| About Thorough Examination |
| Accredited Companies |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
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Who are CFTS and what is the fork lift truck industry scheme for Thorough Examination? CFTS is a joint venture between: The British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) These are the two major industry trade organisations in materials handling. They represent manufacturers, dealers and suppliers of related products, as well as the actual users of equipment covered by the Thorough Examination regulations. They are also the acknowledged experts on Thorough Examination of fork lift trucks They developed the scheme in close association with the Health and Safety Executive and in consultation with the whole industry. Its keystones are:
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What is Thorough Examination? Thorough Examination is a bit like a car's MOT. Both a Thorough Examination and an MOT are means of certifying that, at the time of testing, all components which have a bearing on safety have been formally inspected and assessed as being in a safe condition. Just as a car's MOT and 10,000 mile service are two different things, so Thorough Examination is distinctly separate from a truck's regular maintenance programme (even though in both cars and trucks some of the same items are included in both regimes). It is not part of maintenance - it is an examination embedded in legislation. As a result, Thorough Examination would not normally be included in a maintenance agreement, unless specifically requested.
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Is Thorough Examination a legal requirement, like the MOT for cars? Yes. It is required under two pieces of Health and Safety legislation: LOLER 98 (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) - which covers lifting components. PUWER 98 (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) - which deals with all other safety-related items, such as brakes, steering and tyres. Importantly, however, the new accredited scheme for Thorough Examination does more than just meet the minimum legal requirements.
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As a user of fork lift equipment, what are my obligations? Every truck you have in service, including hired trucks, must have a current Report of Thorough Examination. This is akin to the MOT certificate. (The only exceptions are brand new trucks, although these must be subject to Thorough Examination at some point within a year of their acquisition.) The document must be headed Report of Thorough Examination. It must comply with Schedule 1 of LOLER 98. You must be able to produce it when required to do so by an enforcement officer. The responsibility for obtaining this Report of Thorough Examination lies with you, the user of the truck (whether you own, lease or hire). The only exception may be for a truck operating under a short-term contract of less than a year, in which case the hiring company should provide you with a copy of the current report of Thorough Examination..
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How often must a Thorough Examination be carried out? At least every 12 months. Depending on the application, the intensity of use and the nature of any attachments, the regulations may require this interval to be reduced to 6 or even 4 months. The person carrying out the Thorough Examination - the 'Competent Person' - will be able to determine the appropriate interval. The same person should also be consulted for advice on whether planned changes to the truck's operation or configuration will alter this interval.
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What is checked in a Thorough Examination? The items checked include... under LOLER 98, lifting parts such as:
Particularly close inspection is made of components such as:
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What happens if a Thorough Examination finds something wrong? If the defects do not immediately affect safety, a Report of Thorough Examination will still be issued. However, it will identify the defects and state a time by which they must be rectified. The user is responsible for ensuring that the necessary repairs are undertaken within that time. If the defects are imminently dangerous, the report will state that the equipment must not be used until they have been rectified. This report will normally be copied to the local enforcing authority.
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Who can carry out a Thorough Examination? Someone designated as a Competent Person under the terms of the regulations. To be designated, the examiner must have had appropriate experience and training.
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If Thorough Examination was already required by law, why did we need a new scheme to deliver it? After close consultation and wide-ranging investigation, BITA and the FLTA concluded that Thorough Examination was not being delivered comprehensively and effectively throughout industry. With no regulation, standards varied greatly between examiners. Often the examinations were limited in scope. These were serious deficiencies and it was clear that a much more stringent scheme was needed to fulfil the requirements of the LOLER and PUWER legislation.
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What involvement did the FLTA and BITA have in Thorough Examination before introducing the new scheme? The FLTA and BITA have been the leading authorities on Thorough Examination ever since its introduction. BITA produced BITA Guidance Note GN 28. This explains in detail how Thorough Examination of a fork lift truck should be conducted and includes a checklist for the Competent Person. It has been used as the basis for the CFTS Thorough Examination. The BITA checklist has become part of the formal documentation used in the CFTS scheme. The FLTA's work in promoting and explaining Thorough Examination has included the special training of nearly a thousand engineers, now deployed by FLTA members. In addition, it prepared an FLTA Technical Bulletin on the subject, aimed at educating the users of fork lift trucks. The FLTA also produced Report of Thorough Examination forms, which have now been remodelled to meet the needs of the CFTS scheme.
