Equipment checks for quarries & mining
Pre-start checks on every haul truck, loader and excavator, before the shift.
CheckBadges gives every haul truck, loader, excavator and light vehicle at your quarry or mine a QR sticker. The operator scans it with their phone before the machine goes to work and does its pre-start check in the browser, with no app or login. Defects email the shop with photos at once, stay open until marked fixed, and warn the next operator who scans that machine.
What pre-use checks have to handle
The operator inspects, every shift
MSHA requires self-propelled mobile equipment to be inspected by the equipment operator before being placed in operation on that shift (30 CFR 56.14100(a)).
Defects recorded until corrected
Safety defects not corrected immediately must be reported to and recorded by the mine operator, and the record kept until they're corrected. A CheckBadges problem stays open until you mark it fixed.
Handover between shifts
The night operator found a steering issue; the day operator needs to know. They see the open problem the moment they scan the machine.
Tagging defective machines
Machines too dangerous to run must be taken out of service or tagged. Hang an out-of-service tag and the open problem warns anyone who scans.
Contract operators
Contract crews running your machines can scan without an account. Turn on PINs and each check is signed with a known name.
Dust, vibration and stickers
Stickers get scraped off in a pit. Reissue one in a click: the old code stops working and the machine keeps its history.
How a quarry runs pre-start checks with QR codes
Each machine gets a QR sticker inside the cab or at the access ladder, and the operator scans it before placing the machine in operation for the shift. Their phone opens that machine's checklist: walkaround, fluid levels, tires or tracks, brakes, steering, lights, horn, backup alarm, fire suppression, seat belt, and the hour meter. A defect needs a note and can carry up to three photos.
Day shift at an aggregate quarry with 30 machines:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6:00 a.m. | Shift start in the crib room, which has Wi-Fi. Operators walk to the go-line and scan their machines. |
| 6:08 a.m. | On haul truck 4, the operator marks the backup alarm as a Problem: "no sound in reverse". The shop foreman and the safety manager get the email. |
| 6:10 a.m. | Truck 4 stays parked with a tag on the steering wheel. It shows red on the dashboard. |
| 6:20 a.m. | The loaders and excavators are checked. The foreman sees which machines have been checked today and which haven't. |
| 9:45 a.m. | The shop replaces the alarm and marks the problem fixed with a note. The warning clears. |
| 6:00 p.m. | Night shift scans truck 4 and sees no open problem, and the morning's defect is in its history. |
What MSHA requires
US metal and nonmetal mines, including quarries and sand and gravel pits, follow 30 CFR 56.14100 for surface operations and 57.14100 for underground. The text is the same:
| Paragraph | What it requires |
|---|---|
| (a) | "Self-propelled mobile equipment to be used during a shift shall be inspected by the equipment operator before being placed in operation on that shift." |
| (b) | Defects on any equipment, machinery and tools that affect safety corrected in a timely manner |
| (c) | When defects make continued operation hazardous, equipment taken out of service and placed in a designated area, or tagged, until corrected |
| (d) | Safety defects on self-propelled mobile equipment that aren't corrected immediately reported to and recorded by the mine operator, kept at the mine until corrected, and available to MSHA |
Notice what (d) does and doesn't say. It requires a record of uncorrected defects, not a written record of every pre-shift inspection. Many mines keep one anyway, because a dated check per machine per shift is how you show the inspections in (a) happened. Surface coal mines follow 77.1606, where a competent person inspects mobile loading and haulage equipment before it's placed in operation and safety defects are recorded and reported.
This summarizes the rules; check the current text and your mine's plans. More in heavy equipment inspection requirements.
Pre-start checks in Australia
In Australia the operator's pre-start check is standard practice, but the term doesn't come from the model WHS Regulations. Regulation 213 deals with plant being maintained and inspected by a competent person in line with the manufacturer's recommendations; the pre-start itself comes from codes of practice, manufacturers and site procedures. Mines and quarries also answer to their state's mine safety laws, so check with your state regulator. See pre-start checks in Australia.
