Resources
Compliance glossary.
Plain-English summaries of the regulations and standards Hovermarks customers inspect against.
Lifting
LOLER
LiftingLifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
- UK regulations requiring lifting equipment to be of adequate strength, marked, planned, supervised, and thoroughly examined by a competent person. Under regulation 9(3)(a), equipment exposed to deterioration is thoroughly examined at least every 6 months if it lifts people or is a lifting accessory, at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in either case in accordance with an examination scheme, and after exceptional circumstances. The examiner must report defects to the employer, and send a copy of the report to the relevant enforcing authority where a defect involves an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury.
PUWER
LiftingProvision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- UK regulations covering all work equipment, not just lifting kit. Equipment must be suitable for use, maintained in good repair, and used only by people with adequate training. Under regulation 6, a competent person inspects equipment whose safety depends on installation conditions (after installation and after reassembly at a new site), and equipment exposed to deterioration liable to cause danger (at suitable intervals and after exceptional circumstances). PUWER sets no fixed interval, and the result is kept until the next inspection is recorded. An operator's pre-use check is not a regulation 6 inspection.
Thorough examination
Lifting- Under LOLER, an examination of lifting equipment by a competent person, including testing where that is appropriate for the purpose, to detect defects that are or could become dangerous. It is required after installation where safety depends on installation conditions, periodically (at least every 6 or 12 months, or per an examination scheme) and after exceptional circumstances. The examiner reports in writing with the particulars listed in LOLER Schedule 1.
Fire
BS 5306
Fire- UK code of practice for fire-extinguishing installations and equipment on premises. Part 3 covers commissioning, inspection, and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers, with annual service by a competent person.
FRA
FireFire Risk Assessment
- A statutory assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales. The Responsible Person must identify hazards, evaluate risks, record significant findings, and review the assessment regularly, particularly after changes to a building's use or layout.
NFPA 10
FireStandard for Portable Fire Extinguishers
- The National Fire Protection Association standard covering the selection, installation, inspection, maintenance, recharging and testing of portable fire extinguishers in the US. It applies where an authority having jurisdiction adopts it, so the edition in force depends on location.
ITM
FireInspection, testing and maintenance
- The collective term NFPA standards use for the periodic work that keeps fire protection systems reliable: inspection, testing and maintenance. NFPA 25, for example, is the Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, and sets minimum requirements for that work on sprinkler, standpipe, water spray, foam-water and similar systems.
Electrical
PAT
ElectricalPortable Appliance Testing
- Inspection and testing of portable electrical equipment to check it is safe to use: user checks, formal visual inspections and, where needed, a combined inspection and test. In Great Britain the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require equipment to be maintained so as to prevent danger, but HSE says they do not make PAT, or testing every year, a legal requirement. HSE's guidance (HSG107 and INDG236) suggests starting intervals by equipment class, environment and use, and the IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment gives practitioners advice on pass and fail conditions.
EICR
ElectricalElectrical Installation Condition Report
- Periodic inspection of fixed electrical installations to identify deficiencies against BS 7671. For most rented homes in England (private and, since 2025, social) the installation must be inspected and tested at least every 5 years, under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. A report less than 5 years old that needs no further work can be given to a new tenant instead of a new inspection.
Property
Gas safety check
Property- Annual safety check of gas appliances, flues, and pipework by a Gas Safe registered engineer, required for landlords under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. A copy of the CP12 record must be provided to tenants within 28 days.
Legionella risk assessment
Property- Assessment of water systems under HSE guidance ACOP L8 to identify and control the risk of Legionnaires' disease. Required for any premises with hot and cold water systems where Legionella could proliferate; reviewed at least every two years and whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid.
Racking
SEMA racking inspection
Racking- Industry guidance from the UK Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association: visual checks by a person responsible for racking on a regular basis (often weekly), plus an Expert Inspection by a SEMA-Approved Rack Inspector at least annually. Damage is graded Green, Amber, or Red.
General
Written scheme of examination
General- A document setting out which parts of a system are examined, how, and how often. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (regulation 8), a pressure system must not be operated without one. It is drawn up or certified as suitable by a competent person and covers protective devices, pressure vessels, and the pipework where a defect may give rise to danger. LOLER allows a similar examination scheme, drawn up by a competent person, as an alternative to its fixed 6 and 12 month intervals.
Competent person
General- The person a regulation relies on to inspect or examine equipment. UK law does not define it by a single qualification. For LOLER thorough examinations, HSE's Approved Code of Practice (L113) says the competent person needs appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to detect defects and assess their importance, and must be sufficiently independent and impartial to make objective decisions. In-house staff can act as competent persons if they have that competence and authority.
Asset register
General- A list of the equipment an organisation is responsible for, one entry per item. An operational asset register records a unique ID, description, make, model and serial number, location, status, the inspection regime that applies, and the last and next inspection dates. It is different from a finance fixed asset register, which records cost and depreciation.
Asset tag
General- A label, plate or tag fixed to an item of equipment carrying its unique ID, often as a QR code or barcode with the ID also printed in plain text. A good tag links to the asset's record rather than holding data itself, so a damaged tag can be reprinted without losing the history. HSE's PUWER guidance (L22) accepts a tagging or labelling system as physical evidence of inspection for smaller items, where it links back to the record.
CMMS
GeneralComputerised maintenance management system
- Software for planning and recording maintenance: an asset list, scheduled maintenance tasks, work orders, parts and labour. Inspection-led compliance software overlaps with a CMMS but puts more weight on inspection records, defects and statutory reports.
PPM
GeneralPlanned preventive maintenance
- Maintenance carried out on a fixed schedule before equipment fails, such as servicing, lubrication, adjustment and part replacement at set intervals, usually taken from the manufacturer's instructions. HSE's PUWER guidance (L22) says that where failure of safety-critical parts could lead to risk, a formal system of planned preventative or condition-based maintenance is needed.
Work order
General- A record of a job to be done on an asset: what the work is, who is assigned, when it is scheduled, its priority, and the parts, labour and cost involved. A work order is often raised from a defect found during an inspection, and completing it closes the loop on that defect.
Audit trail
General- A chronological record of who created, changed or deleted a record, and when. In inspection software, a trustworthy audit trail cannot itself be edited and shows if entries have been altered, so inspection records keep their value as evidence.
OSHA
GeneralOccupational Safety and Health Administration
- The US federal agency that sets and enforces workplace safety standards. General industry standards are in 29 CFR Part 1910 and construction standards in Part 1926. Several require item-level inspection records, for example monthly hook, chain and rope certification records for overhead cranes (1910.179) and a recorded annual maintenance check for portable fire extinguishers (1910.157). OSHA's recordkeeping rule, Part 1904, covers work-related injuries and illnesses, not equipment.
Summaries on this page are educational and not legal advice. Always verify the obligations that apply to your duty-holder role, sector, and jurisdiction with a qualified professional.
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FORM HVK-CTA-01 · v05 · signed: hovermarks · us