Improving LOLER Compliance & Lifting Equipment Efficiency on HS2 South Portal
Lifting Gear UK and Align JV
Lifting Gear UK guaranteed safer, faster, and more eco-friendly lifting operations for Align JV on HS2.
Project Background
As part of HS2 - the UK’s largest infrastructure project, the Align JV South Portal functions as a crucial worksite supporting major construction and lifting activities. With hundreds of lifting assets moving daily across various teams, the site needed a reliable, high-efficiency system to manage inspections, certification, and equipment availability. Ongoing LOLER compliance was essential, but the large volume of assets and fast-paced operations made logistics challenging, with certification previously taking days and an increasing number of unsafe items on site.
To overcome these challenges, Align JV collaborated with Lifting Gear UK (LGUK) to implement a proactive inspection and support programme tailored to South Portal. LGUK deployed a dedicated, LEEA-qualified team and established a six-weekly LOLER inspection schedule. Using tablet-based digital inspection technology, each item is recorded into a live asset register, providing the Align JV team with real-time visibility of equipment status (safe/not safe) and enabling rapid certification, typically within 24 hours. In addition to inspections, on-site support included pre-use checks and lifting safety training, a quarantine process for non-compliant equipment, quick repair turnaround (often on site), and colour-coded tagging for immediate identification of safe equipment.
The programme has delivered measurable operational benefits on a busy civil engineering site: hire costs decreased by £64k; avoided replacement sales worth £180k through fewer items being scrapped; a reduction in unsafe items from 379 to 100; and faster certification cycles, enhancing asset availability, reducing incident risk, and lowering environmental impact through fewer replacements and transportation movements.
The Challenge
With hundreds of lifting assets in daily use across a critical HS2 site, Align JV required a robust system to manage inspections, certification, and equipment availability. Ensuring continuous LOLER compliance while multiple teams handled gear created a logistical bottleneck: unsafe items were increasing, certification turnaround times were lengthy, and the risk of incidents and avoidable costs was rising. A partner was needed who could combine technical expertise with rapid on-site responsiveness and provide real-time visibility of asset status.
The Solution
Lifting Gear UK assigned a dedicated, LEEA‑qualified inspection team to the South Portal, delivering comprehensive LOLER inspections on a six-weekly cycle. Using tablet-based digital inspection technology, each item is logged in a live asset register, allowing immediate access to status and certification; usually within 24 hours of inspection.
LGUK extended its support beyond inspections to promote safer behaviours and improve asset uptime, including:
• Pre‑use checks guidance and lifting safety training for the Align teams.
• A clear quarantine process for non‑compliant equipment.
• Rapid repairs, often completed on site, to minimise downtime.
• Colour-coded tagging for instant identification of safe equipment.
The Results
• Cost savings: hire costs reduced by £64k; replacement sales avoided by £180k (fewer scrapped items)
• Efficiency: unsafe items decreased from 379 to 100, boosting asset availability
• Speed: certification turnaround times shortened from days to within 24 hours
• Sustainability: fewer replacements and less transport activity reduced CO₂ emissions and material waste
• Safety: consistent LOLER compliance and better operator awareness lowered incident risk
Simon Luckett – Lifting Manager – Lifting Operations at Align JV said, “Managing lifting equipment at this scale is a constant challenge, particularly in maintaining compliance while keeping operations moving. The systems and support introduced by Lifting Gear UK have improved visibility of asset status, reduced certification turnaround times, and helped us maintain a safer, more controlled working environment.”
“On a site like South Portal, the challenge is keeping everything compliant without slowing the job down. What Lifting Gear UK has put in place has given us much better visibility of what’s in use, what’s safe, and what needs attention. The turnaround on inspections is quicker, and the on-site support means issues get dealt with there and then rather than becoming bigger problems. It’s made a noticeable difference to how we manage lifting equipment day to day.”
Pippa Hartley, National Inspection, Test and Repair Manager at LGUK, commented: “Projects like South Portal highlight the importance of taking a coordinated, long-term approach to lifting operations. Align JV required more than compliance; they needed visibility, control, and a partner who could support a complex, fast-moving site.
By integrating structured inspection regimes, real-time asset data, and on-site support, we’ve collaborated to create a safer, more efficient operation while reducing unnecessary cost and waste.
That’s where the real impact is, not just in meeting standards, but in improving how sites operate day to day, and we are delighted to see such positive results as an outcome of this collaboration.”
Why Lifting Gear UK?
LGUK offers nationwide coverage, LEEA‑qualified expertise, and over 180 years of combined lifting experience. The team combines digital inspection systems with hands-on engineering to ensure every lift is safe, compliant, and efficient, in complex infrastructure projects and beyond.
