Exam revision scores top marks
October 14th 2008 Can you be certain be certain that the Thorough Examination documents you hold for your fork lift trucks are valid? The CFTS Thorough Examination Certification mark, if present, should give you confidence – and now CFTS has given its documentation a thorough upgrade to make it even more user-friendly.
"We have been using the CFTS documentation packs in their present form for almost four years now,” says John Chappell, Chairman of Consolidated Fork Truck Services. “While there have been no serious concerns about them, we are aware of the need for making the documentation easier to understand. "
"We are always on the lookout for ways of improving these materials – as well as the service we provide to our accredited companies and their customers. The new Thorough Examination Certificate has been inspired by the car MOT form for ease of use. Its size has been increased from A5 to A4 – in line with all of our other documentation."
"We have also added a hologram of the CFTS Certification Mark to both the Report of Thorough Examination and the Thorough Examination Certificate. Although we have had very few reports of rogue companies attempting to duplicate them, the hologram safeguards fork lift users by making it obvious that they have received a genuine document."
“New trucks will also be issued with stickers that indicate when the vehicle is due for its first Thorough Examination. This will serve as a reminder to both users and service engineers and protect them from falling foul of the law.”
Experts say ‘choose CFTS Thorough Examinations’ To be certain of complying fully with the law, fork lift truck industry leaders recommend that you obtain your Thorough Examinations through companies accredited to the CFTS Thorough Examination scheme.
CFTS is the organisation founded as a joint initiative between materials handling’s two major industry trade associations – the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) and the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) – to develop and administer that industry’s national accreditation scheme for Thorough Examination. The CFTS scheme was developed in close consultation with the Health and Safety Executive to meet all the requirements of the legislation. Companies accredited to the CFTS scheme are obliged under their stringent procedural code to provide:
• a Report of Thorough Examination complying fully with LOLER 98
• a checklist specifying what has been checked and recording any comments made
• a Thorough Examination Certificate to keep with truck’s documents
• a sticker, affixed to the truck, to show the month and year when the next thorough Examination will be due.
More than 200 companies have now been accredited to deliver CFTS Thorough Examinations – and that number is growing all the time. Wherever you are, there is a CFTS accredited company close to you – a company committed to the CFTS scheme’s standards, ready and willing to give you its dependable advice, expertise and high-quality service.
Crucially, CFTS accredited companies apply the same agreed criteria and procedures nationally. Those criteria and procedures have been developed by the people who know most about fork lift safety – the FLTA, BITA and the HSE. What’s more, this scheme is a dedicated one, designed to address the special needs of fork lifts, and not a general one that attempts to cover many different types of equipment. For companies not familiar with the benefits of CFTS and Thorough Examination, there is a short explanatory video available for immediate viewing on the CFTS website at: www.thoroughexamination.org. You could be taking a very big risk if you don’t.
More articles from Consolidated Fork Truck Services: | 
