Inspect your trucks

FACE IT — if there’s one thing that must be done correctly, it’s the mandatory inspection of materials handling equipment, with its proven potential to kill or maim should things go wrong.

It’s literally a matter of life and death, yet all the evidence suggests that most managers simply settle, accepting without a second thought the inspection they’ve been offered by the insurance provider or equipment supplier.

Surely it’s worth investing a few minutes from your busy day to check what’s covered by your current inspection regime and confirm whether the examiner is appropriately trained, equipped, and independently audited?

It can’t be stressed enough: not all Thorough Examinations are created equal.

Here’s why it matters…

A mandatory Thorough Examination of materials handling equipment is not like a car’s MOT; it’s much more important than that. The trucks involved are far more complex and dangerous. Moreover, as an employer you are not putting your own safety on the line — you have a legal duty of care to your staff.

It is unlike an MOT in one other, rather shocking, way: there is no government-sanctioned inspection process or checklist. Companies are free to set their own terms of reference and use their own procedures.

To resolve a clearly unacceptable situation, the industry’s two leading trade associations, BITA and the FLTA — in consultation with HSE — created a definitive, national, truly comprehensive procedure for Thorough Examination.

Crucially and distinctively, it fully complies with HSE guidelines by ensuring Thorough Examinations that meet the requirements of both LOLER (covering mast, forks, and lifting components) plus PUWER (covering brakes, steering, safety systems, etc). Delivered through the accrediting body CFTS, it works to demonstrably different standards and can be recognised by the instantly recognisable CFTS kitemark. 

But beware. There remain many unaccredited providers of Thorough Examinations that use their own checklists (usually focusing exclusively on LOLER) and operate without independent assessment and monitoring. In doing so, the fear is they could well be putting staff working with materials handling equipment at unnecessary risk of injury… and employers at greater risk of prosecution.     

How does your inspection regime stack up?

It’s worth checking what’s covered in your current inspection and, ideally, take some practical steps to discover how long your next examination takes and how thorough the process is.

At present, the majority of non-CFTS-accredited examiners are generalists rather than experienced forklift engineers… which can raise two issues.

First, they often lack the specialised equipment needed to conduct a truly comprehensive Thorough Examination. Secondly, they lack the everyday experience and practical wisdom to evaluate component wear in a real-world context.

Taking these in turn, a CFTS-accredited examiner — unlike the majority of inspectors — will arrive not simply with a clipboard and steel rule, but fully equipped with a harness for working at height, truck blocks to secure equipment, torches to inspect defects, UV torches for crack detection, toe jacks for better access, ratchet straps to secure masts and forks, mast blocks, etc.

They will also deploy a wide range of state-of-the-art tools specifically designed to deliver accurate, replicable measurements that show exact increments of wear. Among these are: fork wear gauge, chain wear gauge (to measure leaf and roller chain wear by percentage of elongation), digital or manual vernier calliper, fork wear calliper, and digital angle protractor and set.

Those tools, allied to practical skills specific to CFTS-accredited Competent Persons, are vital in determining when components need to be replaced in each individual application. The first priority is, of course, to ensure equipment is in safe working order. At the same time though, their experience can be invaluable in helping you avoid unnecessary expense from prematurely replacing items that still have plenty of life left in them.

It often comes down to context and an appreciation of the truck usage, the working environment, etc. In short it calls for knowledge, skill and expert judgement. 

How long should a Thorough Examination take?

A Thorough Examination will take as long as is necessary to carry out a comprehensive inspection of all key components.

It will vary according to the size and complexity of the equipment, with a small, three-wheel electric counterbalance truck typically taking at least 45 minutes, and a larger truck proportionately longer. 

But that’s not all. If your equipment is used with a non-permanent attachment, the inspector should use a separate, dedicated checklist. CFTS-accredited Competent Persons employ a unique 34-point checklist, developed in close collaboration with the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributors of attachments.

What’s a Competent Person?

To be compliant, a Thorough Examination must be conducted by a Competent Person.

While it’s true that many technicians/engineers have the practical experience to identify dangerous faults, it is a fundamental requirement for a Competent Person that they fully understand the Thorough Examination process and the legal obligations that go with it.

Without this knowledge they cannot be competent. 

Under the CFTS Quality Assurance Procedural Code, Competent Persons are required to have five years’ practical working experience on the types of equipment they examine. (Most in-house schemes require just 3 years’ experience)

By contrast, inspectors recommended by insurance providers as a condition of the insurance cover are almost invariably generalists who may check equipment for general safety purposes but lack specific and crucial forklift truck knowledge. 

Note: Insurance companies will usually offer, or include, the services of an inspector to undertake a Thorough Examination. This is a default arrangement but you are under no obligation to use their services. Indeed, doing so may not deliver the best outcome in terms of quality or cost.  

Setting and maintaining standards

To maintain standards, companies delivering CFTS Thorough Examinations must follow a robust Quality Assurance Procedural Code and renew their accreditation annually.  Those who cannot fulfil the necessary requirements are unable to renew and will not show up in the CFTS online member search function.

To become accredited to the CFTS scheme a qualified and experienced engineer must take a specific Thorough Examination course at an external training establishment. 

They will also be required to routinely attend regular revalidation courses delivered to strict CFTS-monitored criteria.  CFTS training facilities have been established throughout the UK to ensure 90% of its Competent Persons are within 1.5 hours travel time to a training centre.

Technical Managers also conduct planned audits to ensure members are compliant. This involves checking management standards, paperwork compliance, office organisation, training standards, as well as appraising engineers’ vans and inspection tools.

Because CFTS maintains close contacts with key bodies including UKMHA, TPC, and HSE, its training courses reflect up-to-the-minute content including changes and updates to legislation and current campaigns. 

This contrasts with many in-house schemes run by materials handling suppliers, where training is not externally scrutinised or accredited and risks commercial interests taking precedence over safety standards.

As for accessibility, with over 800 locations nationwide and 2,900 Competent Persons registered on the CFTS national database, the good news for employers is that a truly independent Thorough Examination is always within reach.