The experienced forklift engineer identified visible damage to the forklift's overhead guard.

An industry expert has voiced concern over the validity of some Thorough Examinations after the discovery of a forklift that was given the nod by an inspector despite the presence of serious structural damage.

Chas Day, technical manager of Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS) which administers the Thorough Examination scheme, says weeks after the forklift was given a clean bill of health, the truck's poor state of repair was discovered during a routine service by an experienced forklift engineer.

The engineer who is qualified as a "competent person" for the Thorough Examination of forklifts, identified visible damage to the forklift's overhead guard, which could have compromised protection against falling objects like laden pallets displaced at height.

Further investigation revealed unnoticed cracks to the chassis and the carriage. The service engineer also identified the cause of the damage to the overhead guard. It was being used as an anchor point for towing a 7.5 T lorry.

"For the stress to have caused this damage to the guard, it is quite likely that other structural damage will have been done to the forklift, some of which may put the operator at even greater risks," Day explains.

He says the owner was completely unaware of the problems.

"Having been told that his truck had passed its Thorough Examination, he would quite naturally have expected it to be operating safely and legally. However, the extent of damage to this particular truck meant it was a potential killer - and almost certainly unlawful.

"The reason this went unnoticed is that under some inspections, only those items covered under LOLER 98 legislation such as masts, chains and forks are checked. In the view of CFTS and most experienced forklift specialists, that really is literally doing just half the job," Day says.

He questions how anyone could claim to have properly inspected a forklift for safety when items that come under the PUWER 98 legislation like overhead guards, steering and brakes are ignored.

The CFTS was created by the British Industrial Truck Association and the Fork Lift Truck Association in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive to establish a rigorous and comprehensive forklift inspection procedure.

Day urges directors or managers responsible for forklifts to ensure they comply fully with the law. "A properly conducted Thorough Examination carried out by a specialist rather than a generalist can help to highlight a variety of dangerous operational activities. The truck owner benefits from added value by using a CFTS-accredited company with a competent person who knows and understands forklifts."

To check if the company that carries out your Thorough Examinations is accredited to CFTS, or to find a company that is accredited to the CFTS scheme, visit www.thoroughexamination.org.