If you operate a fork lift truck, you have a legal obligation to ensure that it holds a valid Report of Thorough Examination. This applies whether you own, lease or hire the truck.

The national fork lift truck Thorough Examination procedure meets the requirements of both LOLER 98 and PUWER 98 legislation.

In many ways it is like an automotive MOT, but it is much more rigorous. It is a legal requirement that applies to every fork lift truck – including trucks that are just one year old. Crucially, as an owner or user, YOU are responsible. Failing to comply could be disastrous: prosecution, invalidation of your insurance or, worst of all, a serious accident due to faulty equipment.

Compass Lift Truck Services Ltd are an accredited Thorough Examination company. We have proved ourself capable of – and committed to – meeting the strict Quality Assurance Procedural Code.

By opting for Compass, you can rest assured that your Thorough Examination will be administered efficiently and carried out to the highest professional standards. In addition, the certification mark of the scheme will give a ‘stamp of approval’ to your business:

• giving immediate credibility and authority to the Thorough Examination documentation you hold
• making a positive statement to your customers and staff that you care about safety and their welfare
• marking your trucks with a symbol of excellence that is nationally recognised
• reducing the risk of accidents – with their economic and human costs
• completely fulfilling your legal requirements

To understand the significance of a scheme that’s truly nationwide, it’s worth comparing the testing of fork lift trucks with the MOT for cars.

Imagine what it would be like if there were no cohesive national system for assessing the safe condition of cars. Imagine if garages were allowed to decide for themselves how to carry out MOT tests. Imagine if an MOT certificate issued by one garage was based on criteria and practices which differed widely from those used by another. Imagine if there was no one to oversee the process nationally and ensure consistent high standards.

This is very much like the situation which has applied to Thorough Examination – in many ways the fork lift truck’s equivalent to an MOT – until now.The new scheme – described as the biggest safety advance in many years – has been developed co-operatively by the two leading bodies in the fork lift truck industry: British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) and the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) under the banner of Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS).