Once you take the keys, the forklift is your responsibility. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and PUWER 1998 (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations), the operator must use the truck safely, follow training, and report defects. Employers must provide a safe truck and proper training, but the operator carries a legal duty too - you cannot blame the employer if you knowingly used a faulty truck.
Do these BEFORE starting the engine, every shift, even if someone else used the truck last:
After the walkaround, start up and test: brakes (service and parking), steering, horn, lift/tilt controls, and warning lights on the dash. Never operate with a fault that affects safety - report it and take the truck out of service. Fit a 'Do Not Use' tag or remove the key.
Defects must be reported immediately, in writing, using the daily check sheet or defect book. This creates a legal record under PUWER. A truck taken out of service must not be used again until repaired and signed off by a competent person.
Remember: pre-use checks protect you, colleagues, and the load. They take minutes but prevent the accidents that cost lives.
A counterbalance forklift is stable only while its combined centre of gravity (the truck's own weight plus the load's weight, working together) falls inside an imaginary triangle. Two points of this triangle are the front wheels (or the pivot points of the front axle), and the third point is the centre of the rear axle (the pivot point of the steer axle, not the wheels themselves). This is why counterbalance trucks steer from the rear - it lets the rear axle act as a single pivot corner of the triangle.
Capacity plates are rated at a standard load centre, almost always 500mm from the front face of the forks (measured horizontally from the heel of the forks to the load's centre of gravity), with the load resting flat on the forks. This 500mm figure is the industry-standard reference used across counterbalance trucks in the UK.
Every truck must carry a legible capacity (data) plate showing maximum capacity at the rated load centre, lift height, and attachment fitted.
Common mistakes:
Always travel with the forks low - about 100-150mm (4-6 inches) off the ground. This keeps the load stable and gives you the best view, and means if you clip something the drop is minimal.
Tilt the mast slightly back when travelling, whether loaded or empty. This cradles the load against the backrest and stops it sliding forward off the forks.
If a load blocks your forward view, drive in reverse instead, or get a banksman to guide you. Never drive forward 'blind' hoping for the best.
On ramps or gradients, always travel with the load facing UP the slope. Going up: drive forwards. Going down: drive in reverse. This stops the load tipping forward and off the forks.
Keep speed low in busy areas - most sites set a walking-pace limit, often 5-10 mph (8-16 km/h), lower still near pedestrians, doorways and blind corners. Sound the horn at every junction, blind bend and doorway.
Leave three truck-lengths distance from the vehicle in front and reduce speed further on wet, oily or uneven floors, since stopping distances increase sharply.
Before lifting, check the rack or stack's Safe Working Load (SWL) and the truck's own capacity plate - never guess.
Approach the stack square-on and stop about a metre away. Level the forks, then move forward slowly and smoothly - never lift while still moving forward.
Lift the load clear, tilt the mast back slightly for stability, then lower to travel height before moving off.
When placing a load on a stack or rack, raise it a little above the target level, move in slowly and square, then lower gently onto the beams or the load below - never drop it in.
Always keep the mast vertical (or slightly back) when lifting and only tilt forward right at the point of placing or picking the load - tilting forward at height is a major tipping hazard.
Check the load is stable and not damaged, leaning, or interlocked with its neighbours before touching it.
Insert the forks fully under the load - forks not fully home is a common cause of a load slipping or toppling.
Lift the load clear vertically first, then tilt back and reverse away before lowering - never reverse out while still tilting or lowering, as this can snag the load or the rack.
Forklifts and people don't mix well. A loaded counterbalance truck can weigh several tonnes, has poor rear visibility, and cannot stop quickly. Most fatal forklift accidents involve pedestrians being struck or crushed. The law (Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, plus PUWER 1998) requires employers to keep vehicles and pedestrians apart wherever reasonably practicable.
Forklifts run on diesel, LPG (gas), petrol or electric battery power, and each fuel type carries its own hazards. You must know the safe procedure for your truck's fuel type before you touch it.
Forklifts are 'work equipment' under the law, so two big regulations control how they must be provided, maintained and used. Get these straight and a good chunk of the theory test falls into place.
PUWER covers ALL work equipment, not just lift trucks. It says equipment must be:
PUWER does not set a fixed inspection interval by itself — it says inspect 'at suitable intervals', which in practice usually means a daily pre-use check by the operator plus periodic maintenance inspections set by the employer's risk assessment.
LOLER applies specifically because a forklift LIFTS loads. Key numbers:
There is no single 'forklift licence' recognised in UK law — training is delivered by accredited bodies (e.g. RTITB, ITSSAR) and must cover three stages:
Refresher training is required periodically or after an accident, near-miss, change of equipment, or if performance drops. Employers must keep training records and issue authorisation to operate specific trucks.