Three different things keep a forklift safe, and they are regularly confused. Employers who assume the annual service covers the thorough examination, or that the thorough examination covers maintenance, are the ones who end up explaining themselves to an inspector.
| Pre-use check | Maintenance and service | Thorough examination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | The operator | A competent engineer, usually the supplier or a service company | A competent person independent of the maintenance, such as an insurer's engineer or an accredited inspection body |
| How often | Every shift | To the manufacturer's schedule, typically every 500 hours or six months | At least every 12 months. Every 6 months if the truck lifts people, and for attachments and lifting accessories |
| What it is | Quick visual and functional check for obvious defects | Servicing, adjustment, replacement of worn parts, repair of reported defects | A systematic inspection of the lifting parts (mast, chains, forks, carriage, hydraulics, attachments) to confirm they are safe to continue in use |
| Legal basis | PUWER | PUWER | LOLER Regulation 9 |
| Record | Check sheet or app, kept by the employer | Service records | A written report in the form set out in LOLER Schedule 1, kept for at least two years |
The thorough examination is not a service
The examiner does not fix anything. They inspect, they report, and if they find a defect that is or could become a danger, the report says so and the truck comes out of service until it is repaired. Serious defects must be reported to the enforcing authority. That independence is the point: the person checking is not the person who did the work.
Common failings
- No thorough examination at all, because the owner assumed the service covered it.
- Examination out of date because the truck was hired, sold or moved between sites and nobody tracked it.
- Attachments not included.
- Defects listed on the report not actioned.
- Reports not kept, or kept by the examiner and not the employer.
Read the daily pre-use inspection guide and the employer responsibilities guide for the wider picture.