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The Health & Safety Authority have published a new information sheet titled “Safe Vehicle Tailboard Goods Lift Operations”. It is an extensive document which prescribes the updated advice and regulations for anyone who owns, operates, maintains &/or carries out Thorough Examinations & Weight Tests on Tail Lifts. Tail lift regualtions have been getting more and more stringent in recent times in order to ensure that the equipment and the operation are kept as safe as possible.
The document clarifies some questions which we have been asking for some time now which are as follows:
Q. Are Guard Rails a requirement on Tail Lifts?
A. Guard Rails are not required but there is a legal duty on the employer to determine a safe system of work by risk assessing the task and deciding if fall prevention measures are required.
Q. How often should a tail lift have a Thorough Examination.
A. The Annual Thorough Examination is every 12 months for goods lifts. If a person is lifted at any time then the Thorough Examination should be reduced to 6 months (twice a year). A lot of our customers carry out their examination every 4 months to have a good overlap and higher frequency of checks.
Q. Where should Tail Lift records be kept?
A. The owner of the tail lift should retain records of risk assessments, examinations and inspections, and a copy of the thorough examination report should be kept in the cab of the vehicle.
Q. Who should complete the Thorough Examination?
A. A report of Thorough Examination should be completed by a competent person. A competent person is defined as follows:
“For the purposes of the relevant statutory provisions, a person is deemed to be a competent person where, having regard to the task he or she is required to perform and taking account of the size or hazards (or both of them) of the undertaking or establishment in which he or she undertakes work, the person possesses sufficient training, experience and knowledge appropriate to the nature of the work to be undertaken”. Excerpt taken from the “Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005” page 10.
Q. Should Tail Lift Operators be trained?
A. The employer has a duty to train the operator in the use of the Tail Lift.
Should you need any clarification on any of the above items, the document itself or and advice on Tail Lift specifications, safe use of Tail Lifts or maintenance & conformity please do not hesitate to contact any of the Ballinlough Sales & Service team on 01-4600322 for Dublin, 021-488 2077 for Cork & 094 96 40045 for Roscommon. Alternatively, for more information on tail lift regulations please click here
The document is available on the HSA Website
Stay Safe
