Daily plant checks for UK sites
Daily plant checks that agency operators can do on their first shift.
A plant pre-use check app records the operator's daily check on a forklift, telehandler, MEWP, dumper or van before it's used. With CheckBadges, each machine carries a QR sticker: operators scan it with their phone's camera and complete the check in the browser, with no app to install and no login, so agency staff and subcontractors can check from their first shift. Defects email you with photos.
- Your operators need
- Their phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- On each machine
- A printed QR sticker that opens its checklist.
- Checklists
- Ready-made for forklifts, lifts, loaders and vehicles, or your own.
- When something's wrong
- You get an email with what's wrong and photos.
- Price
- Free for 3 machines. Then $9/mo + $1.50 per machine.
- Records
- Every check, by machine. Print it or export a CSV.
How daily plant checks work in CheckBadges
Each machine gets its own QR sticker, and scanning it opens that machine's pre-use check on the operator's phone. Setting it up:
- Add your plant. Forklifts, telehandlers, MEWPs, dumpers, rollers, excavators, vans: anything that gets a daily check.
- Choose the check. Start from a ready-made forklift, scissor and boom lift, excavator and loader, vehicle or general checklist, or from a free one such as the forklift pre-use checklist, the MEWP pre-use inspection checklist or the van walkaround check. Edit the wording to match your machines and your site rules.
- Stick a QR sticker on each machine, printed on any printer, by the cab door or the ground controls.
- Operators scan it with their phone's camera, type their name or PIN, mark each item OK, Problem or N/A, and submit.
Number questions record the hour meter or mileage, so the daily check doubles as a usage log for services and examinations. Each check keeps its own copy of the questions, so editing a checklist later never changes old records.
Agency workers, subcontractors and hired-in plant
Daily checks usually break down with the people who aren't on your payroll. Agency operators, subcontractors' drivers and short-term labour don't have your app, and an inspection app that needs each person to install it, sign in and take a paid seat leaves someone setting up accounts for people who may be gone next week. CheckBadges needs none of that: the sticker opens the check in the browser on whatever phone they carry.
Hired-in plant works the same way. Put a sticker on the machine when it's delivered, and every check done on it is filed under that machine. If you need to know exactly who checked what, turn on operator PINs: each person's 4-digit PIN signs the check with their name, and wrong PINs are rate-limited.
What happens when a check finds a defect
The operator marks the item Problem, describes it and can add up to three photos. CheckBadges then:
- Emails your alert list straight away, with the defect and photos.
- Shows the machine red on your dashboard.
- Shows the open defect to every operator who scans that machine before they start, until someone marks it fixed with a note.
HSE's lift truck guidance asks for "a system for reporting defects and ensuring remedial work is carried out". This makes the reporting immediate, and the repair is logged when you mark it fixed. You still tag the machine out as normal; CheckBadges can't stop it starting. The dashboard also shows which machines have been checked today, so a missed check stands out.
What PUWER, LOLER and L117 expect
The law asks you to keep plant safe; the pre-use check is how most sites show it day to day.
- PUWER 1998 requires work equipment to be maintained and inspected where deterioration could cause danger. HSE says "in many cases, a quick visual check before use will be sufficient", and that "Records are not normally required to be made for the simplest pre-use checks". See PUWER pre-use checks.
- HSE's L117 goes further for rider-operated lift trucks, telehandlers included: the operator should check the truck at the start of each shift "and document the results".
- LOLER 1998 requires thorough examinations of lifting equipment by a competent person: at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people, such as MEWPs, and every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or as an examination scheme sets. See LOLER thorough examinations.
CheckBadges gives you a dated record of every pre-use check, with who did it, filed by machine. It doesn't schedule or store LOLER thorough examinations; keep your examiner's reports in your own records. This is a summary, not legal advice: check the current HSE guidance for your equipment.
Plant check options compared
| Paper check books | Online forms | App-based inspection tools | CheckBadges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What the operator needs | A pen and the book | A link or a posted QR code | The app installed and a login | A phone camera |
| Agency staff and subcontractors | Yes | Yes | Once they have an account | Yes, from their first shift |
| Defect reaches you | When the book is collected | Only with extra setup | Yes | Email with photos, straight away |
| Next operator warned | If they read back | No | Varies | Yes, until marked fixed |
| Check filed under the machine | One book per machine | One shared spreadsheet | Yes | Automatically |
| Works without signal | Yes | No | Often, with offline mode | No |
| Usual pricing | The cost of the books | Free, or per form | Per user | Per machine |
What it costs
CheckBadges is free for up to 3 machines, with every feature. Pro is US$9 a month for the first 3 machines plus US$1.50 a month for each machine after that, so US$19.50 a month for 10 machines and US$42 for 25. It's billed in US dollars, which your bank converts to pounds. Operators are unlimited, with no per-user fees, contracts or hardware. See pricing.
When it isn't the right fit
- No signal. There's no offline mode, so basements, tunnels and rural sites without coverage need paper or an app that works offline.
- Examinations, servicing and work orders. It doesn't book LOLER examinations or services, raise work orders or track parts.
- Start-up interlocks and telematics. It can't stop a machine starting and doesn't track location or hours.
- Enterprise IT. There's no single sign-on and there are no integrations.
Frequently asked questions
How do agency operators do a pre-use check on their first day?
They scan the QR sticker on the machine with their own phone's camera, type their name, and complete the check in the browser. There's no app to install and no account to set up, so the check doesn't wait for anyone in the office.
Does PUWER require pre-use checks to be written down?
Not usually. HSE says records aren't normally needed for the simplest pre-use checks, but its lift truck guidance (L117) says the start-of-shift check on forklifts and telehandlers should be documented. A dated record is also the easiest way to show checks are happening.
Can CheckBadges store LOLER thorough examination reports?
No. It records operators' pre-use checks and defects against each machine. Thorough examination reports, which must be kept until the next report or for two years, whichever is later, should stay in your own records.
Does a telehandler check work the same way as a forklift check?
Yes, with its own checklist. Add the telehandler items from the manufacturer's handbook, such as the boom, stabilisers, load moment indicator and attachments; each machine has one checklist, and one checklist can serve all your telehandlers.
Can I use it for van walkaround checks?
Yes. Give each van a sticker and a walkaround checklist with the odometer as a number. If you run vehicles under an operator's licence, check with your transport manager that a typed name or PIN with a timestamp suits your defect reporting system.
Is it priced in pounds?
No, it's billed in US dollars: for example, US$19.50 a month for 10 machines, which your bank converts. Up to 3 machines are free.
Keep reading
- PUWER pre-use checksPUWER pre-use checks explained: what regs 4–6 require, when a quick check is enough, when a recorded inspection is needed, who can do it and what to record.
- LOLER thorough examinationsLOLER thorough examination intervals: 6 months for accessories and kit that lifts people, 12 months for other lifting equipment, or an examination scheme.
- Forklift pre-use checklist (UK)Free UK forklift pre-use checklist: the FLT daily check HSE's L117 asks operators to do and document each shift, from fork arms and chains to brakes and horn.
- MEWP pre-use inspection checklistFree MEWP pre-use inspection checklist for scissor lifts and cherry pickers: the operator's check before each shift, IPAF's advice, LOLER, and what fails.
- Van daily walkaround checkFree van daily walkaround check sheet based on DVSA guidance: what to check before a van is used each day, when it's a legal duty, and how long to keep reports.
- Pre-use inspection appA pre-use inspection app for plant and equipment: operators scan a QR sticker and do the pre-start check on their phone, with no app or login. Defects email you.
Every machine checked, 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.