Does a pallet truck need a LOLER inspection?
Usually they do not - HSE’s guidance says hand pallet trucks that can’t raise their forks above 300mm aren’t covered by LOLER, because they move loads rather than lift them. But they still fall under PUWER, so they need maintaining and inspecting. High-lift pallet trucks, scissor-lift pallet trucks and pallet stackers that lift above 300mm do need a LOLER thorough examination.
This used to be properly confusing!! For years, some people examined every pallet truck under LOLER and others ignored them altogether. HSE settled it in June 2018, in an update to its LOLER guidance (L113). The line is 300mm.
Which pallet trucks need a LOLER inspection?
Type of truck | Can it lift above 300mm? | Covered by LOLER? | What it needs |
Standard hand pallet truck | No | No | PUWER: maintenance, and inspection at intervals set by your risk assessment |
Electric (powered) low-lift pallet truck, walk-behind or ride-on | No | No | PUWER, including brakes, steering, the emergency reverse switch and the battery |
Weighing pallet truck | No | No | PUWER. Checking the scales is a separate matter |
Scissor-lift pallet truck | Usually, yes | Yes | A LOLER thorough examination at least every 12 months, plus PUWER |
High-lift manual pallet truck or manual stacker | Yes | Yes | A LOLER thorough examination at least every 12 months, plus PUWER |
Powered pallet stacker | Yes | Yes | A LOLER thorough examination at least every 12 months, plus PUWER for the drive, brakes and steering |
The 12-month interval is LOLER’s minimum for equipment that lifts goods (Regulation 9(3)(a)(ii)). An examination scheme drawn up by a competent person can set a different interval, for example a shorter one for a stacker working round the clock in a cold store.
If you’re not sure how high yours lifts, check the data plate or the manual. The maximum lift height is usually listed.
Buying used? Read our guide to second-hand lifting equipment
Why the 300mm line?
A standard pallet truck raises the pallet just far enough to clear the floor, then you pull it along. HSE’s view is that’s moving a load, not lifting it, so it isn’t a lifting operation under LOLER.
Once a truck can raise its forks above 300mm, it’s doing something different. A scissor-lift pallet truck raises the load to working height. A stacker puts pallets on racking. That’s lifting, and a load at that height can fall, so LOLER applies.
The forklift industry’s own examination scheme, CFTS, takes the same view. Its chairman said when HSE published the change that low-lift hand pallet trucks “shouldn’t be subject to Thorough Examination”.
Not LOLER doesn’t mean no checks
This is where people get caught out. Every pallet truck is work equipment, so PUWER applies to all of them.
PUWER Regulation 5: it has to be maintained in an efficient state, in good working order and in good repair.
PUWER Regulation 6: where it’s exposed to conditions that cause it to deteriorate, it has to be inspected at suitable intervals by a competent person, and the results recorded.
PUWER doesn’t set a fixed interval. You decide it based on how hard the trucks work and where. A truck used now and then in a clean stockroom needs far less attention than one dragging pallets across a yard every shift. There’s more on setting intervals in how often do you need a PUWER inspection?
From what I see, a sensible routine for most sites is a quick check by the user before each shift, plus a recorded inspection of every truck at least once a year. Many sites line that up with their forklift examinations, so the whole fleet is done in one visit.
What goes wrong on pallet trucks
Most pallet truck problems are wear and tear that nobody notices until the truck won’t lift or won’t steer:
worn or seized load rollers and steer wheels, often jammed with shrink wrap or banding
hydraulic pump seals leaking, so the forks drift down under load
bent, cracked or twisted forks, usually from being used as a lever
a release lever that doesn’t lower smoothly, or a handle that won’t spring back up
on powered trucks: brakes, the emergency reverse (belly) switch, the horn and the battery and its charger
A 1-minute check before each shift
Forks straight, with no cracks or twisting
Wheels and rollers turn freely and aren’t damaged or wrapped in plastic
No hydraulic oil leaking
The truck lifts and holds a load without sinking
The release lever lowers the forks smoothly
On powered trucks: brakes, emergency reverse, horn and battery level all work
The rated capacity is marked and readable
If any of those fail, take the truck out of use and label it until it’s been looked at. There’s a fuller version for all kinds of lifting kit in our lifting equipment inspection checklist.
Pallet trucks and forklifts: one visit
If you’ve got forklifts, you’re already booking a thorough examination for them every 12 months, or every 6 months for anything that lifts people. That’s the easiest time to have your stackers examined under LOLER and your pallet trucks inspected under PUWER, all on the same visit. Read does a forklift need a LOLER inspection? for the forklift side.
We examine warehouse equipment across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Loughborough and Lincoln, and out to Newark, Mansfield and Grantham, with sites along the M1 and A50 an easy run from our Nottingham base. We also travel anywhere in the UK.
Every examination is carried out and signed by me, Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with over 14 years’ experience. We don’t sell, hire or repair trucks, and once we’ve agreed a price, it stays fixed for all your ongoing examinations.
Send us a list of your trucks, with makes and models if you have them, and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
FAQs
Does a hand pallet truck need a LOLER inspection?
Not if it can’t lift its forks above 300mm, which covers most standard hand pallet trucks. HSE’s LOLER guidance says these move loads rather than lift them. They still fall under PUWER, so they need maintaining and inspecting at intervals set by your risk assessment.
Do electric pallet trucks need a LOLER inspection?
Low-lift electric pallet trucks that can’t raise their forks above 300mm aren’t covered by LOLER. But PUWER applies, and powered trucks have more to check, including brakes, steering, the emergency reverse switch and the battery.
Does a pallet stacker need a LOLER inspection?
Yes. A stacker lifts pallets well above 300mm, so it’s covered by LOLER and needs a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 12 months. Its drive, brakes and steering also need inspecting under PUWER.
Do scissor-lift pallet trucks need a LOLER inspection?
Usually, yes. Most scissor-lift pallet trucks raise the load to working height, well above 300mm, so LOLER applies and they need a thorough examination at least every 12 months. Check the maximum lift height on the data plate if you’re not sure.
How often should a pallet truck be inspected under PUWER?
PUWER doesn’t set a fixed interval. It depends on how much the truck is used and where. Most sites check trucks before each shift and have every truck inspected and recorded at least once a year, often on the same visit as their forklift examinations.
What should I check on a pallet truck before using it?
That the forks are straight and uncracked, the wheels turn freely, there are no oil leaks, it lifts and holds a load, and the release lever works smoothly. On powered trucks, also check the brakes, emergency reverse, horn and battery.
Who changed the rules on pallet trucks and LOLER?
HSE clarified it in June 2018, in an update to its LOLER guidance, Safe use of lifting equipment (L113). It said hand pallet trucks with a maximum lift height below 300mm aren’t subject to LOLER, but high-lift trucks that raise the forks above 300mm are.
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