Equipment checks for event production
Lift, telehandler and generator checks that keep up with a load-in.
CheckBadges gives each lift, telehandler, forklift and generator at your load-in a QR code that opens its pre-use checklist. Freelance crew scan it with their own phone and finish the check in the browser in about a minute, with no app or login. Problems email the production manager with photos at once and warn the next operator, and every check is kept by machine and date.
What pre-use checks have to handle
A new set of rentals every show
Hang a laminated QR tag on each rental for the run (Lift 1, Lift 2) and record the rental unit number in the checklist. Archive the tags when the show closes.
Freelancers you met this morning
There's no app or account to set up for a day's crew. They scan, type their name and go.
Load-in clocks
A pre-start check on a phone takes about a minute, not a walk to the production office for a clipboard.
One lift, every department
Lighting, video and scenic share the same scissor lift. Whoever finds a problem, everyone who scans that lift next sees it.
The rental house's inspection isn't yours
The rental company's frequent and annual inspections don't replace the operator's pre-start check before each shift's use.
Power the show depends on
A generator check covers fuel, leaks, guards, grounding and cable condition before doors open, not after the lights flicker.
How a load-in runs lift checks with QR codes
Each machine gets a QR code: a sticker on house equipment you own, or a laminated tag zip-tied to a rental. The operator scans it before the first use of the shift, and their phone opens that machine's checklist: platform and guardrails, gate, controls, emergency lowering, tires, battery or fuel, alarms, and the rental unit number. A problem needs a note and can carry up to three photos.
Load-in day for a conference general session with 15 machines:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5:30 a.m. | Rentals arrive at the dock. The production manager zip-ties tags "Lift 1" to "Lift 6", "Boom 1" and "Telehandler" to the machines. |
| 6:00 a.m. | Riggers and the lighting crew scan their lifts and do the pre-start. Each enters the rental unit number on the first question. |
| 6:08 a.m. | On Lift 4, the platform gate won't latch. Problem, with a photo. The production manager and the rental house's contact on your alert list get the email. |
| 6:10 a.m. | Lift 4 shows red on the dashboard, and the lighting crew moves to Lift 5. |
| 6:30 a.m. | The dashboard shows 14 of 15 machines checked today. The rental house swaps Lift 4 by 8 a.m.; the manager marks the problem fixed with the new unit number. |
| 2:00 p.m. | The afternoon crew scans the lifts again for their shift. |
What the rules and standards call for
The operator checks a lift before using it, whoever owns the lift. For mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), the ANSI A92 standards, as summarized by manufacturers and SAIA, call for a pre-start inspection by the operator before use on each shift, a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, and an annual inspection within 13 months, the last two by a qualified person and recorded. The rental house does the frequent and annual inspections; your operators do the pre-start. Details in MEWP inspection requirements and scissor lift inspection requirements.
OSHA's rules add specifics. Boom lift controls "shall be tested each day prior to use" (1926.453(b)(2)(i); the general industry rule for vehicle-mounted platforms, 1910.67(c)(2)(i), says the same). Forklifts must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily (1910.178(q)(7)). Slings are inspected each day before use by a competent person (1910.184(d)). A telehandler is a rough-terrain forklift, and its manual sets the daily checks.
Scissor lifts aren't low risk: OSHA's 2016 hazard alert reported that over one year it investigated ten preventable fatalities and more than 20 preventable injuries involving scissor lifts. This summarizes the rules; check which apply to your work.
Rented lifts, house equipment and QR tags
Ask the rental house before sticking anything on their machine; a zip-tied laminated tag comes off when the lift goes back. Treat each tag as a slot: "Lift 1" this week is a different machine from "Lift 1" next month, and the unit number question tells them apart in the history. Archive tags you aren't using, and they stop counting toward your plan. House equipment the venue or your company owns gets a permanent sticker and its own history.
What you get
- Problem emails to the production manager, the head rigger and anyone else on your alert list, with photos.
