What Daily Plant Checks Should Every Operator Perform?
A safer working day starts before the machine moves
A practical guide to pre-use inspections, PUWER, LOLER, machine-specific checks, defect reporting and the records every site should be ready to produce.
Why Do Daily Plant Checks Matter?
Construction sites bring people, vehicles, heavy machinery, changing ground conditions and unpredictable weather together in the same working environment. It is work that demands planning, competence and consistent attention to the condition of every machine on site.
The latest provisional HSE figures show that construction recorded 25 worker fatalities in 2025/26 – the highest number of any main industry sector. Across all industries, being struck by a moving vehicle was the second most common kind of fatal accident, accounting for 24 deaths.
Those figures are not all linked to construction plant, but they are a clear reminder of why machinery safety, operator competence and well-managed vehicle movements matter. The operator is often the person best placed to notice a leak, damaged hose, loose pin, warning light or change in the way a machine responds before it develops into something more serious.
What Should You Check Before the Machine Moves?
Before a machine begins work, every operator should be able to answer seven practical questions:
Is the machine suitable for the task and conditions?
Read the guidanceIs there visible damage, leakage or unusual wear?
Read the guidanceAre safety devices, visibility aids and warnings working?
Read the guidanceDo the controls, steering and brakes respond correctly?
Read the guidanceAre attachment and lifting components secure and suitable?
Read the guidanceHas the check been recorded and every defect reported?
Read the guidanceIs the machine safe to use or should it be taken out of service?
Read the guidanceWhat Is a Daily Plant Check?
A pre-use check is not simply a form to complete. Its purpose is to find deterioration, damage or incorrect setup before the machine is exposed to the demands of the shift. That could mean spotting a hydraulic leak before pressure builds, finding a damaged tyre before travelling with a load, or identifying a faulty reversing alarm before the machine enters a busy work area.
HSE guidance supports a programme of daily visual checks, regular inspections and servicing based on the manufacturer’s instructions and the risks associated with the vehicle. The detail and frequency should reflect the machine, the work it performs, the environment and how quickly safety-critical parts could deteriorate.
Need help setting up reliable daily checks?
Rygor Plant can help you match daily checks and planned maintenance to the machine, its working hours and operating conditions.
What Does PUWER Require for Construction Plant?
PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It applies widely to work equipment, including construction plant, and places duties on people and organisations that own, operate or control equipment used at work.
Suitable
Selected for the intended task and conditions. Ground conditions, gradients, restricted spaces, overhead hazards and the intended attachment all matter.
Maintained
Kept in an efficient state, efficient working order and good repair, with any maintenance log kept up to date.
Inspected where required
Particularly where correct installation affects safety or deterioration could create a dangerous situation. Intervals should reflect risk and competent judgement.
Used by competent people
With adequate information, instruction and training for the equipment, the task and the risks involved.
Properly safeguarded
Including guards, protective devices, controls, isolation arrangements, markings and warnings where required.
One checklist will not fit every machine
There is no single checklist that is right for every excavator, loader, dumper, telehandler or crane. The operator’s checklist should be based on the manufacturer’s manual, the site’s risk assessment and the machine’s actual use.
When Does LOLER Apply to Construction Plant?
LOLER stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. It applies to lifting equipment and lifting operations at work. On a construction site, that can include cranes, telehandlers used for lifting, hoists, lift trucks and excavators when they are being used for lifting operations.
Main requirements
- Planning: lifting operations must be planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.
- Suitability and stability: equipment must be fit for the task and positioned to reduce foreseeable risk.
- Safe working load: equipment and accessories must carry the relevant capacity information.
- Thorough examination: applicable equipment must be examined at the required intervals or under a written examination scheme.
- Reports and action: keep records, report defects and take dangerous equipment out of use.
Excavators and LOLER
Not every excavator automatically falls under LOLER. HSE confirms that an excavator used only for conventional earthmoving remains subject to PUWER; an excavator intended for lifting operations must be thoroughly examined and fitted with the additional safety devices required for that use.
A daily pre-use check is not a LOLER thorough examination and does not extend an examination date.
| Equipment or accessory | Specified interval under LOLER* |
|---|---|
| Lifting equipment used to lift people | 6 months |
| Lifting accessories | 6 months |
| Other lifting equipment | 12 months |
*Unless a competent person has drawn up an examination scheme specifying different intervals.
What Should You Check Before Starting the Engine?
Start with the machine stationary in a safe position, with the attachment lowered where appropriate and the area around it clear. Walk around slowly and look high, low and underneath without entering any crush zone or placing any part of the body beneath unsupported equipment.
Damage, running gear and attachments
- Leaks and visible damage: hydraulic oil, engine oil, fuel or coolant; loose bolts, cracked welds and fresh impact marks.
- Tyres, wheels and tracks: condition, inflation where applicable, wheel security, track tension, pads, rollers, sprockets and debris.
- Attachments and retaining parts: teeth, pins, clips, locking devices and the quick-hitch arrangement.
- Hoses, pipes and cylinders: abrasion, bulging, splits, leaks, loose couplings and damaged protection. Never use a hand to search for a pressurised leak.
Access, fluids and protection
- Guards and access points: secure panels, clean steps and handholds, and no defeated safety device.
- Fluid levels: engine oil, coolant, hydraulic oil, fuel and other specified fluids, checked as the operator’s manual instructs.
- Structure and protection: cab, ROPS and FOPS for obvious damage or unauthorised modification.
- Fire protection: where required, check the extinguisher is present, accessible, undamaged and in date.
