There has been considerable confusion in the marketplace as to whether low-lift equipment such as a hand pallet truck – which only raises the load sufficiently clear of the floor to enable horizontal movement – is subject to LOLER examination. BITA guidance has always been that this equipment is not carrying out a lifting operation, and is not, 
therefore, subject to LOLER.
The HSE confirms this view and has recently updated its Approved Code of Practice to clarify that LOLER applies to “high-lift pallet trucks, both manual and powered, that have the ability to raise the forks above 300mm”. The approved code of practice can be downloaded free of charge
