What is a Thorough Examination?

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Thorough Examination for fork lift trucks is roughly equivalent to the MOT for cars – a mandatory check to ensure that the mechanical parts of your fork lift are in safe working order.

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It is not the same as regular maintenance – so you need one whether or not you’ve just had the truck serviced.

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Here is how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines Thorough Examination:

"Thorough examination of industrial lift trucks is required under health and safety law: LOLER 1998, which covers lifting equipment, and PUWER 1998, which deals with all other safety-related items, such as brakes, steering and tyres. Your regular inspections as part of a preventive maintenance scheme or scheduled service are not a thorough examination."

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Thorough Examination is required by law, and must take place at regular intervals that depend on the type of truck you’re running... but it will certainly be at least once a year… often more.

However, NOT all Thorough Examinations are created equal. It is crucial to ensure that your Thorough Examinations comprehensively cover both the lifting and the driving mechanisms of the truck: amazingly, not all of them do.

For peace of mind, it makes sense to get your Thorough Examination from a CFTS-accredited Competent Person. The CFTS seal is your guarantee that your truck will actually be examined carefully, and that key components such as brakes and steering will be checked along with the lifting mechanism.

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Our CFTS certified engineers can carry out your Thorough Examination on site and keep your forklift legal and safe. 

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