Pallet Truck Inspections - Workplace Inspection Checklists

Over 4,500 injuries involving pallet trucks are reported every year

According to the HSE hand trucks, pallet trucks and similar handling aids, such as wheelbarrows and trolleys cause regular injury, yet many managers, supervisors, operators, and pedestrians don’t generally consider the hand pallet truck as a potential hazard.

Businesses shouldn’t treat these pieces of equipment as harmless; although they are much less complex and powerful than other MHE (e.g forklift trucks), accidents are common and operators using them incorrectly often experience bruised and fractured lower limbs and musculoskeletal injuries. Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) requires that those operating any type of work equipment should be trained to use it, to understand the risks involved and to take the necessary precautions. It also specifies that supervisors and managers should receive similar training.

Pallet Truck

Under PUWER regulations it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that staff receive suitable and sufficient training. The penalties for failing to train are severe. One supermarket giant was fined £1 million for ‘providing insufficient training’ when an employee lost two toes in an accident involving a powered pallet truck.

The HSE has updated its Approved Code of Practice to clarify that LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) applies to high-lift pallet trucks, both manual and powered, that can raise the forks above 300mm. The approved code of practice can be downloaded by clicking here. Most hand pallet trucks will not fall under LOLER but are covered by PUWER and as such must be maintained in a suitable condition and routinely inspected to ensure this remains the case.

Good to Go Safety provides the ideal solution to pallet truck safety (also referred to as a pallet jack, pallet pump, pump truck or hand truck). Our pallet truck inspection checklist is perfect for both manual and electric powered pallet trucks and is ideal for ensuring pallet trucks are maintained in a good working order.

Simply attach a tag to the pallet truck handle in a position for maximum visibility and then use the pallet truck inspection checklist to complete a pre-use pallet truck inspection. Remove the top copy of the completed checklist and place inside the tag (a duplicate NCR copy is retained in the book for management/maintenance records). The tag will now clearly advise users if a fault has been found and indicate a “Do Not Use” message, or if all checks were satisfactory then users will be advised that the pallet truck is “Good to Go”. The date of inspection is also displayed, making it easy to spot if an inspection has been missed and removing the risk of assuming that someone has completed the checks.

The frequency of pallet truck inspection will be dependent on the findings of a risk assessment with a bare minimum of an annual pallet truck inspection checklist being required. In areas of daily use, in harsh environments or high risk of collisions then the frequency of pallet truck inspections may be increased to weekly or even daily checks. The Good to Go Safety pallet truck inspection checklist is totally flexible to meet your needs.


Pallet Truck Inspection Books - 25 Checklists

Pallet Truck Inspection Books - 25 Checklists

Pallet truck inspections help spot potential faults before they develop into a more serious and costly defect. Our pallet truck checklists have been d..

£6.20

Pallet Truck Inspections - Weekly Checklist Kit

Pallet Truck Inspections - Weekly Checklist Kit

Pallet truck inspections help spot potential faults before they develop into a more serious and costly defect. Our pallet truck checklists have been d..

£37.10

Pallet Truck Inspections - Daily Checklist Kit

Pallet Truck Inspections - Daily Checklist Kit

Pallet truck inspections help spot potential faults before they develop into a more serious and costly defect. Our pallet truck checklists have been d..

£109.50

Pallet Truck Poster - Visual Inspection Checklist

Pallet Truck Poster - Visual Inspection Checklist

Our pallet truck safety poster has been designed to highlight key components of pallet trucks and reinforce the importance of completing pallet truck ..

£21.77

Pallet Truck Inspection and Maintenance Station

Pallet Truck Inspection and Maintenance Station

The information station will provide your workplace with the ideal central location to store inspection check books and keep track of maintenance sche..

£233.20

Inspection Wallet and Pen

Inspection Wallet and Pen

A handy wallet that not only provides additional protection from the elements but also gives inspectors a solid writing surface to complete inspection..

£6.20

Weather Resistant Inspection Holder

Weather Resistant Inspection Holder

These industrial strength pockets have a press seal fastening to keep important documents clean and dry. An ideal solution for storing check books, in..

£6.31

Inspection Book Dispenser

Inspection Book Dispenser

Allow the storage of checklists in a central location for quick and easy access to important inspection checklists. Provide workers with the ideal ..

£13.25

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News

Work-related fatalities in the UK 2023/24

Work-related fatalities in the UK 2023/24

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have released the 2023/24 statistics for UK work-related fatal injuries and according to these statistics, there were 138 deaths across all UK workplaces in 2023–24 with the construction industry accounting for more than a third of the total with 51 fatalities. The new figures, which can be found here, show that the annual number of work-related fatalities has remained broadly similar for over a decade. Additionally, as per previous years, male workers co...CONTINUE...

Company and director fined after a catalogue of serious injuries

Company and director fined after a catalogue of serious injuries

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation following an incident at Code-A-Weld, Harfreys Industrial Estate, Great Yarmouth on the 19th November 2022. A man (54 years) was airlifted to hospital and placed into an induced coma after being struck by an object whilst manufacturing steel cable drums for the offshore industry. During the manufacturing process, the jacking set-up failed, causing parts to strike the man in the face. This caused extremely serious injuries in...CONTINUE...

