Plant Pre-Start Checklist Template

What requires or shapes this record

No source opened for this page requires this particular form, and the form does not say what inspection, thorough examination or operator licence any plant needs: that depends on the plant, the work and the country, and this page is general information, not legal advice. What the sources do show is that day-by-day checks by the operator are expected in several systems. In Great Britain, HSE's guidance on PUWER says an operator's pre-use check is not the inspection that regulation 6 requires and need not be recorded, while its lifting guidance says users should be trained to make pre-use checks before each working day or shift and should not use equipment with a defect unless authorised. In the US, OSHA requires a check at the beginning of each shift for vehicles on an off-highway construction jobsite and an examination at least daily for powered industrial trucks, with defects corrected or reported. In Canada, CCOHS tells forklift operators to check daily and before each use and to check the jurisdiction's own requirements. No European Union text was opened for this page. The groups, the decision wording and the rule on safe control are our own wording, and a completed form shows what an operator saw on one day, not that a rule is met.

• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/2306), regulations 5, 8 and 9 (UK, Great Britain)

  Regulation 5 says every employer must ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair, and that any maintenance log for machinery is kept up to date. Regulation 8 (page /regulation/8) says everyone who uses work equipment must have adequate health and safety information and, where appropriate, written instructions, including on the conditions and methods of use, foreseeable abnormal situations and what to do if one occurs, and that they must be readily comprehensible. Regulation 9 (page /regulation/9) says users, and the employees who supervise or manage the use of the equipment, must have adequate training for health and safety, including the methods of use, the risks and the precautions. The pages are marked as applying in England, Wales and Scotland. The regulations do not mention a pre-start check form; the form's operating-instructions check and competence confirmation follow the information and training duties in our own wording.

• HSE, Safe use of work equipment, L22 (4th edition 2014, amended 2018), paragraphs 81, 88 and 103, and Safe use of lifting equipment, L113 (2nd edition 2014), paragraphs 288 and 289 (UK, Great Britain; free PDFs)

  L22 is HSE's approved code of practice and guidance on PUWER. Paragraph 81 says that, for the regulation 6 duty to inspect, inspection does not include a pre-use check that an operator makes before using the equipment, and that while inspections need to be recorded, pre-use checks do not. A pre-start form is therefore a voluntary record in Great Britain, and the recorded inspection of regulation 6 is a different thing. Paragraph 88 says some equipment needs examinations or thorough examinations under other legislation, including LOLER. Paragraph 103 says inspection records can be on paper or electronic, and suggests recording the type and model, an identification number, the normal location, the date, who inspected, any faults, the action taken, to whom the faults were reported and the date of the repair. L113 (https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l113.pdf) is HSE's guidance on lifting equipment under LOLER. Paragraphs 288 and 289 say users should be trained to carry out pre-use checks, that pre-use checks are not maintenance or thorough examination, that the operator is the first line of defence, that checks should be made before use each working day or at the start of each shift, and that if defects are found the operator should report and record them and not use the equipment unless authorised to do so or, if competent, take appropriate action to record and rectify the fault. The report to the maintenance team gives a full fault record for each item. Sections 4 and 5 of the form follow that pattern in our own wording.

• 29 CFR 1926.601(b)(4) and (b)(14), 1926.602(a)(9) and (c)(1)(i), 1910.178(l)(1) and (q)(7) (US OSHA, via the eCFR, current to 16 October 2026)

  Section 1926.601 covers motor vehicles that operate on an off-highway construction jobsite, and paragraph (b)(14) says all vehicles in use must be checked at the beginning of each shift for service brakes, the parking and emergency braking systems, tires, horn, steering mechanism, coupling devices, seat belts, operating controls and safety devices, to make sure they are in safe operating condition and free of apparent damage that could cause failure, and that all defects must be corrected before the vehicle is placed in service; the same applies to lights, reflectors, wipers, defrosters and fire extinguishers where necessary. Section 1926.602 covers earthmoving and material handling equipment: paragraph (a)(9) requires a horn on bidirectional machines such as rollers and front-end loaders and says earthmoving or compacting equipment with an obstructed view to the rear must not be used in reverse unless it has a reverse signal alarm or someone signals that it is safe (paragraph (b)(4) of section 1926.601 says the same for motor vehicles), and paragraph (c)(1)(i) requires the rated capacity of lift trucks to be posted where the operator can see it. Section 1910.178 covers powered industrial trucks in general industry: paragraph (q)(7) says a truck must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily and after each shift when used round the clock, must not be placed in service if the examination shows a condition adversely affecting safety, and that defects found must be reported immediately and corrected; paragraph (l)(1) makes the employer responsible for each operator being competent, shown by training and evaluation. These rules apply to those classes of equipment in the US only; cranes and other plant fall under other parts that were not opened for this page.

