Proof Load Testing

There are several ways to apply a known load to lifting equipment, and we use all of them. We select a test method that best replicates the equipment’s in-service use, and which is the best fit for the equipment being tested, while keeping costs to a minimum for the customer.

Calibrated load cells and solid weights are the gold standard for accuracy. They’re traceable to UK national standards, verified annually, and they remove every variable from the test, making them most suitable for large, bulky and heavy equipment with easy access.

Horizontal and vertical test machines are used when precision matters, such as for small lifting accessories, accuracy-critical applications where the load needs to be applied gradually and lightweight items such as slings and strops.

Water bags are the preferred method for testing overhead cranes, gantries, jib cranes and any other items that you cannot reasonably bring to us. Fillable bags hang from the hook and are filled with water until the load is reached, and the equipment is held under load for the required period. The water bag method has been used for in-situ proof load testing for decades; it reduces high transportation costs. However, you do require a good water supply and an area to discharge the water. The load can be measured via a water flow meter or by putting a load cell between the hook and the load.

For heavyweight lifting equipment, hydraulics are often the most cost-effective and time-saving testing method. This is because hydraulic applications provide a controllable, repeatable force at capacities that no other method can sensibly deliver. This makes it suitable for very high load applications, applications where access is limited, and many other applications.

The right method is usually obvious once we know what the equipment is, where it lives, and the loads involved. There is always a solution when it comes to applying a load test.

LOLER 1998 is the regulation most of our customers are working to. It requires that lifting equipment be thoroughly examined before first use, after substantial repair or modification, after any incident that may have damaged it, and at regular intervals throughout its life. Proof load testing forms part of that examination for new equipment, repaired equipment, and anything where there is reasonable doubt about capacity.

PUWER 1998 sits alongside LOLER and covers work equipment more broadly. Most lifting equipment falls under both, which means our testing has to satisfy both. It does.

For marine operators, the rules change. UK-flagged commercial vessels are governed by the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment) Regulations 2006, for which details can be found within MGN 332 (M+F) Amendment 4.

For Lifesaving appliances IMO Resolution MSC.402(96), establishes mandatory standards for the maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul, and repair of lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances, and release gear. Alongside MSC.404(96) amendments to SOLAS Chapter III/20.11, these regulations ensure that all such servicing is conducted by personnel certified by an authorised service provider to enhance maritime safety. Some of our approvals as a service supplier include Lloyd’s Register, DNV, and RINA.

Defence work has its own protocols. Some of our customers operate at HM Naval Bases. Some hold contracts with the MOD. We hold the security clearances, the NATO Stock Number familiarity, and the procedural understanding that defence work needs.

If your equipment falls under a regulation we have not mentioned here, ask. There is a reasonable chance we are already working on it for someone else.

Most lifting equipment in the United Kingdom belongs to industries where failure has serious consequences. That is who we work with.

Marine is our largest and oldest sector. We test deck cranes, davits, gantries, mooring equipment, and lifesaving appliances on vessels operating from UK ports and well beyond. Our riding squad travels with the vessel when in-service testing is required, which means certification stays current without holding the ship in port. We worked on the Cunard Britannia naming ceremony rig. We support superyacht operations across the Mediterranean. The marine work that put SWL on the map continues to define what we do.

Defence customers, including the Royal Navy and MOD establishments, depend on us for rigging warrant surveys, proof load testing of specialist equipment, and engineering support at HM Naval Bases. Security clearance and procedural familiarity are not optional in this work, and we have both.

Aviation is a smaller but technically demanding part of what we do. Our most well-known aviation project was the 747-400 stress jacking programme, where proof load testing of the lifting points was non-negotiable. The same standards now apply across our ground support equipment work for major airline operators.

Construction, manufacturing, utilities, transportation, and waste recycling all rely on lifting equipment that has to be tested, certified, and recorded. We work with all of them.

A proof load test that is not properly documented might as well not have happened. We have built our reporting around the assumption that you will need to produce a certificate at short notice, possibly to a regulator, an insurer, or an auditor who has never met you.

Every certificate we issue goes through our digital portal, CheckedOK. The platform stores the test record, the equipment identifier, the proof load applied, the method used, the calibration references for the test apparatus, the engineer’s signature, and the next-due date. Authorised users log in, find the asset, and download the certificate. That is the whole workflow.

If a defect is identified during testing, it is logged in the portal immediately. The status stays open until the issue is resolved, with notes from the engineer and any follow-up work attached to the record. This matters when you are being audited, and someone asks what happened to a defect that was flagged eighteen months ago. The answer is on the screen.

Our certification is accepted across regulated industries in the United Kingdom and internationally. ISO 9001 quality management. LEEA accreditation. Bureau Veritas approval, where it applies. The paperwork stands up to scrutiny.

LOLER sets out the minimum testing intervals, and operators tend to assume those minimums are the answer. They often are not.

Lifting equipment used for lifting people, and accessories for lifting, requires examination at least every six months. Other lifting equipment requires examination at least every twelve months. These are floors, not ceilings. If your equipment lives outside on a coastal site, runs three shifts a day, or operates in conditions the original manufacturer never imagined, your written scheme of examination should call for more frequent testing, not less.

New equipment requires proof load testing at commissioning, before it enters service. Modified equipment requires testing after the modification. Equipment involved in an incident, or equipment where the integrity is in any doubt, requires testing before it goes back into service. None of this is optional, and the consequences of operating uncertified equipment range from prosecution to insurer denial to people getting hurt.

Marine LOLER 2006 regulations lay out the requirement for testing on board all UK-registered vessels, plus non-UK vessels operating in UK waters. The regulation stipulates Annual Inspection and 5-yearly testing of all lifting equipment as standard, with additional requirements for equipment after modification or repair.  Further details can be found in MGN 332 (M+F) Amendment 4.

You can use the CheckedOK portal to track everything. We will also tell you what is due, when it is due, and how to get it done without disrupting your operations.

You don’t need to be near Southampton to use us. Our test engineers cover the whole United Kingdom, and we have been deploying to customer sites for long enough to know how to make a visit run smoothly wherever it lands.

On-site proof load testing is the right answer for most fixed equipment. Overhead cranes, gantries, jib cranes, structural beams, and anything bolted down or built in, we will bring the kit to you. Water bag rigs, hydraulic load cells, calibrated weights, the full test apparatus arrives on our vans, and the work is signed off before we leave site. Engineers travel from our Southampton base, with regional coverage built around routine customer schedules across the South Coast, Midlands, North West, North East, Scotland, and Wales.

In-house testing in our purpose-built test facility is the right answer for portable equipment. Slings, shackles, chains, lifting beams, spreader bars, and any accessory that can be shipped to us get tested faster, more accurately, and often at a lower cost than scheduling an on-site visit. Our in-house test bed can handle up to 100 tonnes, and calibration is traceable to UK national standards, and most accessories are returned within five to ten working days of receipt.

Our marine work travels the furthest. Our riding squad joins vessels in port across the United Kingdom and internationally, where in-service testing is required, with certification completed without holding the ship alongside.