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Forklift daily inspection checklist: sources and guidance

A pre-use examination record for powered industrial trucks (forklifts) in US general industry. OSHA requires trucks to be examined before being placed in service, at least daily, and kept out of service when a condition affects safety [18] [20].

How often: Before a truck is placed in service and at least daily; after each shift when trucks are used around the clock.[18]

Purpose

Use this checklist to examine a forklift before it goes into service and to record the result. OSHA's general industry standard for powered industrial trucks says a truck must not be placed in service if the examination shows any condition adversely affecting its safety [20]. The checklist gives that examination a consistent order and leaves a record of who checked which truck, when, and what they decided.

Who should use it

The operator who will use the truck, or the person your workplace assigns to examine trucks before each shift. Supervisors use the completed records to see which trucks were kept out of service and why.

How often

At least daily, before the truck is placed in service. Where trucks are used around the clock, examine them after each shift [18]. Your organization can decide to examine more often, for example after an impact or before a demanding lift.

How to use this checklist

  1. Park the truck on level ground, fully lower the forks, put the controls in neutral, shut off the power and set the brake before the walk-around.
  2. Work through the walk-around, then the operating checks with the truck running. Compare each check with the operator's manual for that truck model.
  3. Mark N/A only where the check does not apply to this truck, such as the fuel system on an electric truck.
  4. If any check shows a condition that affects safety, choose "kept out of service" and report it. Do not use the truck until it has been repaired.

Some checks are marked critical. A fuel leak, sparks or flames from the exhaust and overheating are conditions the standard itself names as reasons to keep a truck out of service [15] [21] [23]. Brakes, steering, lift controls and the overhead guard are also marked critical because a truck that is defective or unsafe is taken out of service [14]; your competent person can change which checks are critical.

What the rules say

  • Trucks are examined before being placed in service, at least daily, and after each shift when used around the clock [18].
  • Defects are reported and corrected immediately [19], and a truck found in need of repair, defective or unsafe is taken out of service until it is restored to safe operating condition [14].
  • No truck may be operated with a fuel system leak until it is corrected [15].
  • Nameplates and markings must be in place and legible [4], and high lift rider trucks are fitted with an overhead guard [5].
  • Only loads within the truck's rated capacity may be handled [13].

The standard does not list every component to examine. The component checks here (brakes, steering, forks, tires and so on) follow the operator's manual and are marked that way in the sources.

What this checklist does not cover

  • Operator training, evaluation and certification under 29 CFR 1910.178(l); keep those records separately.
  • Choosing the right truck designation for hazardous (classified) locations.
  • Planned maintenance intervals, which come from the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Forklifts used in construction work: check the construction rules that apply to your site.
  • Rules of State Plan states that differ from federal OSHA.

Questions

How often does a forklift need to be inspected?

At least daily before it is placed in service, and after each shift if it is used around the clock [18].

What happens if the inspection finds a problem?

The truck is not placed in service when the examination shows a condition that affects its safety [20]. Defects are reported and corrected [19], and the truck stays out of service until it has been restored to safe operating condition [14]. Repairs are made by authorized personnel [16].

Does this checklist cover forklift operator certification?

No. Operator training and evaluation are a separate requirement: the employer certifies each operator's training and evaluation [10], and each operator's performance is evaluated at least once every three years [9].

Which trucks does OSHA 1910.178 cover?

Fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks and other specialized industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines. It does not apply to compressed air or nonflammable compressed gas-operated trucks, to farm vehicles [1], or to vehicles intended primarily for earth moving or over-the-road hauling [2].

What should the operator do when leaving the truck?

When a truck is left unattended, the forks are fully lowered, controls neutralized, power shut off and brakes set [11].

Sources

Each cited excerpt was found word for word in the official text on the date shown.

  1. [1]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (a)(1) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  2. [2]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (a)(1) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  3. [3]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (a)(5) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  4. [4]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (a)(6) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  5. [5]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (e)(1) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  6. [6]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (e)(2) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  7. [7]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (g)(5) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  8. [8]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (g)(9) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  9. [9]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (l)(4)(iii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  10. [10]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (l)(6) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  11. [11]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (m)(5)(i) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  12. [12]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (n)(4) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  13. [13]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (o)(2) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  14. [14]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (p)(1) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  15. [15]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (p)(4) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  16. [16]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(1) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  17. [17]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(10) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  18. [18]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(7) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  19. [19]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(7) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  20. [20]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(7) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  21. [21]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(8) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  22. [22]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(8) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  23. [23]29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks (q)(9) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.

Guidance, not legal advice. It does not replace the law, the manufacturer's instructions or your organization's competent people.