• CCOHS, OSH Answers: Forklift Trucks, Daily Checks (Canada, fact sheet last revised 12 March 2025)

  CCOHS says an operator should inspect the forklift truck every day, including at the beginning of each shift, and before each use, with a visual walk-round ("circle") check first and then an operational check with the key on. The visual items it lists include fluid levels, leaks, hoses, wheels and tires, forks, guards, the seat belt or restraint, the fire extinguisher and controls; the operational items include brakes, steering, horn, back-up alarm and lights, and the lift and tilt movements. It says to report problems to the supervisor immediately and to check with your jurisdiction for any requirements for the frequency of checks and for maintenance. The sheet is about forklifts only; the form's groups borrow the walk-round and function-test pattern for other plant in our own wording.

Each source checked on 20 October 2026. Not legal advice; check the text in force for your site.

Field by field

The form keeps one pre-start check short: one item of plant, one operator, one day or shift. The 26 checks, the six groups and the three decision options are examples written for typical mobile plant: delete what does not apply, add what the manufacturer's instructions list, and keep the same wording from one day to the next so that results can be compared. The competence confirmation records where the evidence is held but never says what licence or certificate is needed. If a defect affects safe control, the decision is do not operate.

Plant ID and type

Why: Ties the check to one item. HSE's guide to records suggests an identification number and the type and model, so a defect, a tag and a repair can be traced to the same machine.

Common mistake: Writing a type only ("the excavator"), so on a site with three of them nobody can say which one the defect belongs to.

Operator

Why: Names the person who did the check and who will run the plant. The operator is the person well placed to notice faults, which is why HSE's lifting guide calls the operator the first line of defence.

Common mistake: Initials only, or a name written by someone else, so the check cannot be tied to the person who looked.

Date and shift

Why: A pre-start check is valid for the day or shift it was made. HSE's lifting guidance and OSHA's rules for industrial trucks and off-highway vehicles all tie the check to each day or each shift.

Common mistake: Filling in a week of forms on Monday, or copying yesterday's ticks.

Hours meter or odometer

Why: Shows how long the plant has run, so a defect that appears at a given reading, and the time between checks and services, can be seen.

Common mistake: Leaving it blank or copying the last reading, so a stopped or tampered meter is never noticed.

Site and task

Why: The exclusion zones, the spotter and the load chart depend on what the plant will do and where. It also tells the next operator where it was working.

Common mistake: "General duties", so the checks on zones and load information cannot be judged.

Operator competence confirmation

Why: Records that the operator holds what the employer or site requires for this plant and has been shown this make and model. PUWER regulations 8 and 9 require information and training, and OSHA 1910.178(l) requires that truck operators be shown competent. What counts differs by plant type and jurisdiction, and the form does not say.

Common mistake: Ticking the box for a ticket that is for another type of plant, or that has expired, or that was never seen.

Where the evidence is held

Why: A tick on its own proves nothing. Saying where the card, record or system entry is, and who checked it, lets someone else confirm it later.

Common mistake: "On file" with no place and no name.

Pre-start checks: OK, Defect, N/A and note

Why: One mark per check, with a note when it is a Defect or N/A. The 26 checks are examples that follow the shape of the CCOHS and OSHA lists: a walk-round first, then the controls and safety devices tried in use.

Common mistake: Ticking OK from the cab without walking round, or using N/A for a check that was simply skipped.

Walk-round, tyres or tracks and fluids

Why: A look at the machine on the ground before it moves finds leaks, damage and missing parts that cannot be seen from the seat. OSHA 1926.601(b)(14) lists tires and CCOHS lists fluid levels, leaks and hoses.

Common mistake: Checking fluid levels but not the ground underneath, so a leak that stopped overnight is missed.

Guards, cab and operator protection

Why: Guards, covers, the operator station, protective structures and the seat belt or restraint are what stand between the operator and the machine's hazards. OSHA 1926.601(b)(14) lists seat belts and CCOHS lists guards and restraints.

Common mistake: Ignoring a loose cover or a worn belt because the machine "runs fine".

Controls, brakes, steering and safety devices

Why: Controls, brakes, steering, the emergency stop and the safety devices are tried, not looked at, and a function test with the area clear is made before work. 1926.601(b)(14) and CCOHS list these items. The check that a safety device is not bypassed links to a separate bypass record.

