The Do’s and Don’ts of Maintaining your Forklift

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

This is what ‘Regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998’ states about the maintenance of your forklift. Maintaining a Forklift or any type of work equipment is vitally important. This is not only for yourself but for the safety of your employees and colleagues. Not maintaining your forklifts and equipment efficiently and regularly can lead to serious accidents. It can also lead to breakdowns and unwanted halts to production. Below we have discussed the do’s and don’ts of maintaining your forklift and other warehouse equipment.

Dos – Maintenance and Service of your Forklift

If you’re looking to get the most of your forklift, then daily and pre-shift checks are key. This means checking fluid levels are constantly topped up, as well as general maintenance. This is to ensure potential problems are identified early so they don’t become threatening in the future.

General maintenance of your forklift ensures smooth working equipment and safety in the workplace. To get the most out of your vehicle, scheduling regular maintenance based on the recommendations of the manufacturer is key. Don’t get into a routine of not checking your forklift regularly! By doing this it can lead to things like flat tyres, leaking fluids, brakes that don’t work correctly etc.

Dos – Thorough Examinations in Accordance to LOLER and PUWER Regulations

Thorough Examinations are a legal requirement that all trucks within a company are inspected by an approved person in accordance to LOLER and PUWER regulations. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require that all lifting operations involving lifting equipment must be planned by an approved person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), aim to make working life safer for anyone using and coming into contact with machinery and equipment. These regulations aim to ensure that all machinery and equipment is; regularly maintained to ensure safety, only used by people with the correct training and inspected by an approved person.

There you have it, our do’s and don’ts for the maintenance of your forklift. For more information about our Maintenance and Servicing options please call us on 01773 763546, email us at jane.castledine@langleymechanicalservices.co.uk or contact us here. Make sure to keep up to date with us by following us on Facebook.