A lot of farm machinery is designed and used for lifting - like front-end loaders, fork-lift trucks and telescopic handlers. All of these must comply with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and the Provision or Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER).

This means that employers and the self-employed must ensure that machinery and equipment are:

• Fit for purpose under conditions of use and strong enough for the task
• In a safe condition
• Inspected regularly by a competent person
• Marked to indicate safe working loads
• Used safely
• Subject to ongoing thorough examination
• Lifting equipment must be examined by an approved engineer every 12 months, unless the equipment is being used to lift people, in which case it should be examined every six months.

“We regularly see farming businesses that do not carry out these inspections as frequently as required,” says Clive Castle at Boom Machinery Inspections. And the implications can be serious: “First and foremost, checks and examinations reduce risk and accidents. Heavy loads or personnel being lifted to heights carry high risks and faults to machinery causing them to drop, fall or overturn can result in life changing or fatal injuries.

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'Not only that, but should an accident happen, a farming business which can prove that the equipment was kept fit for purpose and checked regularly is likely to avoid the risk of fines and possible prosecution."

There are other financial benefits too. “Your insurance is at risk of being invalidated if machinery checks and inspections have not been carried out or if documentation can’t be provided as proof,” says Mr Castle. “Not to mention that faults and problems are often cheaper to fix if they are identified quickly.”

Of course, new kit will come with full safety features, which are improving all the time. For example, Kramer's existing range of telehandlers – stocked by Ripon Farm Services, Farol, Ben Burgess and Doubleday - have been updated with a new suite of services and features. These include additional comfort, driver assistance systems and achieving the latest exhaust emissions targets. Importantly, another new feature is all-round visibility, which offers an uninterrupted view of the attachment and safe, precise working, even when the telescopic arm is extended.

HSE Regulations

To fulfil HSE regulations, equipment must be inspected yearly or six monthly, as explained above. “There are further measures you can take to ensure that employees are kept safe and your business is protected should an accident occur,” says Mr Castle.

“We recommend that regular visual checks are made by the operator prior to use. These should be documented with a simple checklist - either on paper or using the increasing number of apps available for this purpose, outlining the main points to check.”

All lifting equipment should have some form of ID; number plate, serial number or manufacturer, which these checks are recorded against.

It’s also important to act on any defect advisories or detected faults. “Regardless of whether the equipment is just used around the yard or not, if it is used for lifting purposes it must be maintained to be considered fit for purpose,” warns Mr Castle.

He recommends undertaking risk assessments and sharing them with operators and staff for specific lifting tasks; these should be reviewed annually and updated every time something is changed, like additional equipment or change of user roles. “Putting these and any subsequent safe working practices in place can reduce the risk of accidents and protect your business from fines or possible prosecution if an accident were to happen.”