When well maintained and used safely and correctly, forklifts are a great asset to many businesses. But, like any commercially used vehicle, forklift trucks do need regular safety checks.
In this short article, we’ll go over what checks the law requires or recommends and the type of checks you should do to ensure the safe use of your forklift truck.
According to the British Safety Council, there are 5 forklift-related, serious and life-changing injuries per day in the UK. These injuries range from sprains to broken bones and head injuries, and a worryingly rising number of injuries lead to death.
Although many of these injuries can be put down to human error, the fact can’t be ignored that a large proportion of fatalities and injuries are caused when a forklift overturns or fails to stop – both of which can happen as a result of the forklift not having the necessary mechanical and safety checks and maintenance.
According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) website www.hse.gov.uk, official checks on forklifts must be carried out by a LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) approved technician.
This person, according to the LOLER Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, should be ‘competent’, have the ‘appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment’ and to be able to recognise any defects that could affect the safe use.
Basically, the choice comes down to the professional judgement of the LOLER approved technician, but must include anything that could affect the safe use of the forklift.
The HSE state that most technicians will usually follow industry-standard procedures when carrying out these checks which will include:
Once those checks are complete, the details of the inspection need to be recorded and must contain certain information required by LOLER to specify:
All the results gathered from the checks can then be used to make the necessary repairs or adjustments, and also be able to be produced when asked by the relevant authority.
As an organisation that depends on the use of forklifts, Health and Safety law states that you have an obligation to ensure all your forklifts, including new forklifts and used forklifts, are in safe working order. To do this, it’s important that users carry out regular pre-use checks. These pre-use checks should include checks on:
Maintaining cleanliness also plays a vital role in the safe use of a forklift. We’ve all seen the vans and trucks with dashboards overflowing with rubbish and no doubt you’ve seen some forklifts in a similar state. The problem comes when this rubbish builds up and obstructs the drivers view or becomes a possible fire hazard.
The best practice is to keep to a regular cleaning routine and include cleaning out the cab, wiping down the exterior of the forklift, cleaning the radiator and changing filters etc.
If you’re looking to buy a new or used forklift, Beds & Bucks Forktrucks Ltd. are the specialists for you. With over 30 years’ experience in the forklift industry we stock a huge range of various makes of forklift, including Clark, Combilift and Aisle-Master.
To find out more, get in touch today to speak to one of our friendly advisors.
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