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How does the Thorough Examination scheme offered by CFTS differ from other schemes? First of all, it should be recognised that only people and organisations with close involvement in working with fork lifts can claim the necessary intimate knowledge to deliver Thorough Examination effectively. The new system was developed to offer a single definitive process - and resulting quality mark - that had the backing of the two industry trade organisations dedicated to setting and raising standards in the fork lift truck industry. Importantly, it was developed in full co-operation with the Health and Safety Executive. Drawing together the relevant requirements from the extensive and complex LOLER 98 and PUWER 98 legislation, and interpreting them precisely in relation to fork trucks, was a major undertaking for the FLTA and BITA. It took some 18 months of hard effort - individually and in partnership - to achieve the desired result. HSE was involved throughout this process.
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Are all examiners covered by the new scheme? No. Only accredited companies are entitled to use the CFTS certification. They gain the right to do so by establishing their competence and committing themselves to following all of the approved processes. They must be open to independent assessment and to a complaints procedure. The strict standards ensured by the CFTS scheme only apply to Thorough Examinations conducted by these accredited companies.
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How does a company become accredited to the CFTS Thorough Examination scheme? The application procedure requires each company to supply detailed information about the staff who will be involved in the Thorough Examination process, right down to depot level, and the procedures they will use. It must also demonstrate that it has the necessary equipment, facilities and training programmes. If its application is accepted, it must agree to:
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What does the Quality Assurance Procedural Code cover? The Procedural Code sets rigorous standards on all aspects of the Thorough Examination process, including:
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We can obtain Thorough Examination outside the CFTS scheme. Why should we switch to a CFTS accredited company? The CFTS partners have worked together closely to set up a national scheme which delivers all of the safety objectives of Thorough Examination. It also covers additional inspections across areas known to be necessary for safe operation. Few outside the industry can claim such authority and familiarity with the examination procedure and commitment to its aims. No other scheme has the full backing of the relevant industry trade associations. Accredited fork lift truck engineers will have the in-depth knowledge to identify and categorise defects more clearly than examiners from a broader background. Their training as Competent Persons includes a demanding course on Thorough Examination and they must meet nationally agreed criteria in this role. Correspondingly high levels of training and experience are also required of their managers. Crucially, companies conducting Thorough Examinations under the CFTS scheme will have been obliged to sign up to every aspect of the Procedural Code. There are no half measures. Only by choosing a CFTS accredited company can you be sure that the Thorough Examination will meet the highest standards. It's what you would expect from the FLTA and BITA, whose members already adhere to very rigorous Codes of Practice… guaranteeing peace of mind for the customer.
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And are there any other advantages to using the scheme? Yes. As an end user, you will be gaining the endorsement of an authoritative and high-profile safety initiative whose distinctive CFTS Thorough Examination stamp of approval will be instantly recognisable throughout British industry. This mark will help to give immediate credibility to related documentation and will appear on a sticker - similar to a car tax disc - attached to every truck which has received a Thorough Examination through the scheme. The disc shows clearly when the next Thorough Examination is due. And remember, this is a certification mark and a quality mark, not just an exercise in branding. As such, it carries real authority. By displaying the CFTS Thorough Examination mark on your truck, and being able to show the CFTS-endorsed documents, you will be making a clear statement to your customers and staff that your company is committed to safety. The mark's symbolic 'fork lift tick' will be your - and your customers' - guarantee of excellence and confidence.
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Why isn't there a fixed fee for Thorough Examination - like a car's MOT fee? Unlike a car, a fork lift truck cannot easily be taken to a testing centre. The inspector must come to the fork lift truck. The distance and time involved in travelling, which will vary between inspections, must be reflected in the price. The time taken for the inspection will depend upon the type of equipment being examined. Materials handling equipment is much more diverse in its construction and use than cars, so it's impossible to standardise on the time taken for an examination. Again, this affects the cost to the examining company and hence the cost to the customer.
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Can my insurance company insist that its own inspectors carry out the Thorough Examinations on my trucks. No. Insurance companies have no legal right to insist that their own inspectors carry out your Thorough Examinations.
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How do I find accredited companies? An up-to-date register of accredited companies that are currently delivering the CFTS scheme is contained on this website. To help you find your most appropriate inspector, this list is broken down into national providers and local ones by region. To find the list click here.
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| The national Thorough Examination scheme has been developed by the FLTA and BITA, working together as Consolidated Fork Truck
Services (CFTS). |
 www.bita.org.uk |
 www.fork-truck.org.uk |