If I have a Declaration of Conformity for slings that have never been uses and that were purchased 2 years ago, can I still use them until next 6 monthly inspection? HSE says: Declaration of Conformity may be a valid substitute for the initial through examination before first use under the Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations 1998 (LOLER). Slings are in perfect condition but the DoC attached to them states "next inspection due: 10 January 2015" - does it still apply even if the equipment was stored on the shelf and will only be put to use now? Personally, I would treat the DoC as valid for first 6 months of using the slings (until next scheduled inspection). What are your thoughts? Cheers all.

THanks for your reply. The slings have been stored on a shelf in stores, they are in perfect condition, that's why a thorough visual inspection by a contractor is a bit pointless to me... Good advice, I'll call a couple of engineers to make sure we can use them and I will let you know here.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/wo...ns-lifting-equipment.htm