Forklift & Telehandler Inspection

Forklifts and telehandlers are used harder than almost any other lifting equipment on site, by more operators, with less downtime for maintenance. They are also the machines most often modified in service — an attachment fitted, a mast changed, a counterweight altered — each of which changes the rated capacity and invalidates the plate on the machine.

Equipment covered

• Counterbalance forklifts, diesel, LPG and electric
• Reach trucks and narrow aisle equipment
• Telehandlers and rough terrain handlers
• Rotating telehandlers
• Container handlers and reach stackers
• Side loaders and multi-directional trucks
• Order pickers and stacker trucks
• Pallet trucks, powered and manual
• Attachments — clamps, rotators, jibs, man cages
• Tow tractors and platform trucks

Mast, chains and lifting

• Mast channels, rollers and bearings examined for wear, distortion and cracking
• Lift chains measured for elongation against the manufacturer's discard limit — the check most often skipped and the one most likely to drop a load
• Chain anchors, sheaves and equaliser condition
• Carriage, fork carrier and backrest condition
• Forks examined for heel wear, blade thickness, cracks at the heel and angle between blade and shank — forks are consumable and worn ones are routinely left in service
• Fork locking pins and retention
• Lift, tilt and reach cylinders for leakage and creep under held load
• Hoses, fittings and hydraulic system condition

Capacity plate and attachments

The rated capacity of a truck depends on the mast, the load centre, the lift height and any attachment fitted. Where an attachment has been added, or a mast changed, the original plate no longer applies — and a truck operating to a plate that does not match its configuration is operating outside its rating regardless of what the operator believes.

We verify that the capacity plate matches the machine as configured, that any attachment is approved by the truck manufacturer for that model, and that the derated capacity with the attachment fitted is marked and known to the operator.

Chassis, drive and stability

• Chassis and overhead guard examined for cracking, distortion and impact damage
• Counterweight security and correct mass
• Tyres, wheels and rims — condition, wear and correct type for the surface and duty
• Steer axle, pivot and stability arrangement
• Service and parking brakes, tested for stopping and holding on gradient
• Transmission, drive and engine condition
• Battery condition, restraint and charging arrangement on electric trucks
• LPG cylinder mounting, hoses and shut-off on gas trucks

Telehandler-specific checks

• Boom sections, wear pads, extension and retraction under load
• Longitudinal load moment indicator, function tested against known loads at radius
• Stabilisers and frame levelling where fitted, including deployment interlocks
• Load charts for each attachment and configuration, present in the cab and correct
• Slew mechanism and lock on rotating machines
• Where the machine is used to lift persons, the man cage, its interlocks and the reduced rated capacity that applies

Controls and operator safety

• Controls, deadman, seat switch and emergency stop
• Operator restraint, seat belt and overhead guard
• Visibility, mirrors, camera systems, lights and travel alarms
• Horn, indicators and warning devices
• Legible capacity plate, decals and safety markings
• Access steps, handholds and platform condition

Load testing

Proof load testing is carried out on new machines, after structural repair, after mast or attachment change, and at the intervals your specification requires. Load is applied at the rated capacity and load centre with the machine in the configuration it will be used in, and stability, brakes, hydraulic holding and structural condition are verified during and after the test.

Standards applied

Inspection follows the standard specified by your contract or governing authority, commonly ASME B56.1 for low and high lift trucks, ASME B56.6 for rough terrain trucks, EN 1459 for rough terrain telehandlers, and the ISO 3691 series for industrial trucks. Manufacturer inspection and maintenance schedules are applied alongside, since they set the chain elongation limits, fork wear criteria and service intervals no general standard specifies.

When inspection is required

• Periodic third-party examination at the interval set by the governing authority
• Before a machine is released for use on a new site
• After fitting or changing an attachment, or altering the mast
• Following structural repair or impact damage
• After an overload, tip-over or collision
• Before hire out, or on acceptance of a hired machine
• Where the machine is used to lift persons, at the shorter interval that applies

Accreditation and approvals

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Certificates are issued in the format required by the governing authority, including Dubai Municipality and the Dubai free zone authorities, and inspection is carried out across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern Emirates. Where a fleet is spread across locations, inspection is scheduled to cover it in one programme.

What you receive

• An inspection certificate in the format the governing authority requires
• A report identifying each machine by make, model, serial number and capacity
• Findings recorded component by component with photographic evidence
• Chain elongation and fork wear measurements against the discard limits
• Confirmation that the capacity plate matches the configuration as found
• Defects classified by severity, separating what stops the machine from what must be monitored
• Load test results where load testing was carried out
• Colour-coded tagging applied on site and your fleet register updated