When did you last check your car?

When did you last check your car?

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Man spared jail for unsafe work on own home

Man spared jail for unsafe work on own home

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted a thorough investigation following a site visit to a property where a man was carrying out unsafe work on his home in Manchester. The HSE served enforcement notices to put work to an immediate stop in August 2020. During their initial visit, the Health and Safety Executive found that Abdul Rehman had engaged operatives to help him build an extension to the property on Kings Crescent in Old Trafford. At the property there was an extremely uns...CONTINUE...

Worker drowns and loses life two days later

Worker drowns and loses life two days later

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation was carried out after the death of a construction worker. Gary Webster, a 60-year-old man was repeatedly pulled under water after his boat capsized during routine cleaning of the River Aire. Mr Webster and another worker (who managed to swim to safety) had been removing debris at the bottom of the weir gates at Knostrop Weir. The accident occured when the boat they were using was pulled into churning water due to the considerable rush of w...CONTINUE...

Managing workplace hazards

Managing workplace hazards

Managing hazards in a business is fundamental to maintaining the safety of employees. Under UK law, employers have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of all employees. This means it’s an employer’s responsibility to identify the hazards facing their employees and implement measures to mitigate them. It's fairly common for employees (and in many cases, management) to be unaware of the hazards they face regularly. Those who haven't encountered an accident often feel ...CONTINUE...

Workplace Equipment Inspections - Construction - Farming - Warehousing

Workplace Equipment Inspections - Construction - Farming - Warehousing

Numerous health and safety accidents or incidents occur every day due to equipment being used in the workplace that is improperly managed, maintained or is not made for the intended purpose. Industries such as farming and agriculture, factories, warehouses and construction are all high risk due to numerous equipment types being used daily. Employers are required to ensure that all the workplace equipment provided to employees is regularly inspected and maintained in safe working order. Th...CONTINUE...

Forklift Engineer Seriously Injured during forklift servicing

Forklift Engineer Seriously Injured during forklift servicing

A 47-year-old grandfather sustained multiple fractured vertebrae on the 14th November 2019 at a Pirelli Tyres' factory in Carlisle. The forklift truck engineer was in the process of servicing a truck when two metal skips fell from a stack of waste tyres, crushing Mr Weightman against the ground. A HSE investigation found that in order for Mr Weightman to work on the forklift truck, he had to move the truck. He was however, unaware that the truck was positioned to stabilise the skips. This...CONTINUE...

Motorsport engineering firm fined following HSE inspection

Motorsport engineering firm fined following HSE inspection

A motorsport engineering firm based in Kent has been fined after Britain’s workplace regulator identified numerous health and safety breaches. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Hispec Motorsport Limited - a specialist designer and producer of aftermarket brake upgrades for road, race, track, and kit cars. During their visits, the inspectors found serious breaches of the law and enforcement notices were issued. The subsequent investigation found the busin...CONTINUE...

22-year-old carpenter sustains fatal head injury

22-year-old carpenter sustains fatal head injury

On 30 October 2019, Niall McCormack from Kettering, Northamptonshire had been working with another carpenter at a new build construction site in Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire. The pair were removing trusses from a pack, to then spread and install across there building. As they were in the process of spreading, a gust of wind caught a spandrel panel, pushing it against the remaining trusses in the pack. Both the truss pack and spandrel panel fell into the work area, hitting Niall McCorma...CONTINUE...

Worker crushed at London Heathrow Airport

Worker crushed at London Heathrow Airport

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation after an employee of Dnata Ltd was crushed to death at London Heathrow Airport on the 23rd February 2022. The incident occurred during the unloading of baggage containers from an Emirates Airbus which had arrived from Dubai. The employee walked underneath a high loader (a raised platform similar to a scissor lift) in order to access the other side of a trailer. At the same time the high-loader operator lowered one of its tw...CONTINUE...

Why you should complete daily forklift inspections

Why you should complete daily forklift inspections

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Tragedy at Go-Kart Centre

Tragedy at Go-Kart Centre

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Banksman loses leg in MEWP accident

Banksman loses leg in MEWP accident

A food manufacturing company has been fined following a serious incident at its premises in Wirral. Sharon Bramhall had been supervising four members of staff as they completed high-level cleaning tasks during a night shift on the 22nd April 2022. She had been acting as a "banksman" as the MEWP turned at a right angle into the warehouse and struck Sharon, crushing her left leg. The 58-year-old had to have her left leg amputated below the knee following a incident at Baker & Baker Products ...CONTINUE...

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The easter bunny uses TakeAIM

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Sub-contractor loses life in hospital

Sub-contractor loses life in hospital

An investigation was conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the death of a sub-contractor hired by NG Bailey Limited. Alistair Hutton, lost his life whilst working on a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) along an unfinished corridor of the Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen on 18 January 2023. The 51-year-old immediately lost consciousness, when his head struck a metal lintel. Mr Hutton, who lived in Forfar, was pronounced dead less than an hour after the i...CONTINUE...