Glossary

Equipment inspection glossary

The words you'll run into when you inspect equipment and keep the records, defined in a sentence or two — with links to the full guides.

Aerial lift: An aerial lift is a machine that raises people on a platform or bucket to work at height. OSHA's construction rule, 29 CFR 1926.453, covers "vehicle-mounted aerial devices used to elevate personnel", including extensible and articulating boom platforms, aerial ladders and vertical towers, and requires lift controls to be "tested each day prior to use" (1926.453(b)(2)(i); the same wording is in 1910.67(c)(2)(i) for general industry). Scissor lifts are mostly treated as mobile scaffolds instead, and the industry term for all of these machines is now MEWP. Read more
Annual inspection: An annual inspection is a thorough inspection of a machine at least once a year, usually by a qualified person or specialist, and much deeper than the operator's daily check. Some rules set one directly: construction cranes need one at least every 12 months by a qualified person, documented and kept for 12 months (29 CFR 1926.1412(f)), and portable fire extinguishers need an annual maintenance check (1910.157(e)(3)). For MEWPs it comes from the ANSI A92 standards, which manufacturers summarize as within 13 months of the last one. OSHA has no annual forklift inspection; that comes from the manufacturer and ANSI/ITSDF B56.1. Read more
ANSI A92 standards: The ANSI A92 standards are the US consensus standards for aerial work platforms, developed by the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA). The current set, A92.20 (design), A92.22 (safe use) and A92.24 (training), took effect in the US in 2020 and brought in the term MEWP. As manufacturers and SAIA summarize them, they call for a pre-start inspection by the operator before each shift, a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, and an annual inspection within 13 months of the last. They aren't OSHA regulations, but OSHA can cite recognized hazards they address under the General Duty Clause. Read more
Asset tag: An asset tag is a durable label fixed to a piece of equipment that gives it a unique ID, usually a number with a barcode or QR code, so it can be told apart from identical machines in your records. It ties the physical machine to its history: inspections, repairs, ownership and location. A QR asset tag can also open a web page, such as the machine's manual or its own pre-use checklist. Read more
Audit trail: An audit trail is a record of who did what and when, kept so a record can be trusted later. For equipment inspections it means each check carries the operator's name, the date and time, the answers as given, and any later repair note, without anyone overwriting the original. It's how you show an auditor or investigator that a check happened as recorded rather than being filled in afterward. Read more
Authorized person: An authorized person is someone the employer has approved or assigned to do a particular job or be in a particular place. OSHA's construction definition is "a person approved or assigned by the employer to perform a specific type of duty or duties or to be at a specific location or locations at the jobsite" (29 CFR 1926.32(d)), and a "designated person" means the same thing (1926.32(i)). Authorization is permission, not proof of skill: only authorized persons may operate an aerial lift (1926.453(b)(2)(ii)), and forklift repairs must be made by authorized personnel (1910.178(q)(1)). Read more
CMMS (computerized maintenance management system): A CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) is software for running maintenance: it lists assets, schedules preventive maintenance by date or hours, issues work orders, tracks parts and keeps each machine's repair history. MaintainX, UpKeep and Fleetio are examples. A CMMS is built around the maintenance team; a pre-use checklist tool is built around getting operators to do and record the daily check, and many businesses use one of each. Read more
Competent person: A competent person, in OSHA's construction rules, is "one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them" (29 CFR 1926.32(f)). Both halves count: the knowledge to spot the hazard and the authority to fix it or stop the work. OSHA requires one for inspections such as scaffolds before each shift (1926.451(f)(3)), construction cranes each shift (1926.1412(d)), slings each day (1910.184(d)) and excavations daily (1926.651(k)). In the UK, PUWER and LOLER use the term for anyone with enough practical and theoretical knowledge and experience for the inspection or examination. Read more
Corrective maintenance: Corrective maintenance is repair work done after a fault is found, either on an inspection or because something broke. A defect found on a pre-use check becomes corrective maintenance: the machine is taken out of service, repaired by someone authorized to do it, and released. OSHA's forklift rule puts it plainly: "Defects when found shall be immediately reported and corrected" (29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)). Read more
Daily inspection: A daily inspection is a check made at least once each day a machine is used, normally before its first use that day. OSHA's forklift rule is the best-known example: trucks must be examined before being placed in service, "at least daily", and after each shift where they're used round the clock (29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)). Slings must be inspected "each day before being used" by a competent person (1910.184(d)). On a site with more than one shift, a daily check isn't the same as a pre-shift inspection. Read more
