Better safe than sorry
April 1st 2007 BITA outlines its activities shaping the Thorough Examination, latest Guidance Notes and the new passport scheme for service engineers, PAS 90 Forklift trucks are involved in over 8,000 accidents each year according to the HSE. A proportion of these are due to unsafe trucks. No matter how well maintained a machine may be, its safe condition still depends on rigorous and regular inspection. BITA and the FLTA, recognising a need for inspections across the country to be both improved and standardised, have collaborated to achieve a solution that increases safety, complies with the law – and is easy for truck users to implement. The national 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 forklift truck – including trucks that are just a year old. Only a competent person from an accredited company can carry out the new national Thorough Examination procedure. Such companies have proved themselves capable of – and committed to – meeting the strict Quality Assurance Procedural Code. The new national procedure is administrated by Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS). Technical work BITA has recently published two revisions to important Guidance Notes: GN57 rev1 Industrial trucks on public roads and GN49 rev1 Engineers working at height. GN57 rev1 is an invaluable guidance note to enable a greater understanding of the complexities and requirements for industrial trucks on public roads. It includes the requirements for: vehicle number plates, road lighting exemptions between sunrise and sunset, registration and vehicle licensing, together with example completion of DVLA form V55/5. BITA's revised guidance is of importance to service engineers, employers and occupiers of the sites where the engineers are working. Service engineers passport scheme BITA recently announced a major project that will affect many UK industries – PAS 90. Standing for 'Publicly Available Specification', PAS 90 is a new BSi document, developed jointly with BITA and other bodies, to provide a specification for a minimum safe working standard for industrial truck service engineers working on-site. PAS 90 makes it easier for relevant legislation, standards, and best practice to be enacted, to the benefit of all concerned. Compliance to the letter and spirit of PAS 90 not only ensures compliance with the law, but also with best practice. PAS 90 gives vital assurance to both the industrial truck industry and their customers of the safety competence of service engineers More articles from BITA: | 
