Statutory inspection scheduling: keeping every job inside its due date
Statutory inspection scheduling for inspection bodies: how LOLER, PSSR, LEV, gas and electrical due dates work, where early windows exist and how to plan.
Key takeaways
- Each regime counts its interval differently, so one generic reminder rule will miss dates.
- Most regimes have no grace period, and examining early usually pulls the next due date forward.
- Landlord gas safety checks are the exception: a check in the last two months keeps the original deadline.
- Plan from item-level due dates, cluster by site and area, and hold capacity back for reactive work.
Statutory inspection scheduling means booking every examination before the maximum interval its regulation allows. In Great Britain, lifting accessories and equipment for lifting people are due at least every 6 months, other lifting equipment every 12 months, LEV plant every 14 months, and landlord gas checks every 12 months. Pressure systems follow a written scheme, and rented-home EICRs are capped at 5 years.
What is statutory inspection scheduling?
Statutory inspection scheduling is the work of booking every legally required examination before its due date, with a competent person, at a time the client can give access. For an inspection body it covers lifting equipment, pressure systems, local exhaust ventilation, electrical installations and gas appliances, often at the same client sites, and each regime sets its own maximum interval and its own rules on what counts as on time.
The duty to have equipment examined sits with the employer, user, owner or landlord. But clients rely on their inspection body to track the dates and turn up in time. When a date is missed, equipment may have to be taken out of use, and the inspection body's reputation takes the hit.
For inspection planning in general, see inspection planning software for inspection bodies.
What are the maximum intervals in each regime?
The chart shows the longest interval each regime allows before the next examination. Shorter intervals can be set by the competent person, a written scheme or an examination scheme, and those shorter dates always win.
PSSR does not appear because it has no default: the written scheme of examination sets each interval. Always check the current text of each regulation on legislation.gov.uk.
How do the statutory regimes compare?
The differences that trip planners up are where the date comes from, whether any early window exists, and what happens if the date is missed.
| Regime | Source of the due date | Scheduling notes |
|---|---|---|
| LOLER 1998, reg 9 | 6 or 12 months, an examination scheme, or exceptional circumstances; latest date stated on the report | No grace period; an early examination moves the next date forward. LOLER scheduling guide |
| PSSR 2000, regs 8 and 9 | Written scheme of examination; report states the date after which the system may not be operated | One postponement by written agreement, notified to the enforcing authority before the date. PSSR scheduling guide |
| COSHH 2002, reg 9 | LEV plant at least every 14 months; shorter intervals for processes in Schedule 4 | Check whether any client process falls under Schedule 4 |
| Gas Safety (Installation and Use) 1998, reg 36 | Landlord appliances and flues at intervals of not more than 12 months | A check in the two months before the deadline is treated as done on the deadline (since April 2018) |
| Electrical Safety Standards (PRS, England) 2020 | No more than 5 years, or sooner if the last report says | 28 day limits for tenant copies and remedial work. EICR scheduling guide |
| PUWER 1998, reg 6 | Inspection at suitable intervals where equipment is exposed to deteriorating conditions | Interval set by the duty holder's risk assessment; record it per item |
Why does an early visit sometimes cost more?
Under most regimes the interval is a maximum counted from the last examination. Book a LOLER examination two months early and the next one falls two months earlier too. Over a few years, habitual early booking adds a whole extra visit. The landlord gas safety check is different: since the 2018 amendment, a check carried out in the two months before the deadline is treated as carried out on the deadline, so the annual date does not creep.
- 1Month 7: allowed, but resets the cycle
- 2Planned check
- 3Deadline
For LOLER and LEV there is no equivalent window, so the booking target is the last few weeks before the date, with enough buffer for a cancelled visit.
What goes wrong in statutory inspection scheduling?
MythOne due date per client site is enough.
RealityItems on one site join, fail and get repaired at different times. Track the date per item, from the last report.
MythDefault intervals are the deadline.
RealityA report, written scheme or examination scheme can set a shorter interval. The shortest applicable date wins.
MythA few days late is acceptable if the client agrees.
RealityThe client cannot waive a statutory maximum. Only PSSR offers a formal postponement route, and only once per examination.
MythReactive work can be squeezed in.
RealityExceptional-circumstance examinations and remedial follow-ups arrive unplanned. Without reserved capacity they push routine jobs past their dates.
How should an inspection body build the plan?
Work from the due list outwards. The approach below suits bodies covering several regimes and hundreds of sites, and it scales down to a single-regime operation.
- Hold one item registerEvery item, its regime, its last examination and the date that applies, taken from the latest report.
- Pull a rolling horizonEverything due in the next 8 to 12 weeks, overdue items first, then the tightest dates.
- Merge by siteCombine regimes at the same site into one visit where engineers hold the right competences.
- Cluster by areaGroup sites so each engineer works one area per day.
- Protect capacityReserve time for exceptional circumstances, remedials and report writing.
- Confirm and monitorSend dates early, track confirmations and escalate any item near its date without a booking.
Capacity sizing is covered in capacity planning, and handling late changes in rescheduling without chaos.
Which KPIs show the plan is working?
Measure the share of items examined on or before their due date, the number of items within four weeks of their date with no confirmed booking, the share of visits that combine several regimes, and travel per inspection. The second measure is the early warning: it shows risk while there is still time to act. More in scheduling KPIs for inspection bodies.
ScheduleAI supports this by planning from item-level dates across regimes, combining work at the same site, matching engineer competence and clustering routes, with planners approving every change.
ScheduleAI is audit scheduling software built for testing, inspection and certification (TIC) organisations, with a planner approving every plan.
ScheduleAI plans statutory work from item-level due dates across LOLER, PSSR, LEV, gas and electrical regimes, merges jobs by site, checks engineer competence and keeps planners in charge of every booking.
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What is statutory inspection scheduling?
Planning every legally required examination, such as LOLER, PSSR, LEV, gas and electrical inspections, so it is carried out by a competent person before its maximum interval runs out.
Is there a grace period for statutory inspections?
Generally no: the intervals are maxima. PSSR allows one written postponement per examination with notice to the enforcing authority, and landlord gas checks have a two month early window that keeps the original deadline.
How often must LEV be thoroughly examined?
At least every 14 months under COSHH regulation 9, or more often for processes listed in Schedule 4.
Does examining early reset the due date?
For LOLER and most other regimes, yes, because the interval runs from the last examination. Landlord gas safety checks in the last two months before the deadline keep the original date.
Can one visit cover several regimes?
Yes, if the engineer is competent for each and the dates allow. Merging regimes at the same site is one of the largest travel savings; see travel optimisation in scheduling.