Danger tag: A danger tag is an accident prevention tag with the signal word DANGER, hung on equipment that would put someone at immediate risk if it were used. OSHA says danger tags "shall be used in major hazard situations where an immediate hazard presents a threat of death or serious injury to employees" (29 CFR 1910.145(f)(5)), each tag needs a signal word and a major message such as DO NOT OPERATE ((f)(4)(i)), and Appendix A recommends red, or predominantly red, with lettering in a contrasting color. 1910.145(f) doesn't cover construction, where 1926.20(b)(3) requires unsafe equipment to be tagged, locked out at the controls or removed. Read more
Data plate: A data plate (also called a nameplate or capacity plate) is the manufacturer's plate on a machine showing its model, serial number and ratings, such as rated capacity, weight and, on a forklift, the capacity at a stated load center. OSHA requires forklift users to make sure "all nameplates and markings are in place and are maintained in a legible condition" (29 CFR 1910.178(a)(6)), and to have capacity plates or markings updated when approved modifications or added attachments change the truck (1910.178(a)(4)–(5)). That's why "data plate legible" appears on most forklift pre-use checklists. Read more
Deadman control: A deadman control is a control the operator has to keep holding, pressing or sitting on for the machine to run: let go and it stops or brakes. Examples are the brake handle on a powered walk-behind pallet truck, the foot switch or enable trigger on many aerial lifts, the seat switch on ride-on mowers and some lift trucks, and the trigger on many power tools; it's also called a hold-to-run or operator presence control. Because it's what stops the machine when the operator falls or lets go, testing it belongs on the pre-use check, and Canada's CCOHS lists the deadman among a forklift's operational checks.
Defect: A defect is any damage, wear or malfunction that could make equipment unsafe or stop it working as designed. OSHA's construction definition is "any characteristic or condition which tends to weaken or reduce the strength of the tool, object, or structure of which it is a part" (29 CFR 1926.32(h)). A defect that affects safety keeps the machine out of service until it's corrected; for forklifts, "Defects when found shall be immediately reported and corrected" (1910.178(q)(7)). Read more
DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report): A DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report) is the written or electronic report a commercial truck or bus driver prepares at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated, under FMCSA rule 49 CFR 396.11. It covers 11 listed items, including service brakes, parking brake, steering, lights, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment, but drivers "are not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver". The carrier must repair and certify safety-affecting defects before the vehicle runs again and keep the DVIR and certifications for three months. Read more
FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration): The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is the agency of the US Department of Transportation that regulates commercial trucks, buses and their drivers. Its safety rules are in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, including driver vehicle inspection reports (49 CFR 396.11), the driver's check before driving (396.13 and 392.7) and the periodic inspection every commercial motor vehicle needs at least once every 12 months (396.17). Read more
FOPS (falling object protective structure): A FOPS (falling object protective structure) is a cab roof or canopy built and tested to protect the operator from falling objects such as rocks, logs or debris. It's common on loaders, excavators, dozers and skid steers used in demolition, forestry and quarrying, and is often combined with a ROPS in one certified cab. OSHA's construction rule on overhead protection for agricultural and industrial tractors points to falling object protective structure test standards (29 CFR 1926.1003), and a forklift's overhead guard does a similar job (1910.178(m)(9)). Drilling, welding or bolting things to it without the manufacturer's approval can weaken it. Read more
Frequent inspection: A frequent inspection is a scheduled inspection that sits between the operator's daily check and the annual one. For overhead and gantry cranes, OSHA defines it as "Daily to monthly intervals" (29 CFR 1910.179(j)(1)(ii)(a)), and uses the same interval for crawler, locomotive and truck cranes (1910.180(d)). For MEWPs, the ANSI A92 standards, as manufacturers summarize them, call for a frequent inspection by a qualified person every 3 months or 150 hours of use, whichever comes first. Read more
General Duty Clause: The General Duty Clause is Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 654), which requires every employer to provide "employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm" to employees. OSHA uses it to cite serious hazards that no specific standard covers. That's how consensus standards and manufacturers' instructions, such as ANSI A92 for MEWPs, can matter in an OSHA inspection even though OSHA hasn't adopted them as rules. Read more
