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Integrity Lift Compliance
Knowledge Base

How Often Does a Forklift Need a Thorough Examination?

Twelve months, for a forklift lifting goods. Six months the moment it lifts a person, which includes any use of a man-basket or work platform attachment. The interval is the easy part; what catches operators out is that fitting an attachment can change both the answer and the truck's rated capacity.

Written and reviewed by Mark Crowley, Director, Integrity Lift Compliance Ltd — 26+ years hands-on lifting equipment engineering — NHS, commercial and industrial estates

What interval applies to a forklift?

Twelve months under LOLER Regulation 9 where the truck lifts loads only. Six months where it lifts people — and that is not an unusual case: fitting an approved man-basket or work platform puts the truck on the shorter cycle for as long as that attachment is in use. Running a mixed fleet on a single annual date is one of the commonest ways a certificate quietly lapses.

Do attachments change anything else?

Yes, and this is the part that gets missed. A clamp, rotator, side-shift or fork extension adds weight and moves the load centre forward, which reduces what the truck can safely lift. The rated capacity on the original plate no longer applies. There should be a derated capacity marked for the truck-and-attachment combination, and an examiner will look for it.

What does the examiner actually look at?

Mast channels, rollers and chains; the forks themselves; hydraulic rams, hoses and seals for leaks and drift; the overhead guard and load backrest; chain anchor points and their security; tyres and their effect on stability; and the mast tilt and lift controls. The chains and the forks carry the load and fail progressively, so they take the most attention.

Why do forks get rejected?

Wear at the heel, where the blade meets the shank, which thins the section carrying the whole load. Examiners measure it rather than judging by eye, because the loss is gradual and invisible until it is severe. Cracks at the heel radius, a bent or twisted blade, a damaged or illegible marking, and excessive difference in height between the two tips are the other common reasons a fork comes off the truck.

Does the thorough examination replace daily checks?

No. PUWER expects the operator to check the truck before use — brakes, steering, horn, lights, forks, tyres, hydraulics, obvious damage — and the thorough examination is a periodic statutory assessment on top of that, not instead of it. A truck can pass its examination in January and be unsafe in March, which is exactly what the pre-use check exists to catch.

What about hired forklifts?

A current report should arrive with the truck, and it is worth checking its date rather than its existence — on a long hire the twelve months will expire mid-contract, and at that point the examination falls to whoever has control, which is frequently you. Hire contracts are often silent on it, and silence defaults to the hirer.

Sources & Further Reading

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