What you get
- Defect emails to the shop and safety team the moment a check is submitted, with photos.
- An open problem on the machine that every operator who scans it sees, until the shop marks it fixed with a note.
- Today's checks at a glance, so the foreman sees which machines haven't been checked.
- A history per machine, printable for an inspector, exportable as CSV with a row per check or per answer.
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, so a quarry with 30 machines pays $49.50 a month, and 80 machines is $124.50 a month. Operators, including contractors, are unlimited.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
CheckBadges has no offline mode: the phone needs a data connection to open and submit a check. That rules it out underground or in pits without coverage, unless checks happen somewhere with signal before machines go to work. It has no telematics, payload, fatigue or collision monitoring, and no work orders or integrations with fleet management systems. Compare apps in the best pre-start checklist apps.
Free checklists for quarries & mining
Print them, or put each one on a QR sticker so operators fill it in on their phone.
- Free checklistHeavy equipment inspection checklistFree daily heavy equipment inspection checklist for any construction machine: walkaround, fluids, cab and function tests, plus machine-specific checklists.
- Free checklistWheel loader inspection checklistFree wheel loader (front end loader) daily inspection checklist: articulation joint, steering lock bar, bucket, tires, brakes, backup alarm, mirrors and ROPS.
- Free checklistExcavator inspection checklistFree excavator daily inspection checklist: undercarriage, boom and bucket, quick coupler, fluids and cab checks, in walkaround order. Print it or use QR codes.
- Free checklistBulldozer inspection checklistFree bulldozer (dozer) daily inspection checklist: undercarriage and track tension, blade, ripper, cutting edges, final drives, ROPS and decelerator.
- Free checklistVehicle inspection checklistFree daily vehicle inspection checklist for company cars, pickups, vans and work trucks: tires, lights, brakes, fluids, mirrors, load and body damage.
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
What does MSHA require for pre-shift equipment inspections?
Under 30 CFR 56.14100(a) (surface) and 57.14100(a) (underground), self-propelled mobile equipment to be used during a shift must be inspected by the equipment operator before being placed in operation on that shift. Safety defects must be corrected in a timely manner, and hazardous equipment taken out of service or tagged.
Does MSHA require a written pre-shift inspection checklist?
Not in 56.14100's text. Paragraph (d) requires the mine operator to record safety defects on self-propelled mobile equipment that aren't corrected immediately, and keep the record until they're corrected. A dated checklist for every inspection isn't required by that section, but it's how you show the inspections happen.
What is a pre-start check in mining?
The operator's inspection of a machine before using it on a shift: a walkaround for damage and leaks, fluid levels, tires or tracks, then function tests of brakes, steering, lights, horn and alarms. In the US, MSHA calls it the pre-shift inspection under 56.14100; in Australia it's called a pre-start.
Does CheckBadges work underground or without signal?
No. The phone needs a data connection to open the checklist and submit it. Where there's no coverage at the machine, do checks where there is signal before the machine goes to work, or choose an inspection app with offline mode.
Keep reading
- Pre-start checks in AustraliaAre pre-start checks required in Australia? What WHS regulation 213 says, how states differ, which plant needs a licence or registration, and what to record.
- The best pre-start checklist apps in 2026The best pre-start checklist apps of 2026 for plant and machinery in Australia, NZ and the UK: app or no app, per user or per machine, and what each costs.
- Heavy equipment inspection appA heavy equipment inspection app for daily walkarounds: operators scan the QR sticker on an excavator, loader or dozer and check on their phone. No app or login.
- Heavy equipment inspection rulesOSHA has no single heavy equipment inspection schedule. Jobsite vehicles are checked each shift, unsafe machines tagged out, and the manual sets daily checks.
- When equipment fails inspectionEquipment failed its pre-use check? Stop, tag it out, report it, have an authorized person repair it, then verify and release it. The OSHA rules, step by step.
- Out-of-service tag makerPrint DANGER – DO NOT OPERATE and OUT OF SERVICE tags for defective equipment. Fill in the machine, problem and date, or leave blanks. Free, no signup.
Check every haul truck and loader 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.