Hour meter: An hour meter records how many hours a machine's engine or motor has run, the way an odometer records miles. Forklifts, lifts, loaders, generators and compressors usually have one, and many manufacturers set service intervals in hours on it. OSHA's forklift eTool lists the hour meter among a truck's operational checks. Recording the reading on each pre-use check gives you a usage log, tells you when service is due, and exposes copied checks when the number never moves. Read more
HSE (Health and Safety Executive): The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) is Great Britain's regulator for workplace health and safety. It enforces laws such as PUWER and LOLER, sharing enforcement with local authorities for some workplaces, and publishes Approved Codes of Practice and free guidance, including L117 on rider-operated lift trucks. Northern Ireland has its own regulator, HSENI. Read more
Inspection record: An inspection record is the written or electronic proof that an inspection happened: what was inspected, by whom, when, what was found and what was done about it. Some rules require one, such as monthly and annual crane inspections (29 CFR 1926.1412(e)–(f)), DVIRs that report a defect (49 CFR 396.11) and PUWER inspections in Great Britain (reg 6(3)). Others, including OSHA's daily forklift examination, don't require a written record, but a dated record is the only way to show the check was done. Read more
Interlock: An interlock is a safety device that stops a machine running, or doing something dangerous, unless a condition is met: a guard closed, the operator seated, a gate shut or the machine level. Examples are guard interlocks on saws and presses, seat switches that cut drive when the operator stands up, and tilt or overload cutouts on lifts. HSE's PUWER guidance names interlocks among the safety-related parts an inspection may need to test, and one that's been bypassed, taped or wedged is a defect.
Lifting accessory: A lifting accessory is equipment that attaches a load to the lifting machine, such as slings, shackles, eyebolts and chains. LOLER defines an "accessory for lifting" as "work equipment for attaching loads to machinery for lifting", and requires a thorough examination at least every 6 months or under an examination scheme (reg 9). In the US, slings and their fittings must be inspected by a competent person each day before use (29 CFR 1910.184(d)). Read more
Load chart: A load chart shows how much a crane, telehandler or other lifting machine can safely lift at each boom length, angle, radius or height and configuration. Capacity falls as the load moves further out, so the chart, not the headline maximum, sets the limit for each lift. OSHA requires a construction crane's rated capacities (load charts) to be "readily available in the cab at all times for use by the operator" (29 CFR 1926.1417(c)(1)), so a present, legible chart belongs on the pre-use check. Read more
Lockout/tagout (LOTO): Lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the procedure for isolating a machine's energy sources and locking or tagging them off so it can't start up or release stored energy while someone services or repairs it. In US general industry it's 29 CFR 1910.147, which covers servicing and maintenance where "unexpected energization or start up of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy could cause injury to employees", and requires written procedures, training and a periodic inspection at least annually. It isn't the same as tagging a defective machine out of service after a failed pre-use check, though the two often follow one another. Read more
LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998): LOLER is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, Great Britain's law on equipment that lifts loads or people, from cranes and forklifts to MEWPs, hoists and slings. It requires lifting operations to be properly planned by a competent person and lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined at least every 6 months if it lifts people and for all lifting accessories, at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or under an examination scheme (reg 9). Operators' pre-use checks still apply on top, under PUWER. Read more
MEWP (mobile elevating work platform): A MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) is a machine that raises people on a platform to work at height and can be moved from place to place, such as a scissor lift, boom lift or vertical mast lift. The term comes from the ANSI A92 and international standards, which sort MEWPs into Group A, where the platform stays within the machine's tipping lines (most scissor lifts), and Group B, where it can reach beyond them (boom lifts). OSHA's own rules still say aerial lifts and scaffolds, and in Great Britain MEWPs are lifting equipment for people under LOLER, thoroughly examined at least every 6 months. Read more
Operator: An operator is the person who runs a machine, and usually the person who does its pre-use check. OSHA requires employers to ensure each forklift operator "is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely", shown by training and an evaluation repeated at least once every three years (29 CFR 1910.178(l)). In British road haulage, "operator" also means the company that holds the goods or passenger vehicle operator licence and must make sure walkaround checks are done. Read more
