Prestarts for every machine, done on the operator's own phone.

How a QR code pre-start works

A QR code pre-start puts a sticker on each machine that opens that machine's prestart on any phone, so nobody picks the wrong unit from a list or fills in the wrong book. Setting it up takes four steps:

1. 1Add your plant and vehicles. Forklifts, excavators, skid steers, EWPs, telehandlers, rollers, utes and light trucks: anything that has a pre-start book now.
2. 2Pick the checklist. Start from a ready-made forklift, scissor and boom lift, excavator and loader, vehicle or general template, or from a free checklist like the forklift pre-start checklist or the excavator inspection checklist. Then change the wording to suit your site and your operators.
3. 3Print the stickers on any printer and put each one where the operator stands before starting.
4. 4Operators scan and check. The phone's camera opens the prestart in the browser. They type their name or a 4-digit PIN, mark each item OK, Problem or N/A, record readings like the hour meter, and submit.

Each machine uses one checklist, and one checklist can serve every machine of the same type. You write the questions, so they can say "park brake", "UHF radio" or "beacon working", in whatever language your crew reads best.

Why no app matters on sites with subbies and labour hire

Pre-starts usually break down with the people who aren't on your books. Subcontractors, labour hire operators and casuals turn up for a day or a fortnight, and an app that needs a download and a login needs someone to create their account, sort out the password and pay for their seat before they can do a single check.

With CheckBadges they scan the sticker with the phone already in their pocket. There's nothing to install, no account and no seat to buy, so their first prestart happens on their first shift, under their own name. If you need to know exactly who did each check, turn on operator PINs: each person gets a 4-digit PIN that signs the check with their name, and wrong PINs are rate-limited. A sticker that's been copied or damaged can be reissued in one click, and the old one stops working.

What happens when a pre-start finds a defect

The operator marks the item Problem, writes what's wrong and can add up to three photos taken in the browser. As soon as they submit:

• Your alert list gets an email, with the defect and the photos.
• The machine shows red on your dashboard until someone marks it fixed.
• The next operator who scans it sees the open defect before starting, so a fault found on day shift isn't missed on night shift.

Tag the machine out as you do now; CheckBadges can't stop a machine starting. When it's repaired, mark it fixed with a note and the warning clears. The dashboard also shows which machines have had a prestart today, so a skipped one stands out.

Vehicle prestarts and machine prestarts in one place

The same sticker and dashboard handle a ute and an excavator. Number questions record the odometer in kilometres or the hour meter in hours, so the prestart doubles as a usage log for services. Every check is filed under its machine with the operator's name and the time, prints as a clean record with its photos, and exports to CSV, one row per check or per answer.

Pre-starts and WHS law

The model WHS Regulations don't use the words "pre-start check", but the duty behind it is there. Regulation 213 requires the person with management or control of plant to make sure it's maintained and inspected by a competent person, in line with the manufacturer's recommendations. Operator manuals list the checks to do before each shift, and codes of practice and site rules turn those into a pre-start. Victoria uses its own OHS Regulations rather than the model laws. The guide to pre-start checks in Australia covers the detail, including licences and registered plant.

CheckBadges gives you a dated record of every pre-start and who did it. Your manuals and your regulator decide what it has to cover.

Pre-start options compared

Named tools are compared in the best pre-start checklist apps.

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: US$19.50 a month for 10 machines and US$42 for 25. Billing is in US dollars, so your bank converts each charge to Australian dollars. Operators are unlimited, with no per-user fees, lock-in contracts or hardware. See pricing.

When it isn't the right fit

• Sites without mobile coverage. There's no offline mode: the operator needs a data connection when submitting. Underground work, remote pits and sites with no signal need an app that works offline, or paper.
• Maintenance and work orders. CheckBadges records prestarts and defects. It doesn't raise work orders, schedule services or track parts.
• Start interlocks and telematics. It can't stop a machine starting until a prestart is done, and it doesn't track location or engine hours automatically.
• Competent-person inspections and certificates. It doesn't schedule periodic or major inspections, or store your inspectors' reports.