Geoff Martin

Thousands of businesses operating forklifts may, unknowingly, be falling foul of the law over their Thorough Examinations, according to industry leaders.

Studies have shown that 93% of managers overseeing lifting operations believe that their Thorough Examination, as the name suggests, checks their entire truck. However, CFTS, the body behind a national standard for the Thorough Examination of forklifts, feels it couldn't be further from reality.

CFTS chairman Geoff Martin explains: "Most inspections known as 'Thorough Examinations', sadly, don't live up to their name. Indeed, they tend to cover the bare minimum demanded by LOLER 98, which covers the truck's lifting mechanism.

"For those responsible for ensuring safe operations, that creates a big problem as, under PUWER 98, you are duty-bound to ensure that the entire truck is safe to use."

"When components that are so important haven't been examined, you just wouldn't know until it was too late," he explains.

"Worst of all, there are thousands of managers out there, across virtually every sector, who may have unknowingly exposed their businesses and workforces to potential danger and they don't even know it."

CFTS, which is a joint venture between two of the UK's leading authorities on lifting operations (BITA and FLTA), is encouraging managers to review their paperwork to ensure that their trucks are safe and legal before it's too late.