Pre-use and pre-start checks
Pre-use and pre-start checks, done on the operator's phone in a minute.
A pre-use inspection app (a pre-start check app in Australia, a plant pre-use check app in the UK) records the operator's check on a machine before it's used. With CheckBadges, every machine gets a QR sticker: operators scan it with their phone's camera and complete the check in the browser, with no app or login. Defects email you with photos and warn the next operator.
- 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.
Pre-use, pre-start and pre-shift checks are the same job
A pre-use check, a pre-start check and a pre-shift inspection all describe the same thing: the operator's quick inspection of a machine before using it. US sites tend to say pre-use or pre-shift, Australian and New Zealand sites say pre-start or prestart, and UK sites say pre-use checks, daily plant checks or walkaround checks. The guide to pre-use vs pre-shift vs daily inspections explains where the terms differ.
Whatever the name, the check is done by the person about to run the machine, takes a few minutes, and follows the daily checks in the manufacturer's manual. It isn't the periodic inspection or thorough examination that a competent person carries out on a schedule; those have their own rules and paperwork.
What the rules expect, country by country
The law rarely uses the words "pre-start check", but most regimes expect machines to be checked before use and kept out of use when they're unsafe.
- United Kingdom. PUWER 1998 requires work equipment to be inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. HSE says "in many cases, a quick visual check before use will be sufficient" and "Records are not normally required to be made for the simplest pre-use checks", though its lift-truck guidance (L117) says operators should check the truck at the start of each shift "and document the results". Lifting equipment also needs LOLER thorough examinations. See PUWER pre-use checks.
- Australia. The model WHS Regulations require plant to be maintained and inspected by a competent person, generally in line with the manufacturer's recommendations (r.213). Daily pre-start checks come from codes of practice and operators' manuals rather than the regulation's own wording. See pre-start checks in Australia.
- United States. OSHA requires forklifts to be examined at least daily before use and aerial lift controls to be tested each day before use, among other rules. See OSHA equipment inspection requirements.
- Canada. CCOHS guidance says operators should inspect a forklift every day, including at the beginning of each shift. Provincial rules vary.
This is a summary, not legal advice: check the current rules and guidance where you work.
How pre-start checks work in CheckBadges
- Add your plant. Forklifts, MEWPs, telehandlers, excavators, generators, vans: whatever gets a check before use.
- Choose or write the checklist. Start from a ready-made forklift, scissor and boom lift, excavator and loader, vehicle or general check, or from one of the free checklists, then edit it. Write the questions in your own words and spelling (tyres, walkaround, prestart) or in another language entirely; operators see exactly what you write.
- Stick a QR sticker on each machine. Print them on any printer and put each one where the operator stands before starting.
- Operators scan with their phone's camera. The check opens in the browser: name or PIN, answers, submit. No app store, no account, no password.
Readings work too. A number question records the hour meter or odometer with its unit, so every pre-start doubles as a usage log.
What happens when a pre-use check finds a defect
A defect is reported the moment the check is submitted, not when someone gets round to reading the book. The operator marks the item Problem, describes it and can add up to three photos. CheckBadges emails your alert list straight away and flags the machine on your dashboard. It also shows the open defect to the next operator who scans that machine, before they start. When it's repaired, mark it fixed with a note and the warning clears.
Pre-use check options compared
| CheckBadges | Paper pre-start books | Online forms | Pre-start apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator needs | A phone camera and browser | A pen and the book | A link or posted QR code | The app installed and a login |
| Labour hire and new starters | Check on their first shift | Yes | Yes | Need an account first |
| Defect reaches the supervisor | Email with photos, at once | When the book is read | Only if you set up alerts | Yes |
| Next operator warned | Yes, until fixed | If they read back | No | Varies |
| Record per machine | Automatic | One book per machine | A shared spreadsheet | Yes |
| Works without signal | No | Yes | No | Often, with offline mode |
The best pre-start checklist apps roundup compares named tools.
What it costs, wherever you are
CheckBadges is 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: $19.50 a month for 10 machines and $42 for 25. Prices are in US dollars. Operators are unlimited, with no per-user fees, contracts or hardware. See pricing.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
- Sites without signal. Operators need a data connection when they submit. Remote sites, tunnels and underground work need an app with offline mode, or paper.
- Thorough examinations and periodic inspections. CheckBadges records the operator's check. It doesn't schedule LOLER examinations or periodic inspections, or store your competent person's reports.
- Start-up interlocks. Some sites fit systems that stop a machine starting until the pre-start is done. CheckBadges can't stop a machine starting.
- Maintenance and enterprise needs. No work orders, telematics, single sign-on or integrations.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a pre-use check and a pre-start check?
Nothing but the name. Pre-start is the usual term in Australia and New Zealand, pre-use in the UK and much of the US, and pre-shift where the check happens at the start of every shift. All mean the operator's check of a machine before using it.
Do pre-use checks have to be recorded?
It depends on the equipment and where you are. HSE says records aren't normally needed for the simplest pre-use checks, but its forklift guidance says to document the start-of-shift check, and OSHA doesn't require a written forklift check. A dated record is still the easiest way to show checks happen.
Can labour hire or agency workers do pre-start checks without an account?
Yes, with CheckBadges. They scan the sticker on the machine with their own phone's camera and complete the check in the browser, with no app or account. Turn on operator PINs if you want each person to have their own PIN that signs their checks.
Can I write pre-start questions in another language?
Yes. You write the questions yourself, in whatever language and spelling your operators use, and the checklist shows exactly what you wrote. Each checklist is in one language, so a mixed crew can have a separate checklist per language.
Does CheckBadges work outside the US?
Yes. It runs in the browser on any iPhone, Android phone or computer, and stickers print on any printer. Pricing is in US dollars, and the starter checklists use US wording you can change to local terms.
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.
- 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.
- Pre-use vs pre-shift vs daily inspectionA pre-use inspection is the operator's check before using a machine. Compare pre-use, pre-shift, daily, pre-start, walkaround and DVIR checks and who does each.
- Forklift pre-use checks (UK)UK forklift daily checks: HSE's L117 says operators should check the truck at the start of each shift and document the results. What to check, records, LOLER.
- Write a pre-use checklistHow to write a pre-use inspection checklist: start from the manual, follow the walkaround, say what a pass looks like, keep it to 10–25 items and test it.
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.