All forklift truck owners and operators in the UK and Europe must legally demonstrate the safety and full working order of their vehicles. The same stringent regulations also apply to hired trucks.
In order to avoid the unpleasantness of having your insurance invalidated, or even being left open to injury and/or prosecution from faulty equipment, we strongly recommend a Thorough Examination.
Much like an MOT for your car, a Thorough Examination is a comprehensive inspection of all the parts of a fork lift truck which have implications for user safety. It is also somewhat more involved than a standard MOT, with all the lifting components, chains, hydraulics and forks inspected as well as the brakes, steering, tyres and other more standard vehicle parts.
A Thorough Examination is required by law at least once every 12 months, starting from one year after each new fork lift is purchased. This is a minimum requirement, however, with some trucks needing a Thorough Examination more frequently. Check with your truck supplier or maintenance provider if you are unsure as to the regularity of inspection your forklift needs.
It is worth noting that, much like a car MOT, a Thorough Examination must be carried out independently of your routine forklift maintenance protocol.
The owner or operator of the fork lift truck is generally responsible for making sure that Thorough Examinations are conducted regularly. Records of this must also be kept by the relevant employer or owner.
CFTS (Consolidated Fork Truck Services) regulate the scheme for Thorough Examinations. Further details on this scheme are available on the CFTS website
Officially CFTS accredited, Butlin Forktrucks are fully authorised to perform these important forklift inspections.
The LOLER 98 and PUWER 98 regulations simply require that all Thorough Examinations are carried out by a Competent Person.
Please note carefully that an “insurance inspection” is not necessarily a Thorough Examination as per legal CTFS guidelines. To ensure that your forklift inspection fully protects you and your employees legally and in terms of health and safety, make sure that any documentation regarding such inspections is headed ‘Report of Thorough Examination’.
F.A.Q link: www.fork-truck.org.uk