Common mistake: Testing the emergency stop only when it is convenient, or accepting a disconnected alarm or limit switch as a fault to fix later.

Lights, horn, alarms, mirrors and cameras

Why: Others on site rely on the warning devices and the operator on the view. OSHA 1926.602(a)(9) requires a horn and a reverse alarm or a signaller where the view to the rear is obstructed, and CCOHS lists the horn, the back-up alarm and lights.

Common mistake: Relying on a camera screen that is dirty or not adjusted, or on a reversing alarm nobody has heard for a week.

Attachments, load information and emergency kit

Why: Covers the attachment and quick hitch, lifting accessories, the load chart or capacity plate, the operating instructions, the fire extinguisher and the first aid and spill kits. OSHA 1926.602(c)(1)(i) requires the rated capacity of lift trucks to be posted and visible, and PUWER regulation 8 gives users instructions.

Common mistake: Assuming a quick hitch is locked because the bucket is on, with the safety pin or lock never looked at.

Exclusion zones and spotters

Why: Sets who and what is kept away for the task, and names a spotter where the view is limited. OSHA 1926.601(b)(4) and 1926.602(a)(9)(ii) allow a signaller to stand in for a reverse alarm where the view to the rear is obstructed, and the form asks for the arrangement to be written down.

Common mistake: A spotter who has not been briefed on the signals, or who works to a different set of signals from the operator.

Defect decision

Why: Turns the checks into one decision for the plant today: operate, operate with restriction, or do not operate and tag out. The rule that a defect affecting safe control means do not operate follows HSE's lifting guidance (do not use unless authorised) and OSHA 1910.178(q)(7) and 1926.601(b)(14) (defects corrected before the vehicle is put in service, a truck not placed in service if its condition affects safety).

Common mistake: Choosing "operate with restriction" for a brake, steering or guard defect because the job is urgent, or leaving the restriction unwritten.

Defects reported

Why: Each defect gets an owner, an action and a due date, and is closed when the fix is checked. HSE's guide to records suggests noting the fault, the action, whom it was reported to and the date of the repair, and HSE's lifting guidance says defects go to the maintenance team so a fault record is kept for each item.

Common mistake: Writing the defect on the form and telling nobody, so it is still there at the next pre-start and the next.

Handover between operators

Why: Plant is often passed between operators on the same day. The form records the meter reading, any new defect since the pre-start and that the incoming operator made their own walk-round and function test. OSHA 1910.178(q)(7) requires examination after each shift for trucks in round-the-clock use.

Common mistake: Taking over a warm machine on trust, with the first operator's ticks as the only check.

Worked example

IllustrativeA pre-start check on a tracked excavator (invented plant, people and numbers)

The form shows what was found and decided on one day. It is not a thorough examination or a service record, and it does not say that the plant, the operator or the site meets a requirement. The names, numbers and rules are invented to show the method and are not recommendations.

When a spreadsheet stops being enough

A paper form or a spreadsheet works for a few machines and a site office where someone reads each form the same day. It stops working when many items of plant run across several sites, when a defect must reach the workshop and become a job that is closed and checked, when a tag must be visible to everyone who might start the machine, and when you want to see which machines were not checked today or which defects stay open.

A software record keeps the check per plant item, each day, with the operator, the meter reading and the answers; turns a defect into an action with an owner and a due date; shows a tagged-out status to the next operator; keeps a history per item; and reminds when a competence record or an inspection is due. On a remote site it must work without a signal and sync later, and photos of a defect help. Ask what happens when an operator marks a defect: does the plant show as out of service, and who is told?

The list below applies the equipment maintenance rule used by the equipment maintenance software guide. Nothing in it shows that a product holds a pre-start checklist, a tag-out status or an hours meter reading, so test it with your own form on the plant you run.

Same rule for every product: tagged “Equipment Maintenance”, with a sourced maintenance or work-order capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

Tekmon pays for a sponsored placement (above); its place in this list follows the same rule as every entry. How lists are ordered

• MaintainX · Work orders and procedures · Documented

  Product scope and boundaries

  Vendor source · Profile checked 14 October 2026

• UpKeep · Maintenance orders and assets · Documented

  Product scope and boundaries

  Vendor source · Profile checked 14 October 2026

• Fiix · Connected maintenance records · Documented

  Product scope and boundaries

  Vendor source · Profile checked 14 October 2026

• Tekmon · Maintenance and asset workflows · Documented

  Product scope and boundaries

  Vendor source · Profile checked 28 September 2026

All 4 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.