Two sets of regulations shape how hoists and slings are managed at work in health and social care: the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). They place duties on employers and on anyone who has control of lifting equipment used at work. In registered care services, CQC also looks at whether equipment is safe and properly maintained when it inspects.
The thorough examination
Under LOLER, lifting equipment and accessories used for lifting people, which includes hoists and slings, must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every six months, unless a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person sets a different interval. The result is recorded in a report. A thorough examination is not the same thing as the checks a carer makes before use, and it does not replace them.
Checks before each use
PUWER requires work equipment to be suitable for its purpose, maintained in good repair and used only by people who have had adequate training. Local procedures set out the exact checks, but they usually include:
- the hoist is charged, and raises and lowers as it should;
- the last thorough examination is within date, whether that is shown on a label or in the equipment record;
- the safe working load is marked on the hoist and the sling, and the person is within it;
- the sling is the type and size written in the person's plan, and its label is legible;
- there is no fraying, loose stitching or damage to the sling, its loops or its clips;
- the sling is compatible with the hoist, as the manufacturers or a competent person have confirmed.
In someone's own home
At home, a hoist may belong to the person or be on loan from a community equipment service, and responsibility for its maintenance can sit with whoever provided it. A care provider whose staff use it still needs to know that it has been examined and is safe to use, and what to do if it is not.
When a check fails
Do not use the equipment. Report it to whoever supplies or maintains it, record what was found, and follow the plan's contingency or ask the assessor for advice before the person is moved.
Where the plan comes in
The checks only work if the plan names the equipment precisely. "Hoist" is not enough: the plan should say which hoist, which sling, which size and which loop settings. The hoisting plans in the Handling Plan library include pre-use checks in their preparation, and your notes can add anything specific to the person's equipment.
Sources: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and the HSE's guidance on them; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; HSE, Getting to grips with hoisting people; MHRA, Managing medical devices. This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not replace your own organisation's policy.