DGUV Regulation 68: Industrial Trucks

Under § 1, the regulation applies to industrial trucks including their trailers. Excluded are industrial trucks moved by muscle power without a lifting device, such as simple hand carts. Under § 2(1), an industrial truck is a conveyor that runs on wheels on the floor and is freely steerable, is designed to carry, pull or push loads and is intended for in-plant use. That includes forklifts, pedestrian-controlled industrial trucks, order-picking trucks and racking trucks.

The duty holder is the employer (Unternehmer). According to the implementing instructions, that term is not tied to a person: it affects all supervisors to whom employer duties have been delegated. The regulation applies to companies insured with Berufsgenossenschaften. Parallel regulations with the same title (DGUV Regulations 67 and 69) exist for other accident insurance carriers.

For rented or loaned trucks, the implementing instructions allow a copy of the last inspection record to suffice. The original must be presented on request of the Berufsgenossenschaft or the supervisory authority. Industrial trucks are also work equipment under the BetrSichV. The employer therefore needs a risk assessment that covers the area of use, traffic routes and drivers.

Under § 37(1), industrial trucks, their attachments and the safety devices needed for operation in narrow aisles must be inspected by a qualified person (Sachkundiger) at intervals of no more than one year. The implementing instructions clarify that this includes attachments that are not a fixed part of the industrial truck.

According to the implementing instructions, a qualified person is someone who, through technical training and experience, has sufficient knowledge of industrial trucks and is familiar enough with the relevant regulations and recognized rules of technology to assess whether the trucks are in a condition safe for work. The regulation does not require a particular certificate. For scope and procedure, the implementing instructions refer to the accident insurance principle titled "Inspection of industrial trucks". The regulation does not say who must supply the qualified person. What counts is the expertise.

For narrow aisles, a daily function test of the safety devices is added, unless a failure is displayed automatically and clearly (§ 37(2)). Plan the annual inspection together with maintenance, but keep the records separate. The inspection record is a document of its own.

Under § 38, the recurring inspection covers the condition of the components and devices, the completeness and effectiveness of the safety devices and the completeness of the inspection record. The inspector assesses the components and devices and checks that the earlier records are complete. For details, the implementing instructions refer to the accident insurance principle "Inspection of industrial trucks".

The employer must keep records of the inspections (§ 39). The inspection record contains the date and scope of the inspection, the result with the defects found, an assessment of whether there are concerns about continued operation, notes on necessary follow-up inspections, and the name and address of the inspector. The correction of defects must be noted in the record (§ 39(2)). It must be available for review when needed, preferably close to the place of use (§ 39(3)).

The implementing instructions allow electronic record keeping if it is clear who made the entry, for example through password-protected access. Stickers showing the date of the next inspection should only be applied once the safety defects found at the last inspection have been corrected. For rented vehicles, a copy may be enough, and the original must be presented on request. vi manages the inspections of the whole fleet in the calendar and combines them with maintenance.

The driver checks the industrial truck every day before the start of use for visible defects and watches for defects during operation (§ 9(1)). A truck with defects that impair safety may be neither put into operation nor used further. The driver reports defects found to the employer immediately. As examples, the implementing instructions list excessive steering play, damaged tires, ineffective brakes, deformed fork tines, unevenly tensioned lift chains, hydraulic leaks and cracks in load-bearing parts such as the mast.

The employer must ensure that such defects are corrected before the truck continues in service (§ 9(2)). That applies even if the truck is urgently needed. Define who the driver reports to and who locks the truck out.

The employer may only assign repair work to competent persons (§ 10(1)). The implementing instructions name manufacturer service technicians as an example. Work under a raised load-handling device or raised driver platform is only allowed if it is additionally secured against lowering (§ 10(2)), for instance with pins, squared timbers or a hoist. After any repair to load-bearing or safety-relevant parts, clarify whether the change affects safety and therefore requires an inspection under the BetrSichV.

The employer may only assign independent operation of industrial trucks with a driver's seat or driver's platform to persons who are at least 18 years old, are suitable and trained for the task and have proven their qualification. The assignment must be in writing (§ 7(1)). For pedestrian-controlled trucks, it is enough that the person is suitable and instructed in handling (§ 7(2)). If a pedestrian-controlled unit with a driver platform has a design speed above 6 km/h, the implementing instructions treat it as a truck with a driver's platform, and § 7(1) applies.

According to the implementing instructions, training and qualification are met if the person was trained under the accident insurance principle for drivers of industrial trucks, passed a theory and practical test and can prove it. Before the written assignment, a device-specific briefing and an instruction on site conditions are needed. The assignment can take the form of a driver's license card but only applies to the company that issued it. It should be withdrawn if the person cannot show sufficient and regular driving practice over a period of one year.

Insured persons may only operate industrial trucks if the employer has authorized them (§ 7(3)). Keep a list of authorized drivers and compare it with shift schedules and equipment handover.

Violations of numerous provisions of the regulation are administrative offenses under § 209 of Book VII of the Social Code, according to § 40. They include driver assignment (§ 7), continued operation despite defects (§ 9(2)) and the recurring inspections with the inspection record (§§ 37 to 39). The fine can be up to 10,000 euros (§ 209(3) SGB VII). The supervisory officers of the Berufsgenossenschaft can issue orders, enter business premises and inspect documents (§ 19 SGB VII).

Besides the inspection and driver duties, § 5 requires written operating instructions for the operation of industrial trucks. They must be written in an understandable form and language and made known at a suitable place in the workplace. The employer must ensure they are followed. For drivers on site, that means a language they understand.

Construction and use follow from further provisions. The regulation has its own rules for use in explosive atmospheres, outdoors, in enclosed rooms with combustion engines and in narrow aisles. They do not replace the risk assessment under the BetrSichV.