Knowledge Base Home
Browse All Topics

Trucks and Trolleys Legislation Header Image

Trucks and Trolleys Legislation – What You Need To Know

While trucks and trolleys and other lifting and handling aids can help to reduce the risks involved in manual handling operations, they have their own set of risks and relevant health and safety legislation and guidance.

While not applicable to all trucks and trolleys, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 will apply to some equipment, especially if that equipment is automated, requires it to be fixed to or mounted on a support or is a mobile elevating platform (eg. powered stackers, cranes and mobile scissor lifts).  Under these regulations lifting equipment should be of sufficient strength and stability for the loads required of it, be adequately maintained and adhere to strict safety guidelines when being used.  These could include having a back-up power supply for, specific directions for use of, and specific safety measures in place around automated lifting equipment.

Under the Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 any manual handling aids should be of suitable strength and stability to perform the tasks required of them.  Attention should be paid to the weight and dimensions of materials to be moved when selecting trucks and trolleys, or wheels and castors to be applied to equipment to make it mobile, so that there is no danger of collapse or overturning.  Suitable risk assessments should also be carried out and any reasonable action taken to reduce these, taking account of the extra hazards involved when using mobile equipment.  Specifically for wheels and castors, the environment in which they are used should be taken account of – this could include the flooring they travel on, temperature they will have to withstand and traffic route they are navigating.  Some wheels and castors will not perform as well on some flooring and high or low temperatures. They may also need a specific feature such as 360 degree swivel or built in brakes to help them navigate a particular traffic route.

For more information you can refer to the HSE guides: ‘Making the Best Use of Lifting and Handling Aids ‘ and the relevant section of ‘Warehousing and Storage: A Guide to Health and Safety’.