A pre-start check takes a few minutes and catches the faults that turn plant into a hazard: a leaking hydraulic hose, a reversing alarm that has stopped working, a quick hitch pin that is missing. This template covers the checks common to excavators, skid steers, elevating work platforms, telehandlers and forklifts, with a seven-day grid so one sheet covers a week.
Why plant gets checked every shift
WHS laws require plant to be kept safe: maintained, inspected and used according to the manufacturer’s information. On a building site that means a daily check by the operator before first use, because conditions are hard on machines and faults develop between services. Hire companies and principal contractors almost always require it, and it is one of the first documents asked for after a plant incident.
Manufacturer first
Every machine has an operator manual with its own pre-start list. That comes first. This template covers the checks common to most mobile plant and adds the site record around them: operator, licence, faults and sign-off. Use the Word version to add any model-specific items.
The three parts of a pre-start
| Part | What you are checking |
|---|---|
| Walk-around (engine off) | Leaks, fluids, tyres or tracks, hoses, attachments and quick hitch, guards, lights and mirrors |
| Cab and safety devices | Seat belt, rollover and falling-object protection, horn, reversing alarm, camera, extinguisher, emergency stop, EWP-specific devices |
| Function test | Gauges and warning lights, brakes, steering, every hydraulic function, quick hitch locking, isolation |
Quick hitches deserve special attention
Buckets and attachments detaching from excavator quick hitches have killed and seriously injured workers on Australian sites. The locking pin or mechanism must be engaged and tested by the operator every time an attachment is changed: curl the attachment and apply pressure against the ground to confirm it is locked. It is on the pre-start, and it belongs in every excavator operator’s routine.
Licences and competency
Some plant needs a high risk work licence to operate, including forklifts, certain boom-type elevating work platforms and cranes. Other plant needs an operator who is trained and competent for that type and, ideally, familiarised on that model. Record the licence or competency at the top of the sheet and on the training and competency register.
When a fault is found
- Safety fault: brakes, steering, quick hitch, seat belt, alarms, ROPS damage, major leaks. Tag the machine out of service, report it, do not operate.
- Non-safety fault: record it, report it, and get a repair date.
- Record the repair in section 6 before the machine goes back into use.
The site around the machine
A perfect machine can still hurt someone. The pre-start sits alongside site controls: exclusion zones, spotters, traffic management, overhead powerline clearances and ground conditions. For digging work, the excavation permit covers services and ground support, and plant movement near people is high-risk construction work that needs a SWMS.
Hired plant: what the hire company does, and does not do
Much of the plant on residential sites is hired, often with an operator. The hire company is responsible for supplying plant that is safe and maintained, with its manuals, service records and any registration documents. That does not remove the site’s responsibility for daily checks, for how the plant is used, and for the people around it. When plant arrives:
- check it matches what was ordered, with the attachments and safety devices expected;
- ask for the service log and, for registered plant, the registration documents;
- confirm the operator’s licence and familiarity with that model;
- do the first pre-start together with the operator and record it.
Report faults to the hire company straight away and tag the plant out. Hire companies would rather replace a machine than have it operated with a known fault.
Elevating work platforms: extra checks
Scissor lifts and boom lifts are common on two-storey builds for fascias, gutters, cladding and eaves. On top of the general checks, an EWP pre-start should confirm the platform gate closes and latches, the guardrails are secure, the tilt alarm and load limits work, the emergency lowering system works from the ground, and, for boom types, the harness anchor point is undamaged. Check the ground too: EWPs overturn on soft ground, slopes and near excavations far more often than from mechanical faults. Plan rescue for a worker stranded or suspended at height before the work starts, and record it in the site emergency plan.
