Buying a forklift

Learn what to consider when buying a new or second-hand forklift, including safety features, required information and your WHS obligations in NSW.

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Exchanging critical safety information at the time of purchase is a legal requirement.

Make sure you get all the safety information about your forklift from your supplier or, if buying second-hand the previous owner.

Know your work health and safety obligations

When you buy and take ownership of a forklift, you become a person with management or control of plant under work health and safety (WHS) legislation.

You must ensure the forklift is:

  • without risks to the health and safety of any person, including those near it when it’s in use
  • fit for purpose
  • used only for what it was designed to do, and
  • compliant with Australian Standards (AS 2359 (series) — Powered industrial trucks).

It must be correctly operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions or, in the absence of manufacturer specifications, a competent person’s recommendations.

Second-hand forklifts may have defects or missing parts that mean they can’t be put into service without repairs or modifications first.

Know what you need

Before purchasing, consider what you’re going to use the forklift for, and make sure the forklift you choose is designed to do that work.

Consider

  • Talking to your workers who will operate the forklift about their requirements. Discuss possible WHS risks and appropriate controls. Your workers can help identify safe operating controls, including visibility mirrors and seat design for comfort and back support.
  • Talking with a reputable dealer and discussing your requirements with them.
  • Whether you need a forklift truck at all, or whether another item of plant would do the job, for example a pallet jack or pedestrian-operated forklift.
  • The workplace you’ll be using the forklift in:
    • Will it fit within the workplace area, including aisles?
    • Is there enough space for it to move around?
  • What maximum rated lifting capacity you’ll need:
    • How much weight will you be lifting?
  • What maximum height and outreach you’ll need:
    • How high will you need to lift a load?
  • Whether the forklift will be used on indoor or outdoor surfaces. The type of surface and terrain affects tyre choice (pneumatic or solid rubber).
  • Whether you need an electric, petrol, gas or diesel forklift. How often you’ll use it will help determine the right power source.
  • Whether you’ll need to control forklift emissions, and whether any environmental restrictions apply.
  • Whether you require flame- or static-proof features.
  • Whether you’ll need attachments, and whether you’ll need additional forklift data plates for them (for example slippers, jibs, spreaders, grabs and work boxes).
  • Whether the load backrest is the appropriate height for your loads, or whether you’ll need an extended backrest.
  • What controls are needed to eliminate or minimise health and safety risks, and whether these are built into the forklift’s design, such as:
    • guards, seatbelts and operator restraints
    • “smart” technologies such as proximity devices that trigger signals
    • warning devices such as forklift-to-worker proximity sensors, reverse lights, reverse sensors, flashing lights, beepers, quackers and focus beams
    • speed-limiting devices, and
    • operator visibility devices such as side mirrors and reverse cameras
  • Whether the operator will need to get on and off frequently. A stand-on forklift may suit the job better than a sit-down one.
  • Whether modifications are needed to meet the expectations in the Australian Standards for powered industrial trucks.
  • What you’ll need to operate the forklift, including:
    • licensing requirements
    • ongoing training and instructions
    • supervision, and
    • verification of competencies.
  • Future inspection and maintenance needs, including:
    • the availability of manufacturer information, assistance and ongoing support specific to Australian requirements
    • the availability of compatible spare parts
    • when the next major inspection is due
    • a maintenance plan with regular inspections, to help keep operators safe and reduce downtime, and
    • the availability of suitably competent people to carry out inspections and maintenance
  • Any transport or storage requirements.
  • Whether you have a traffic management plan and site safety rules to manage the risk of forklifts colliding with people or other mobile plant.
  • Whether you have traffic management controls in place, for example:
    • separation
    • barricades
    • bollards
    • designated walkways
    • driver safe zones
    • boom gates
    • convex mirrors, and
    • high-visibility and warning signs.

If you’re buying second-hand

Also consider:

  • the service history — the hours of work and past usage
  • whether the forklift has been inspected by a qualified person to assess it for defects, and
  • whether it meets current standards, and whether it will cost extra to bring it up to standard.

Getting the right information

When buying a forklift, make sure you receive the information needed to use, inspect and maintain it safely.

The information you should obtain depends on whether the forklift is new or second-hand.

If you’re buying new

Suppliers must take all reasonable steps to obtain relevant information from the forklift’s manufacturer, then pass it on when supplying the forklift.

Get as much of the following as you can:

  • What the forklift was designed or manufactured to do, and the date it was manufactured.
  • What safety features it has, or what safety equipment you’ll need to operate it safely.
  • Results from any calculations, analysis, testing or examination that help ensure safe operation.
  • The conditions required for safe operation, such as an operator’s manual.
  • Maintenance, inspection and testing requirements to ensure continued safe operation, such as a maintenance manual.

If you’re buying second-hand

You must take all reasonable steps to obtain relevant information from the previous owner.

Get as much of the following as you can:

  • What the forklift was designed or manufactured to do, and the date it was manufactured.
  • Information on how to use and maintain it.
  • Maintenance, inspection and testing records — when is the next inspection due, and can it be inspected personally or does it need an independent inspection?

Modifications and recent repairs

The previous owner must identify any faults with the forklift and give you this information in writing.

If appropriate, they must also state that the forklift shouldn’t be used until the faults are fixed.

If a second-hand forklift is being sold for scrap or spare parts and isn’t intended to be used, the previous owner must tell you, in writing or by marking the forklift, that:

  • it’s being supplied for scrap or spare parts only, and
  • it can’t be used in its current form.

If you then want to use a forklift sold this way, it must first be inspected by a competent person, with any faults rectified before it’s put into service.

Further information

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