Rigging in broadcast and live events puts weight over the heads of crew and audience. The inspection record behind that rig is what a venue, a production and an insurer rely on, and what an HSE inspector would ask for after an incident. A pre-use check ticked off from memory at the truck is not that record. The report has to name each item, its rated load and its examination status, captured at the point of inspection.
Guide · Telecoms
Rigging inspection reports for UK broadcast and media.
How LOLER 1998 shapes the inspection of rigging and lifting accessories in broadcast and live events, what a load record needs to hold, and how to capture the report on site rather than back at the truck.
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The point
The record has to tie the item to its load.
Rigging holds weight over people. A pre-use check or thorough examination is only useful if it names the item, its rated load, its examination status and what was found, at the point of inspection. A vague tick against a hoist is not a record an insurer or a venue will accept.
What a rigging report covers
Items, loads and examination.
The gear
Hoists and accessories
Chain hoists, wire and round slings, shackles, clamps, span sets and truss, each identified by mark and rated capacity or SWL.
LoadsRated capacity and point loads
The safe working load of each item and the load applied, so nothing is loaded beyond its mark and the structure carries what it is rated for.
LOLER statusThorough examination
Whether each item is within its thorough examination interval under LOLER 1998, with the report reference, and any defect flagged and quarantined.
Not legal advice
LOLER sets the duty, the competent person judges.
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 require lifting equipment and accessories to be thoroughly examined by a competent person and records kept. This guide is a starting frame, not legal advice or a substitute for a competent examination. Confirm the current requirements and intervals for your equipment and use.
Inspect from WhatsApp
No app install. No training.
The inspection arrives as a WhatsApp chat. The rigger names the item, sends a photo of the tag, records the load, and the report writes itself.
The short version
- A rigging inspection report covers the gear (hoists, slings, shackles, clamps, truss), the loads (rated capacity and applied load), and the LOLER examination status of each item.
- Lifting equipment and accessories used in rigging fall under LOLER 1998: thorough examination by a competent person and records kept.
- Working at height over crew and audience also engages the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
- Each item needs its mark, its safe working load, its examination reference and the finding, recorded at the point of inspection.
- The report does not make the rig safe. The competent rigger and a valid thorough examination do. This is a starting frame, not legal advice.
The point
What a rigging inspection report is for
The report is the evidence that the rig was inspected, that each item was within its examination interval and rated for its load, and that any defect was caught before load was applied. It sits behind every truss, hoist and sling over a stage or studio floor. Its value is that it is specific: this hoist, this mark, this rated capacity, this examination reference, this finding.
Software does not make the rig safe. A competent rigger and a valid thorough examination do. What software does is make the report easy to complete item by item as the rigger works, so nothing is ticked from memory and no item goes on the truss without its load and examination status recorded against it.
LOLER 1998
Thorough examination and records
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 require that lifting equipment and lifting accessories are thoroughly examined by a competent person at the intervals the regulations set, and that records are kept. In rigging that covers chain hoists, wire and round slings, shackles, clamps, span sets and the lifting points on truss.
Quickler records whether each item is within its thorough examination interval, the examination reference, and any defect found, tied to the item's mark and a photo of its tag. It is the record, not the examination. The thorough examination itself is carried out by a competent person, and this guide is not legal advice or a substitute for that. Confirm the current LOLER intervals and requirements for your equipment and use.
Loads
Rated capacity and applied load
The load side of the report matters as much as the examination side. Each item has a safe working load or rated capacity, marked on it. The report records that mark and the load actually applied, so no sling, shackle or hoist is loaded beyond its rating and the supporting structure carries only what it is rated for. Point loads on a venue grid or truss are recorded so the structural limits are respected.
Quickler captures the rated capacity from the item's tag and the applied load as the rigger records it, and flags where an applied load approaches or exceeds a rating so it is caught before the rig is loaded, not after. The rigger's competence and the venue's structural limits carry the decision; the tool captures the numbers behind it.
Height and defects
Working at height and quarantine
Rigging is working at height, so the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply alongside LOLER: plan the work, use competent people, use suitable equipment, and record it. The inspection covers access, fall protection and the safe system of work for the crew on the truss or in the roof.
When a defect is found, the item comes out of service. Quickler lets the rigger flag a defect and mark the item quarantined at the point of inspection, with a photo, and the office sees it on a dashboard immediately rather than at the end of the job. A defective shackle logged and pulled on the spot is the difference between a record that protects the crew and one written up too late.
Questions, answered
What does a rigging inspection report cover?
The gear (chain hoists, wire and round slings, shackles, clamps, span sets, truss lifting points), the loads (rated capacity or safe working load, and applied load), and the LOLER examination status of each item, with any defect flagged. The exact items follow the production or venue specification and the rigger's competent judgement.
What regulations apply to rigging inspection in the UK?
Lifting equipment and accessories used in rigging fall under LOLER 1998, which requires thorough examination by a competent person and records kept. Working at height over crew and audience engages the Work at Height Regulations 2005. This guide is a starting frame, not legal advice; confirm the current LOLER intervals and requirements for your equipment and use.
Does the app carry out the LOLER thorough examination?
No. The thorough examination is carried out by a competent person. Quickler records the examination status, reference and any defect against each item's mark, with a photo of the tag. It is the record and the report, not the examination, and it does not make the rig safe. The competent rigger and a valid thorough examination do that.
Can a rigging inspection be recorded over WhatsApp?
Yes. Quickler's inspection workflow runs over the WhatsApp Business API. The rigger names each item, photographs the tag, records the rated and applied load, and flags any defect in their existing WhatsApp chat. The completed report generates automatically and defects surface on the office dashboard. No separate app or login is required.