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is the agency of the US Department of Labor that sets and enforces workplace safety standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Its general industry rules are in 29 CFR 1910 and its construction rules in 29 CFR 1926, and many states run their own OSHA-approved state plans. Maximum penalties in October 2026 are $16,550 per serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeated violation (29 CFR 1903.15(d)). Read more
Out of service: Out of service means a machine has been taken out of use until it's repaired and released, usually with a tag on the controls and often with the key removed. OSHA's forklift rule says a truck "found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe" shall be "taken out of service until it has been restored to safe operating condition" (29 CFR 1910.178(p)(1)). On construction sites, unsafe equipment must be tagged, have its controls locked, or be removed (1926.20(b)(3)). Read more
Pencil whipping: Pencil whipping is filling in an inspection checklist without actually doing the inspection, such as ticking every item OK from the seat or the office. It leaves a record saying a machine was checked when nobody looked. Long checklists, time pressure and reports that nobody acts on make it more likely; short checklists at the machine, notes and photos for problems, and supervisors who follow up make it less likely. Read more
Periodic inspection: A periodic inspection is a scheduled, more thorough inspection at set intervals, usually monthly to yearly, that looks closer at wear and components than a daily check. OSHA uses the term for overhead and gantry cranes at "1 to 12-month intervals" (29 CFR 1910.179(j)(1)(ii)(b)) and for crawler, locomotive and truck cranes (1910.180(d)). For commercial vehicles, FMCSA's periodic inspection is the one each vehicle needs at least once every 12 months (49 CFR 396.17), and the closest British equivalent for lifting equipment is the thorough examination. Read more
Post-trip inspection: A post-trip inspection is a driver's check of a vehicle at the end of a trip or day, to find and report anything that needs fixing before the next run. For US commercial vehicles it feeds the driver vehicle inspection report: at the completion of each day's work, the driver reports any defect found on each vehicle operated (49 CFR 396.11). Doing it at the end of the day gives the shop time to repair before the next morning. Read more
Powered industrial truck: A powered industrial truck is OSHA's term for forklifts and similar machines: "fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines" (29 CFR 1910.178(a)(1)). It includes powered pallet jacks, reach trucks, order pickers and rough-terrain forklifts, but not farm vehicles or vehicles intended primarily for earth moving or over-the-road hauling. Each one must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily (1910.178(q)(7)). Read more
Pre-shift inspection: A pre-shift inspection is a check of equipment before each work shift, so a machine used on two or three shifts is checked two or three times a day. Several OSHA rules use shift timing: a competent person's visual inspection of construction cranes "prior to each shift" (29 CFR 1926.1412(d)), scaffolds "before each work shift" (1926.451(f)(3)), jobsite vehicles "at the beginning of each shift" (1926.601(b)(14)) and general industry ladders "before initial use in each work shift" (1910.23(b)(9)). Forklifts used round the clock must be examined after each shift (1910.178(q)(7)). Read more
Pre-start check: A pre-start check is the Australian name for an operator's inspection of plant or a vehicle before starting work with it, usually at the start of each shift. The term comes from industry practice, codes of practice and manufacturers' manuals rather than the model WHS Regulations, which require plant to be maintained and inspected by a competent person, generally following the manufacturer's recommendations (r.213). It's the same idea as a US pre-shift inspection or a British pre-use check. Read more
Pre-trip inspection: A pre-trip inspection is a driver's check of a vehicle before driving it. For US commercial vehicles, before driving the driver must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, review the last driver vehicle inspection report and, where one was required, sign it to acknowledge the review and the repair certification (49 CFR 396.13). Parts such as brakes, steering, lights, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors and coupling devices must be in good working order before the vehicle is driven (49 CFR 392.7). Read more
Pre-use inspection: A pre-use inspection is a check of equipment by the person about to use it, before they use it, to find defects that would make it unsafe. It usually has two parts: a visual walk-around with the machine off, then a test of controls, brakes, steering, horn and safety devices. Depending on the equipment and the rule, it's due before each use, each shift or each day, and the machine stays out of use if it finds a safety problem. For much work equipment, HSE says "a quick visual check before use will be sufficient". Read more
Preventive maintenance: Preventive maintenance is servicing done on a schedule to stop failures before they happen: oil and filter changes, lubrication, adjustments, battery care and replacing worn parts. Intervals come from the manufacturer, set in hours on the hour meter, in miles or by the calendar, and the work is usually done by a mechanic or technician. It doesn't replace the operator's pre-use check. In Great Britain, PUWER requires work equipment to be "maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair" (reg 5). Read more
PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998): PUWER is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Great Britain's main law on equipment used at work, from hand tools and ladders to forklifts and machinery. It requires equipment to be suitable, maintained in good repair (reg 5) and, where it can deteriorate dangerously, inspected at suitable intervals, with the result recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded (reg 6). HSE says that for many items "a quick visual check before use will be sufficient", and that records are not normally required for the simplest pre-use checks. Read more
QR code sticker: A QR code sticker on equipment is a printed label with a square code that a phone camera scans to open a link, such as the machine's manual or its own inspection checklist. A plain QR code only holds a link or text; recording who checked what, and when, depends on the page it opens. With CheckBadges, each machine's sticker opens that machine's pre-use checklist in the phone's browser with no app or login, and a lost sticker can be reissued so the old one stops working. Read more
Qualified person: A qualified person, in OSHA's construction rules, is "one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project" (29 CFR 1926.32(m)). It's about proven expertise, where a competent person is about spotting hazards and having the authority to correct them. OSHA requires a qualified person for jobs such as the annual inspection of construction cranes (1926.1412(f)), and the ANSI A92 standards call for one on MEWP frequent and annual inspections. Read more
Red tag: A red tag is the everyday name for a DANGER or DO NOT OPERATE tag hung on equipment that has failed an inspection or is unsafe to use, and "red-tagging" a machine means taking it out of service until it's repaired and released. The color follows OSHA's recommendation that danger tags be red, or predominantly red (Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.145). On scaffolds with a green, yellow and red tag system, a red tag means do not use. Read more
ROPS (rollover protective structure): A ROPS (rollover protective structure) is a frame or cab built and tested to protect the operator if the machine rolls over, designed to work with the seat belt fastened. OSHA requires ROPS on construction equipment such as rubber-tired scrapers, front-end loaders and dozers, crawler tractors and loaders, motor graders and wheel-type agricultural and industrial tractors, plus compactors and rubber-tired skid steers made after July 15, 2019 (29 CFR 1926.1000), and on agricultural tractors under 1928.51. A pre-use check looks for cracks, bends, missing bolts and unapproved welding or drilling. Read more
Scissor lift: A scissor lift is a mobile work platform raised straight up by crisscrossing supports, used to lift workers and their tools. OSHA's scissor lift hazard alert says "Many scissor lifts are covered under OSHA's Scaffolding standard", so in construction they need guardrails and an inspection for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3)). Most are Group A MEWPs under the ANSI A92 standards, and the manufacturer's instructions add tests of controls and components before each use. Read more
Telehandler: A telehandler (telescopic handler, or variable reach truck in the UK) is a rough-terrain lift truck with a telescoping boom that places loads higher and further out than a forklift, usually on forks but also with buckets, platforms or winches. Its capacity changes with boom angle and extension, so operators work from the load chart, and HSE's L117 says to never ignore the warnings of its longitudinal load moment indicator. OSHA's crane rules exclude forklifts except when configured to hoist and lower a suspended load by a winch or hook (29 CFR 1926.1400(c)(8)), so a telehandler rigged that way falls under them. Read more
Thorough examination: A thorough examination is the detailed periodic examination of lifting equipment that LOLER requires, separate from operators' pre-use checks. HSE describes it as "a systematic and detailed examination of the lifting equipment by a competent person to detect any defects that are, or might become, dangerous." It's due at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories, every 12 months for other lifting equipment such as most forklifts, or under an examination scheme, and the examiner must give a written report (LOLER regs 9–10). Read more
Walkaround check: A walkaround check is the British name for the daily check of a goods vehicle, bus or coach before it's used on the road, walking round the outside and checking the cab. DVSA guidance says "A minimum of one walkaround check must be carried out every day or at least once in a 24-hour period that the vehicle is used", defects must be reported in writing, and drivers' defect reports must be kept for at least 15 months. The term is also used loosely for any operator's visual check around a machine before use. Read more
Work equipment: Work equipment is the British legal term for anything used at work: PUWER defines it as "any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work (whether exclusively or not)". That covers everything from a hammer or ladder to a forklift, excavator or production line. Lifting equipment is also work equipment, so PUWER and LOLER usually apply together. Read more

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