The legal minimum
A forklift used to lift loads must have a thorough examination at least every twelve months. If it's ever used to lift people, whether with a working platform or an integrated cage, that drops to every six months.
This sits under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, usually shortened to LOLER, and it applies regardless of how lightly the truck is used.
Thorough examination is not servicing
A service keeps a machine running. A thorough examination is a systematic inspection by a competent person to identify defects that could become dangerous, and it results in a written report.
One does not substitute for the other. A truck can be freshly serviced and still fail its examination.
The other half: PUWER
LOLER covers the lifting parts. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, or PUWER, covers everything else on the machine, including brakes, steering, lights and controls.
Most operators want both assessed at the same visit, since a forklift with sound lifting gear and failed brakes is no safer than one with neither.
Daily checks are still your responsibility
Neither regulation replaces the pre-use check by the operator at the start of a shift. Fluid levels, tyres, forks, mast and warning devices should be checked daily, and any defect reported before the truck is used.
If the certificate has lapsed
An out-of-date report means the truck should not be in service until it's been examined. Insurers take the same view, and so does the HSE if something goes wrong.
If you're unsure when a machine was last examined, we can check the records and get it scheduled.
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