Free checklist · Material handling
Order picker inspection checklist (free, printable)
This order picker daily checklist starts with the fall protection you'll wear (harness, lanyard and the truck's anchor point), then the platform gates, mast, chains, baselegs and battery, and finishes with function tests at floor level: deadman, gate interlock, brakes, steering, lift, lower, emergency lowering and wire guidance. OSHA requires a daily examination under 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7). Free to print or use by QR code.
- How often
- Before each shift
- The rule
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)
- Items
- 25 checks
- Takes
- About 7 minutes
By the CheckBadges team · Updated
Layout
Order picker inspection checklist
Before each shift
| Item | OK | Problem | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall protection | |||
| HarnessNo cuts, burns, frayed webbing or broken stitching; buckles and D-ring OK | |||
| Lanyard or self-retracting lineNot cut or frayed; hooks lock; fall indicator not deployed | |||
| Anchor point on the truckSecure, not bent or cracked; your lanyard clips on properly | |||
| Walk-around (power off, platform down) | |||
| Platform floorNot damaged; anti-slip surface intact; no loose items | |||
| Platform gatesClose and latch on both sides; chains, if used, hook across | |||
| Overhead guardNot bent or cracked; no missing bolts | |||
| Forks or load platformNot bent or cracked; fork locks or pallet clamp work | |||
| Mast, chains and hosesNo damage, kinked links or leaks; chains evenly tensioned | |||
| Baselegs and load wheelsBaselegs not bent; wheels turn freely, no chunks or wrapped debris | |||
| Drive tireNot chunked or worn smooth | |||
| Data plateOn and readable, with the rated capacity | |||
| Battery | |||
| Battery chargeRead the discharge indicator; charge before the red zone | ☐ Full ☐ 3/4 ☐ 1/2 ☐ 1/4 or less | ||
| Connector, cables and restraintConnector and cables undamaged; charger unplugged; battery retainer locked | |||
| Water levelLead-acid: electrolyte above the plates | |||
| Function tests (at floor level first) | |||
| Hour meterReading from the display | ________ hours | ||
| Emergency disconnectCuts all power when pressed; truck restarts normally | |||
| Deadman controlTravel and lift stop as soon as you release it | |||
| Gate interlockTruck won't travel or lift with a gate open | |||
| Horn and travel alarmBoth work | |||
| SteeringSmooth both ways with no binding | |||
| BrakesStops smoothly and straight | |||
| Lift and lowerSmooth up and down with no jerking; no drift when stopped | |||
| Speed reduction when raisedTravel slows automatically once the platform is up | |||
| Emergency loweringManual lowering valve located, labeled and reachable | |||
| Wire or rail guidanceLocks on to the wire or rails; aisle-end alarm or slowdown works | |||
Problems found and action taken:
If anything is a problem, don't use the machine: tag it out and report it. Free checklist from checkbadges.com — put it on a QR sticker and operators can fill it in on their phone.
What to check on an order picker, item by item
Fall protection
- Harness — No cuts, burns, frayed webbing or broken stitching; buckles and D-ring OK
- Lanyard or self-retracting line — Not cut or frayed; hooks lock; fall indicator not deployed
- Anchor point on the truck — Secure, not bent or cracked; your lanyard clips on properly
Walk-around (power off, platform down)
- Platform floor — Not damaged; anti-slip surface intact; no loose items
- Platform gates — Close and latch on both sides; chains, if used, hook across
- Overhead guard — Not bent or cracked; no missing bolts
- Forks or load platform — Not bent or cracked; fork locks or pallet clamp work
- Mast, chains and hoses — No damage, kinked links or leaks; chains evenly tensioned
- Baselegs and load wheels — Baselegs not bent; wheels turn freely, no chunks or wrapped debris
- Drive tire — Not chunked or worn smooth
- Data plate — On and readable, with the rated capacity
Battery
- Battery charge — Read the discharge indicator; charge before the red zone (Full / 3/4 / 1/2 / 1/4 or less)
- Connector, cables and restraint — Connector and cables undamaged; charger unplugged; battery retainer locked
- Water level — Lead-acid: electrolyte above the plates
Function tests (at floor level first)
- Hour meter — Reading from the display (reading, in hours)
- Emergency disconnect — Cuts all power when pressed; truck restarts normally
- Deadman control — Travel and lift stop as soon as you release it
- Gate interlock — Truck won't travel or lift with a gate open
- Horn and travel alarm — Both work
- Steering — Smooth both ways with no binding
- Brakes — Stops smoothly and straight
- Lift and lower — Smooth up and down with no jerking; no drift when stopped
- Speed reduction when raised — Travel slows automatically once the platform is up
- Emergency lowering — Manual lowering valve located, labeled and reachable
- Wire or rail guidance — Locks on to the wire or rails; aisle-end alarm or slowdown works
How often an order picker has to be inspected
An order picker has to be examined before use at least once a day, and its operator's fall protection checked before every shift. Order pickers are powered industrial trucks, so OSHA's daily examination rule applies: 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) says trucks "shall be examined before being placed in service" and "at least daily", and after each shift on round-the-clock work.
The harness and lanyard have their own rule. OSHA's general industry fall protection standard says "Personal fall protection systems must be inspected before initial use during each workshift for mildew, wear, damage, and other deterioration, and defective components must be removed from service" (29 CFR 1910.140(c)(18)). The harness inspection checklist covers that in detail.
