Forklift daily checks in the UK: the pre-shift check, records and thorough examinations

What the law requires for forklift checks in the UK

Three sets of rules apply to a forklift in Great Britain. PUWER requires the truck to be suitable, maintained and inspected; LOLER requires its lifting parts to be thoroughly examined; and HSE's book on lift trucks, L117 Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training and safe use (free PDF, third edition 2013), explains how to meet both day to day.

L117 contains two kinds of text. The Approved Code of Practice, on operator training, "has a special legal status": if you're prosecuted and didn't follow it, "a court will find you at fault, unless you can show that you have complied with the law in some other way." The rest, including the paragraphs on checks and maintenance, is guidance: "Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated... But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law."

L117's guidance covers far more than counterbalance trucks: it names reach trucks, rough-terrain trucks, telehandlers, side-loaders, pallet stackers, order pickers and very narrow aisle trucks. And it treats anyone who drives one "even as a secondary or occasional part of their job" as an operator.

HSE's pre-shift check, in its own words

L117 says your arrangements for keeping trucks safe should include "a documented pre-shift check; a system for reporting defects and ensuring remedial work is carried out; a planned routine maintenance system; a periodic thorough examination and regular safety inspection" (paragraph 161).

On the check itself, paragraph 162: "At the beginning of each shift, the operator should check the lift truck in accordance with the vehicle handbook and document the results. They should report to the supervisor any defects which might affect its safe operation to ensure they are put right."

Three things follow:

• It's the operator's check, done before the truck is used on that shift, not a weekly job for maintenance.
• The vehicle handbook decides the details. L117's list is "typical"; the manufacturer's daily checks for that model come first.
• It's documented. HSE's general line on work equipment is that "records are not normally required to be made for the simplest pre-use checks", but for lift trucks its specific guidance says to document the results.

What to check on a forklift every shift

Paragraph 162 lists what the pre-shift check may typically include. Here it is as a checklist, with what a pass looks like:

L117 also says to inspect all tyres for damage daily and to check pneumatic tyre pressures "weekly or more often if there is evidence of deflation" (paragraph 179), and to include visibility aids such as mirrors or CCTV "as part of the daily checks" where fitted (paragraph 118). Our forklift inspection checklist covers these items in walkaround order and prints or goes on a QR code.

What to do when the check finds a defect

A safety-critical defect stops the truck. L117: "Any defects identified should be reported and if safety critical, the lift truck should not be used until the fault is rectified" (paragraph 172). For wheels, it's explicit that damaged flanges, rims or displaced locking rings mean "the wheel/tyre must be withdrawn from use."

The operator's job is to find and report, not to fix: "Operators, unless suitably qualified and authorised, should not carry out repairs and adjustments to lift trucks" (paragraph 164). In practice:

1. 1Park the truck safely, lower the forks, apply the parking brake and switch off.
2. 2Take the key to the supervisor and tag the controls with a do-not-use tag, such as our free out-of-service tag.
3. 3Record the defect on the check and tell the supervisor straight away.
4. 4Leave the truck out of use until a competent person has repaired it and someone has confirmed it's safe.

More on that process in what to do when equipment fails inspection.

Records: what to keep and for how long

Keep the pre-shift check, the defect reports, and the thorough examination reports. The law is specific about the last of those and loose about the rest:

HSE accepts electronic records, as long as they're secure and you can produce a written copy when asked.

LOLER thorough examinations for forklifts

A forklift's lifting parts, which L117 lists as "the mast, chains, carriage, forks and tilt mechanism", need a thorough examination by a competent person "at least every 12 months, or in accordance with an examination scheme" (paragraph 165). Trucks and attachments "used to lift people, even on an occasional basis", and lifting accessories, need one "at least every six months" (paragraph 166). A new truck doesn't need a separate examination certificate in its first year (six months if it lifts people): the manufacturer's declaration of conformity covers it.

The PUWER inspection of the non-lifting parts (brakes, lights, steering) can be combined with the thorough examination if your competent person agrees. If the examiner finds a defect involving "an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury", they must send a copy of the report to HSE or the local authority, and you must not use the truck until it's fixed.

Hired trucks: both the hire company and the user are responsible. L117 says you should agree in writing who does maintenance and thorough examinations, that "the user will need to ensure that necessary inspections and pre-use checks are carried out", and that "a copy of the last examination report must accompany the truck" (paragraph 170).

Making the check stick

The pre-shift check is part of operator training in L117: its list of basic training objectives includes carrying out "inspection and maintenance tasks appropriate to operators as required by the machine manufacturers (including pre-shift checks)", and its test of operator skills includes "Carrying out a pre-shift check when the truck is to be used."

Two other L117 controls support it. Operators should have written authorisation for the trucks they're trained on (paragraph 67). And trucks should have a device to stop unauthorised use, "such as a switch with a removable key, a keypad with a PIN number or a programmable fob", with keys issued by a responsible person (paragraph 136). Issuing keys is a natural point to confirm the check was done. For practical ideas, see how to get operators to do pre-use checks.

Recording forklift checks without paper

Paper check sheets in a cab get lost, and a defect written on one only reaches the supervisor if someone hands it in. CheckBadges puts a QR sticker on each truck: the operator scans it with their own phone, does the check in the browser with no app or login, and signs it with their name or a PIN. A failed item needs a note and up to 3 photos, emails your supervisors at once, and warns the next operator who scans that truck until someone marks it fixed. Every check is filed under the truck with the time and operator, ready to print or export. It's free for up to 3 machines with every feature; Pro is $9 a month for the first 3 machines plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that.