WH SCOTT
Lifting Equipment Servicing, Maintenance & Breakdown Support
Servicing, repair and emergency callouts for cranes, hoists and lifting gear — carried out by our own engineers from 14 depots across the UK and Ireland.
Keep Lifting Equipment Working
When a crane or hoist stops, everything downstream of it stops too. WH Scott services, repairs and recovers lifting equipment of every type and make — from a single chain hoist in a workshop to multi-crane installations in manufacturing plants, ports, water treatment works and defence sites.
Our engineers cover routine servicing, fault diagnosis, component replacement and emergency callouts, and can carry out statutory thorough examination on the same visit so you are not paying twice for access and downtime. If you want a scheduled programme rather than reactive cover, see preventative crane maintenance.
What a Service and Repair Visit Covers
Every visit is scoped around the equipment, its duty cycle and the environment it works in. A typical service covers:
- Mechanical servicing — brakes, gearboxes, couplings, wheels, ropes and load chains
- Electrical and control checks — contactors, limit switches, pendant and radio controls, festoon and conductor systems
- Fault diagnosis and on-site repair, with common wear parts carried by the engineer
- Adjustment and setting of brakes, clutches and limit switches, plus lubrication
- A written report listing defects by priority, with photographs and quoted remedial work
We work on overhead and gantry cranes, jib cranes, electric, manual and pneumatic hoists, winches, lifting beams and loose tackle — across all major manufacturers, including obsolete and legacy equipment that other providers will not take on.
Breakdown Response and Repairs
Breakdown calls are triaged by an engineer rather than a call handler, so we arrive knowing the likely fault and carrying the parts to fix it. Cover runs from our UK and Ireland depots, with out-of-hours response available under a maintenance agreement.
Where a component is obsolete we can machine or source an equivalent rather than condemn the asset. Where a repair is uneconomic, or a unit has reached the end of its design working period, we will say so and quote the alternative — hoist general overhaul or crane refurbishment and modernisation — instead of returning for the same fault.
Service Records and Certification
Every visit is recorded against the asset, so service history, defect reports and certificates sit in one place and can be produced when an auditor, insurer or client asks for them. Digital asset registers and reporting are covered in more detail under lifting equipment examination, certification and digital reporting.
Lifting Equipment Compliance in the UK and Ireland
Maintenance and thorough examination are separate legal duties, and servicing alone does not satisfy either. Across the UK, PUWER 1998 requires work equipment to be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair, while LOLER 1998 requires lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined by a competent person — at least every 6 months for lifting accessories and equipment used to lift people, at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in accordance with an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person (HSE guidance). Equivalent regulations apply in Northern Ireland.
In Ireland, the duties sit under S.I. No. 299 of 2007: Regulation 31 requires adequate maintenance and an up-to-date maintenance log, and Regulation 52 requires periodic thorough examination by a competent person at the intervals set out in Schedule 1, reported on Form GA1. WH Scott is a LEEA member, a SAFed full member and ISO 9001 and ISO 17020 accredited, and can combine servicing with LOLER thorough examination in the UK or S.I. 299 inspection in Ireland on a single visit.
Related Services
LOLER Thorough Examination & Certification
LOLER thorough examination and certification services ensure lifting equipment and accessories remain safe, compliant and legally operable under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
PUWER Inspection & Compliance Services
PUWER inspection services ensure work equipment complies with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Regular examinations verify that machinery and equipment are safe for continued use, supporting legal compliance and workforce safety across industrial environments.
Statutory Lifting Equipment Inspections
Statutory lifting equipment inspections ensure compliance with LOLER and SI 299 regulations while maintaining the safety, reliability, and operational readiness of lifting assets. Delivered on-site by qualified engineers, these inspections identify defects, assess risk, and provide certification required for legal operation across the UK and Ireland.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should lifting equipment be serviced?
Servicing frequency depends on equipment type and usage, but LOLER requires thorough examinations typically every 6 months for lifting accessories and at least annually for other equipment. Preventive maintenance may be scheduled more frequently based on operational demands.
What is included in a lifting equipment maintenance programme?
A maintenance programme includes inspection, adjustment of critical components (e.g. brakes and limits), testing, defect reporting, and replacement of worn parts to prevent breakdowns and ensure compliance.
Do you provide emergency breakdown support?
Yes. Callouts are available across the UK and Ireland from our depot network, with out-of-hours response available under a maintenance agreement.
Can all brands of lifting equipment be serviced?
Yes, servicing and maintenance can be carried out across all major manufacturers and equipment types, including legacy systems.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.