Is Forklift Maintenance A Legal Requirement?

We all know that forklift maintenance is a necessity, but is it a legality? While the maintenance of work equipment seems like a mundane task it is of the upmost importance. Maintaining heavy machinery in the work place not only keeps business moving, but also keeps your employees safe. That is why maintenance requirements have been put in place and are adhered to. 

According to the Fork Lift Truck Association, Regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98) states: 

"Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair."

Thus insinuating that regular maintenance of work equipment is in fact a legality. 

How To Keep Up With Maintenance 

It is important that regular preventative maintenance checks be performed on your material handling equipment. The frequency of these checks should be determined based on the amount of time (usually in hours) that you are using your equipment. Typically planned maintenance is done on equipment like forklifts every 60-90 days. If you are not sure how to determine how often your work equipment needs to be checked call a professional (Like us (513) 842-2012) and they will be more than willing to help you out! 

What Else Can I Do?

Pre-shift safety inspections are a great way to keep planned maintenance simple. Pre-shift safety inspections require machine operator's to do a quick run through of the equipment before using it. This not only puts some responsibility in the operators hands, but also allows maintenance technicians to know when and where things started going haywire.

Additional Questions? 

If you have additional questions on forklift and material handling maintenance, or need us to perform an inspection give us a call (513) 842-2012!