equipment — oxy-fuel torches, hoses, regulators, manifolds
- Vibration exposure — hand-arm vibration measurement and assessment
- Patient handling — ceiling track and mobile hoists, slings
Thorough examinations of lifting equipment under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 — ensuring legal compliance for all lifting equipment used at work.
Learn moreThorough examinations conducted to S.I. 299 (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work — General Application Regulations) for lifting equipment operated in the Republic of Ireland.
Learn moreInspection and compliance reporting for work equipment under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 — confirming equipment is safe, suitable and maintained.
Learn moreWork equipment inspections carried out in accordance with the Irish General Application Regulations for clients operating fixed or mobile plant in the Republic of Ireland.
Learn moreThorough examination and testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation systems under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations — verifying performance to the required standard.
Learn moreWritten scheme examinations and statutory inspections of pressure vessels, steam systems and associated pipework under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000.
Learn morePortable appliance testing for workplace electrical equipment — visual inspection plus formal electrical testing with certified pass/fail documentation for compliance audits.
Learn moreScheduled and reactive statutory examinations across a broad range of plant and equipment categories — covering all regulatory frameworks applicable to your site and industry sector.
Learn moreInspection and pressure testing of oxy-fuel gas equipment including torches, hoses, regulators and manifold systems — ensuring safety in welding, cutting and heating applications.
Learn moreHand-arm vibration (HAV) measurement and risk assessment for power tools and vibrating equipment — helping employers meet their duties and reduce the risk of HAVS.
Learn moreUK & Ireland Regulatory Frameworks
The duty to examine is broadly equivalent either side of the Irish Sea, but the governing regulations, the wording of the report and the way examination periods are set differ — the UK works from fixed statutory intervals and written schemes, Ireland from a per-equipment schedule. We inspect in both jurisdictions, which is why several of our services exist in a UK and an Irish variant.
United Kingdom
6-monthly for equipment lifting persons and for lifting accessories; 12-monthly for other lifting equipment — or per a written scheme of examination.
Inspection at suitable intervals determined by risk assessment, and after exceptional circumstances affecting safety.
Examination intervals are set by the competent person within a written scheme of examination — not by a fixed statutory period.
Thorough examination and test at least every 14 months for most systems; shorter for certain listed processes.
No fixed interval in law; frequency set by equipment type, environment and use, following IET Code of Practice guidance.
Action and limit values for daily hand-arm vibration exposure trigger assessment, control measures and health surveillance.
Republic of Ireland
Chapter 2 of Part 2. Equipment listed in column 1 of Schedule 1 Parts B and C must be examined by a competent person at least once in the period set against it in column 2 — the period varies by equipment class rather than following a single flat interval.
A competent person may specify a period shorter than Schedule 1 where in their opinion more frequent examination is required, giving written reasons to the owner and user.
Work equipment outside Reg. 52 — including the lifting-function items listed in Schedule 1 Part D — still requires an appropriate scheme of inspection prepared by the employer.
Reports must contain the particulars in Schedule 1 Part E. Where immediate cessation of work has been advised, a copy goes to the Authority within 20 days of the examination.
Control measures including extraction systems must be maintained and examined, with the testing regime evidenced by report.
Hand-arm vibration exposure assessment with control measures and health surveillance; portable electrical testing frequency set by environment and duty.
Every Certificate, Online, 24/7
An examination is only as useful as the record it leaves behind. Every report we issue is uploaded to CoreRFID, our online compliance portal — so when an auditor, insurer or client asks for evidence, you are one login away from it rather than one filing cabinet away.
- Asset register covering every item in your inspection programme
- Reminders ahead of each statutory examination falling due
- Downloadable certificates and reports of thorough examination
- Defects recorded against the asset, with recommended remedial action
- Multi-site access, so every location reports into one place
How an Inspection Programme Works
Five steps, whichever service you need. Most clients start with a single survey and end with a rolling programme they never have to chase.
Survey & Asset Register
We attend site, identify every asset in scope, record serial numbers and photographs, and establish what regime each item falls under.
Scheme & Schedule
A written scheme of examination and an inspection calendar are agreed — grouped to minimise visits and planned around your production windows.
Examination On Site
An accredited inspector carries out the thorough examination, functional checks and any load or performance testing the regime requires.
Report & Certification
Reports of thorough examination are issued digitally to CoreRFID, with defects graded by urgency and clear remedial recommendations.
Remedials & Renewal
Our engineering teams can carry out any repairs identified, and the portal reminds you before the next examination falls due.
Accredited, Audited, Insurable
Sectors We Inspect For
Statutory examination requirements read the same in every industry — the practicalities do not. Our inspectors work to sector-specific access, permit, hygiene and shutdown constraints.
Inspection FAQs
How often does my lifting equipment need to be examined?
Under LOLER, equipment used to lift people and all lifting accessories require thorough examination at least every six months. Other lifting equipment requires examination at least every twelve months. Either interval can be replaced by a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person, which may specify different — sometimes shorter — periods based on duty and environment.
Equipment also needs examination after installation or assembly at a new site, and following exceptional circumstances such as damage, modification or a long period out of use.
What is the difference between an inspection and a thorough examination?
A thorough examination is a detailed, systematic examination by a competent person, supported where necessary by testing and measurement, resulting in a formal report. An inspection is a lighter-touch check appropriate to the risk — often visual and functional — carried out at intervals set by risk assessment.
In practice most statutory duties under LOLER and PSSR call for thorough examination, while PUWER duties are usually met by inspection. We will confirm which applies to each asset at survey stage.
Do you cover both the UK and the Republic of Ireland?
Yes. We have inspectors working across both jurisdictions, which is why several services on this page exist in a UK variant and an Irish variant — the duty is comparable, but the governing regulations, the way examination periods are set and the report wording all differ.
Multi-site clients operating either side of the border run a single programme with one point of contact and one portal covering every asset.
What happens if an asset fails its examination?
The inspector will record the defect, grade it by urgency and, where the defect presents an existing or imminent danger, notify you immediately and advise that the equipment is taken out of service. Where the law requires it, the enforcing authority is notified — in Ireland, for example, a copy of the report goes to the Health and Safety Authority within 20 days of the examination where immediate cessation of work has been advised.
Because WH Scott Group also carries out crane maintenance, overhaul and repair, most remedial work can be quoted and completed by our own engineers rather than passed to a third party — so the asset returns to service faster.
How quickly do I receive the certificates?
Reports of thorough examination are issued digitally through the CoreRFID portal, where they are available to download alongside the full asset history. You will also receive automated reminders ahead of each subsequent examination date, so nothing falls due unnoticed.
Can you combine several inspection types into one visit?
That is usually the most economical approach. Where a site has lifting equipment, work equipment, pressure systems, LEV and portable appliances all requiring attention, we build a combined programme that groups examinations into as few visits as the differing intervals allow — reducing both cost and disruption.
Are your inspectors qualified to act as the competent person?
Yes. Our inspectors hold the relevant qualifications and experience for the disciplines they examine, and we are a LEEA member company operating a certified ISO 9001:2015 quality management system. For accredited NDT and specialist materials testing we draw on Metlab, our INAB-accredited group company in Ireland (ISO/IEC 17025, Reg. 398T).
Get Your Inspection Programme in Place
Tell us what equipment you operate and where, and we will scope the statutory examinations you need, group them into the fewest possible visits and quote a rolling programme with certificates delivered online.