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Posted By John A Wright
Just a quick question, I'm reviewing the maintenance and inspection schedule of a customer.
Forklift trucks are thoroughly examined annually except for one which is used to lift a 'people platform' - that truck and the platform are inspected six-monthly.
But there is also an operator-riding pedestrian-operated truck, where the operator can ride on the truck in a standing position. Is this vehicle classed like a normal FLT which has a driver, therefore annual inspection, or because the operator is standing on the truck is it classed as lifting the person, therefore six-monthly?
John
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Posted By A Campbell
John,
If designed to allow a person to ride on... have seen them in large warehouse systems... then normally would be 12 monthly and not lifting a person.
A good route would also be to check with your insurer as they may wish to state different regime?
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Posted By John A Wright
Thanks A Campbell,
Yes I will be checking with the insurers; the reason we were looking at the accounts was because, according to the certificates' next inspection date, the (new) insurers appear to have instructed the inspection company to thoroughly inspect EVERY truck six-monthly, so I just wanted some opinion on the pedo-truck before I call them.
John
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Posted By Edward H
From your description I can see no element that involves a person being lifted. The operator steps onto the ride-on platform which then moves parallel to the floor when driven along, where is the lifting? If being carried on a moving vehicle was lifting then every van, lorry, train or bicycle would be lifting equipment.
Even a ride-on pallet truck where the whole truck rises up a few centimetres to lift a pallet clear of the floor before moving it is excluded from LOLER by paras 32-34 of the ACoP as the primary purpose of the function is not to lift but to provide clearance to enable it to be moved.
The truck you describe lifts goods not people and should be inspected as any other lift truck.
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Posted By John A Wright
Yes, I am in agreement, not a person-lifting LOLER issue.
I just asked the question because, instead of sitting in a cabin, the driver is standing on a moving vehicle without any fall protection.
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Posted By DP
John - check your trucks as many of these ride-on ride-off truck have a built in facility to raise the standing area of the truck (operators platform) about 18 inches ( once again dependant on settings). The facility allows the operators to gain height to higher level picking locations.
Dependent on picking the operation in your place of work it may have been made inoperable by the supplier/manufacturer. This is not that uncommon.
If its fitted the duty to examine stands.
If fitted and not used, you can of course get an exemption if not in use but I would not advise this.
The controls tend to be at the side by the battery area
Your insurers may have the knowledge of the lifting facility
Hope this helps?
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Posted By andy.c.66
I asked this question of our regular inspector the answer surprised me,
if the primary function is to move and not lift then the equipment is not required to have a statutory inspection.
as the truck you are describing comes under this category it sounds like it is the insurers that are requesting inspection.
just to confuse matters further when the insurers request that this type of equipment is inspected it will be done to loler standard and on loler paperwork
i would suggest your first move is to get the insurers opinion and reasoning
Andy
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Posted By MartinMac John,there are two documents on the HSE web site which should help, they are GN 28 which is a guidance note written by the British Industrial Truck Association which the HSE have accepted as good practice.The other document HSE803/69 which is similar to the BITA GN.To further confuse (perhaps) the pallet truck you describe is work equipment and so falls under PUWER and does need inspection by a competent person.I work in the forklift industry and am a Thorough Examination manager and in my experience this type of truck whilst not classed as lifting people,they often get damaged around the operator side restraints/panels and therefore pose a real threat to the operator safety so basically the frequency of inspection is either 12 months or less if a risk assessment identifies the need and for convenience "LOLER" paperwork is used.Another source of information for you could be http://www.thoroughexamination.org/.Regards Martin
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Posted By John A Wright
My thanks to DP, andy, MartinMac and other contributors.
I've examined the pedo-truck again and am assured that the platform on which the rider stands does not have a rise/lift function, so stricly not a twice-yearly thorough inspection candidate. It does have a spring feature, though, which 'closes' it , it folds up vertical when the rider steps off, so risk of damage is (almost) avoided, but that spring is a feature that needs inspection. The pedo is only used for a few minutes every day.
Regarding the frequency of thorough test for all the trucks, I've asked a manager within the customer to enquire with their insurers as to whether they insist on a blanket twice-yearly thorough exam of all 8 lift-trucks, and not just the one assigned to use for the people-platform. Trucks are used for 1-2 hours per day.
John
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