Fall protection on an order picker
Wear what the truck's manufacturer specifies, clipped to the truck's own anchor point, every time the platform leaves the floor. The operator rides up with the load, so a fall from the platform is the hazard that sets an order picker apart from every other truck in the warehouse.
- Use the anchor point on the truck, never the racking or the building. The manufacturer designs and marks it.
- Use the lanyard type and length the manual specifies. Too long a lanyard can let you go over the edge before it holds.
- Take a harness or lanyard out of use after any fall. OSHA requires equipment "subjected to impact loading" to be removed from service until a competent person says it's safe (1910.140(c)(17)).
- Keep the gates shut. On trucks with a gate interlock, the truck won't travel or lift with a gate open; test that it doesn't.
How to do the check
Check your fall protection first, then the truck with the platform down, then every function at floor level before you go up.
- Inspect your harness and lanyard. Webbing, stitching, buckles, D-ring, hooks and the fall indicator.
- Walk around the truck. Platform, gates, overhead guard, forks, mast, chains, hoses, baselegs, wheels and data plate.
- Check the battery. Charge, connector, cables, restraint and water level.
- Step on, close the gates and clip in. Write down the hour meter.
- Test at floor level. Emergency disconnect, deadman, gate interlock with a gate open, horn, steering, brakes.
- Lift a short way and lower. Check the travel speed drops once the platform is raised, and find the emergency lowering valve so you know where it is before you need it.
- Record and report. Don't use a truck or harness that fails.
The defects that take an order picker out of service
Anything that affects the truck's safety or the operator's fall protection takes it out of service.
| Defect | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Damaged harness, lanyard or anchor point | A fall from height with nothing to stop it |
| Gate won't latch, or interlock doesn't stop the truck | The platform edge is open at height |
| Deadman doesn't stop travel or lift | The truck can move with the operator off the controls |
| No speed reduction when raised | Traveling fast at height can tip the truck or throw the operator |
| Lift jerks, or the platform drifts down | Shock loads at height, and an operator lowered without control |
| Emergency lowering valve missing or blocked | No way down if the truck loses power at height |
| Guidance doesn't lock on | The truck can strike the racking in a narrow aisle |
What to do when something fails
Lower the platform, park the truck, tag it and report it. OSHA requires a truck "found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe" to be "taken out of service until it has been restored to safe operating condition" (1910.178(p)(1)), and defective fall protection components must be removed from service (1910.140(c)(18)). Tag the truck with an out-of-service tag, bag and label a damaged harness so it can't be picked up by the next shift, and follow what to do when equipment fails inspection.
Keeping the record
OSHA doesn't require the daily truck examination to be written down, but a dated record of the check, including the harness, is how you show both were done. See equipment inspection record keeping.
Doing it on a phone
A QR sticker on the mast or the platform lets each operator scan with their own phone and work through this list, harness first, in the browser. Problems email you with photos, and the next operator who scans that truck sees an open problem before stepping on. See QR code equipment checklists.
Skip the clipboard
Put this order picker inspection checklist on a QR sticker.
- Operators scan the sticker with their own phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- Anything marked Problem emails you right away, with photos, and warns the next operator.
- Every check is saved by machine with who did it and when. Print one or export a CSV.
Free for 3 machines. Every item above is already filled in — edit anything. No card.
Order picker 1
Order picker inspection checklist
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to wear a harness on an order picker?
In practice, yes. Order picker manufacturers specify a harness and lanyard attached to the truck's anchor point whenever the platform is raised, and employers must protect operators from falls. Follow the manual and your site rules for the exact equipment.
How often should an order picker harness be inspected?
Before its first use in every shift. OSHA's 1910.140(c)(18) requires personal fall protection to be inspected before initial use during each workshift, and any harness or lanyard that has arrested a fall to come out of service until a competent person clears it.
What should you do if the gate on an order picker won't latch?
Don't raise the platform. Tag the truck out and report it: an open gate leaves the platform edge unguarded at height, and on trucks with a gate interlock it means a safety system has failed.
Is an order picker a powered industrial truck?
Yes. OSHA's forklift standard, 29 CFR 1910.178, covers order pickers, so they need the daily examination, and operators need training and an evaluation on that type of truck.
What is the emergency lowering valve on an order picker for?
It lets the platform be lowered if the truck loses power or a control fails at height. Find it and read its label during the daily check, and follow the manual for who may use it and how.
Keep reading
- Reach truck inspection checklistFree reach truck daily inspection checklist: reach mechanism, mast, baselegs, load wheels, deadman pedal, battery and brakes. Print it or run it from a QR code.
- Harness inspection checklistFree fall protection harness inspection checklist: webbing, stitching, D-rings, buckles, labels, lanyard or SRL, shock pack and connectors, before each use.
- Pallet jack inspection checklistFree electric pallet jack inspection checklist: belly switch, tiller brake, horn, forks, load wheels and battery, plus manual jack checks. Print or use QR.
- OSHA forklift inspection rulesOSHA requires forklifts to be examined before use at least daily, and after each shift if run around the clock. What to check, who does it, records and fines.
- WarehousesWarehouse forklift checklists on a QR sticker per truck. Operators and temps scan with their phone, no app or login. Problems email you and warn the next shift.
- Forklift inspection checklistFree forklift inspection checklist for the OSHA daily pre-shift check: 30 visual and operating checks with what a pass looks like. Print it or use QR codes.
Do your order picker checks by QR code.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.