- A warning for the next operator on that machine until it's marked fixed.
- Today at a glance: which machines have been checked today, updated as checks come in.
- A record of every check by machine, printable for a venue or a client, and exportable as CSV.
What it costs
CheckBadges is free for up to 3 machines. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that. A company that keeps 15 tags and stickers active pays $27 a month; one that archives down to 6 between shows pays $13.50 a month. Freelancers are unlimited.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
CheckBadges needs a data connection, and loading docks and arena basements can be dead zones, so confirm the venue Wi-Fi or signal before you rely on it. It doesn't track crew training or MEWP operator cards, schedule crews, or order rentals. And it can't stop a machine from moving; it records the check and warns the next operator.
Free checklists for event production
Print them, or put each one on a QR sticker so operators fill it in on their phone.
- Free checklistScissor lift inspection checklistFree scissor lift pre-use inspection checklist: guardrails, gate, controls, emergency stop and lowering, pothole guards, tilt alarm and tires. Print or use QR.
- Free checklistBoom lift inspection checklistFree boom lift pre-start inspection checklist for articulating and telescopic booms: boom, jib, turntable, platform, anchors, controls and emergency lowering.
- Free checklistTelehandler inspection checklistFree telehandler pre-use inspection checklist: boom and wear pads, forks and attachments, load chart, frame leveling, stabilizers, steering modes and tires.
- Free checklistForklift 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.
- Free checklistGenerator inspection checklistFree generator inspection checklist for portable and towable units: fuel, oil, coolant, leaks, exhaust and CO, grounding, GFCI outlets, cords and controls.
- Free checklistRigging and sling inspection checklistFree rigging and sling inspection checklist: wire rope, chain and synthetic slings, shackles, hooks and eyebolts, with OSHA 1910.184 removal criteria.
Set it up in three steps
- 01
Add your machines
Name your business, list your machines and pick a starting checklist. No signup, sales call or card — make an account once you like it.
- 02
Stick on their QR codes
Every machine gets its own sticker. Print them on label paper and put each one where operators look before they start.
- 03
Operators scan and check
Phone camera, tap, answer, submit: about a minute. A problem emails you and warns the next person to scan that machine.
Frequently asked questions
Who has to inspect a rented scissor lift at an event?
The operator, before using it each shift. The rental company does the periodic frequent and annual inspections, but the ANSI A92 standards, as manufacturers and SAIA summarize them, call for the operator to do a pre-start inspection before use, and the operator's manual says the same.
Do freelance crew need an account to do equipment checks?
No. They scan the QR code on the machine with their own phone and type their name, with no app, account or password. Turn on operator PINs only if you want to issue each crew member a PIN.
How do I put QR codes on rented equipment I don't own?
Use a laminated QR tag on a zip tie instead of a sticker, after checking with the rental house. Name the tag by slot (Lift 1, Lift 2) and record the rental unit number on each check, so the history shows which machine it was.
Can CheckBadges track MEWP operator training?
No. CheckBadges records equipment checks, not training or certification cards. Keep operator training records separately.
Keep reading
- Aerial lift inspection appAn aerial lift inspection app for MEWP pre-start checks: scan the QR sticker on a scissor or boom lift and check on any phone, no app or login. Defects email you.
- MEWP inspection requirementsMEWPs need an operator pre-start check each shift, a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, and an annual one. ANSI A92 and OSHA rules explained.
- Scissor lift inspection rulesOSHA covers many scissor lifts under its scaffold rules: a competent person inspects before each shift. Plus ANSI pre-start, frequent and annual inspections.
- QR code label makerMake printable QR code labels for equipment and assets. One label per line, a link for each, 8 or 30 a page. Free, no signup, nothing uploaded.
- Checklists without an appHow to get operators to do equipment checks without installing an app: paper, a shared tablet, Google Forms, or QR stickers that open the check in the browser.
- 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.
Check every lift at the load-in with one scan.
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.