What Should You Check From the Operator’s Seat?
Once the external check is complete, climb into the cab using the designated access and three points of contact. The functional check should be carried out in a clear area and in accordance with the operator’s manual.
Visibility, restraint and warnings
- The seat and restraint are secure, adjusted and usable.
- Windows, mirrors, cameras and lenses are clean, adjusted and unobstructed.
- Horn, reversing alarm, beacon, lights and indicators work where fitted and required.
- Warning lights complete their start-up sequence and no unexpected fault code, pressure warning or temperature warning remains.
Controls, brakes and safety functions
- Levers, pedals, steering, travel controls and switches respond smoothly with no unexpected movement.
- Service and parking brakes hold and release using the safe method specified by the manufacturer and site procedure.
- Emergency stops, isolators, interlocks, load indicators, limiters and overload warnings are checked where a daily function test is required.
Found something that does not look right?
Stop, make the machine safe and report the defect through the site’s agreed process. Do not continue simply because the machine completed the previous shift. Rygor Plant can help assess the next step and minimise avoidable downtime.
What Extra Checks Does Each Type of Plant Need?
The general check is only the starting point. Operators should also complete the checks specified for the individual machine and attachment.
Use the correct machine-specific checklist
A generic checklist can miss safety-critical items that are unique to a particular model, attachment or configuration.
Excavators
- Bucket teeth, cutting edge, pins, retaining clips and linkage condition.
- Quick-hitch security, including the visual and functional confirmation required by the manufacturer.
- Boom, dipper, cylinders and welds for damage, distortion or leakage.
- Hydraulic hoses along the boom and attachment, particularly at bends and clamp points.
- Slew area, undercarriage, tracks, rollers and sprockets for damage, obstruction or excessive wear.
- If configured for lifting, the relevant rated-capacity information, lifting point and safety devices required for the operation.
Telehandlers
- Fork arms, carriage, heel wear, locking pins and any attachment locking system.
- Boom sections, wear pads, chains where fitted, hoses and extension/retraction operation.
- Stabilisers, pads and interlocks where fitted.
- Tyres, wheel nuts and axle condition, including damage that could affect stability.
- Load chart, rated-capacity or load-moment indicator and associated warnings.
Cranes and Other Lifting Equipment
- Wire ropes, chains and reeving for visible wear, damage, corrosion or incorrect seating.
- Hook, safety latch, sheaves and lifting accessories for condition, identification and compatibility.
- Outriggers, stabiliser beams, pads and ground support arrangements.
- Limit switches, rated-capacity indicators and warning devices, using the prescribed test method.
- Safe working load markings and the current status of any required thorough examination.
Dumpers and Loaders
- Skip or bucket, hinge points, cutting edges, pins and tipping/lift mechanisms.
- Steering and articulation area, including locks or props used during maintenance.
- Tyres, wheels, axles and visible chassis condition.
- Operator restraint, ROPS, access steps and handholds.
- Brakes, lights, mirrors, cameras, horn and reversing warning system.
Need the right support for your machine?
From Hyundai excavators to telehandlers and loaders, our team can help with servicing, repairs and genuine parts.
Record it. Control the area. Keep the machine maintained.
What Should You Do If You Find a Plant Defect?
Complete the site or company record where required and report every defect. A safety-critical fault means the machine must be taken out of service until the risk has been controlled.
- Identify the machine, date and operator.
- Describe the defect and immediate action.
- Mark the machine safe, restricted or out of service.
How Can Sites Keep People and Plant Apart?
A sound machine can still be unsafe in a badly planned work area.
- Separate pedestrian and vehicle routes where reasonably practicable.
- Reduce reversing and use trained, authorised signallers where needed.
- Keep visibility aids, alarms and lighting working.
- Control access to operating, lifting, loading and delivery areas.
What Plant Maintenance and Inspection Records Should You Keep?
Follow the manufacturer’s servicing and lubrication schedule. Fixed rules such as ‘grease twice weekly’ may be wrong for the machine or conditions.
- Applicable PUWER inspection records and LOLER reports.
- Maintenance, repair and defect records.
- Operator’s manual, load information and evidence of competence.
HSE Sources Used — Exact Pages and Sections
View the HSE sources and supporting sections
- Fatality figures: HSE: Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain. Sections: ‘Fatal injuries to workers by main industry, 2025/26’ and ‘Main kinds of fatal accident for workers, 2025/26’. HSE marks these figures as provisional.
- PUWER duties and inspections: HSE: PUWER overview, ‘What you must do’; and HSE: Inspection of work equipment, ‘What you must do’ and ‘What should the inspection cover?’.
- LOLER duties: HSE: LOLER overview, ‘What you should do’ and ‘What you should know’.
- LOLER examination periods: HSE: Thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment, specified intervals, reports and defects.
- Excavators used for lifting: HSE: Construction – Excavators and Lifting Operations.
- Daily checks and defects: HSE: Excavators – Overview, ‘Inspection and maintenance’.
- Traffic management: HSE: Traffic management on site.
- High-pressure hydraulic fluid: HSE: High pressure fluid injection hazards.
HSE does not publish one universal component-by-component daily checklist for every make, model, attachment and task. Sections 4–6 are practical prompts, not quotations from HSE. They must be checked against the operator’s manual, attachment instructions, site risk assessment and any competent-person inspection or examination scheme.
Keep Your Plant Ready for the Next Shift
Planned servicing and timely repairs help protect safety, reliability and uptime. The Rygor Plant team can help assess the next step and minimise avoidable downtime.