Standard USA Examples

The following are examples of USA Equipment and Vehicle inspection requirements, regulations and standards.

FMCSR – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are for vehicles operated on public roadways.

Inspection, Repair and Maintenance

§ 396.11 Driver vehicle inspection report(s).

 (a) Report required.

 (1) Motor carriers. Every motor carrier must require its drivers to report, and every driver must prepare a report in writing at the completion of each day's work on each vehicle operated. The report must cover at least the following parts and accessories:

—Service brakes including trailer brake connections

—Parking brake

—Steering mechanism

—Lighting devices and reflectors

—Tires

—Horn

—Windshield wipers

—Rear vision mirrors

—Coupling devices

—Wheels and rims

—Emergency equipment

(2) Intermodal equipment providers. Every intermodal equipment provider must have a process to receive driver reports of defects or deficiencies in the intermodal equipment operated. The driver must report on, and the process to receive reports must cover, at least the following parts and accessories:

—Brakes

—Lighting devices, lamps, markers, and conspicuity marking material

—Wheels, rims, lugs, tires

—Air line connections, hoses, and couplers

—King pin upper coupling device

—Rails or support frames

—Tie down bolsters

—Locking pins, clevises, clamps, or hooks

—Sliders or sliding frame lock

(b) Report content. The report shall identify the vehicle and list any defect or deficiency discovered by or reported to the driver which would affect the safety of operation of the vehicle or result in its mechanical breakdown. If no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver, the report shall so indicate. In all instances, the driver shall sign the report. On two-driver operations, only one driver needs to sign the driver vehicle inspection report, provided both drivers agree as to the defects or deficiencies identified. If a driver operates more than one vehicle during the day, a report shall be prepared for each vehicle operated.

(c) Corrective action. Prior to requiring or permitting a driver to operate a vehicle, every motor carrier or its agent shall repair any defect or deficiency listed on the driver vehicle inspection report which would be likely to affect the safety of operation of the vehicle.

(1) Every motor carrier or its agent shall certify on the original driver vehicle inspection report which lists any defect or deficiency that the defect or deficiency has been repaired or that repair is unnecessary before the vehicle is operated again.

(2) Every motor carrier shall maintain the original driver vehicle inspection report, the certification of repairs, and the certification of the driver's review for three months from the date the written report was prepared.

 (d) Exceptions. The rules in this section shall not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle.

Inspection, repair, and maintenance

§ 396.13 Driver inspection. Before driving a motor vehicle, the driver shall:

(a) Be satisfied that the motor vehicle is in safe operating condition;

(b) Review the last driver vehicle inspection report; and

(c) Sign the report, only if defects or deficiencies were noted by the driver who prepared the report, to acknowledge that the driver has reviewed it and that there is a certification that the required repairs have been performed. The signature requirement does not apply to listed defects on a towed unit which is no longer part of the vehicle combination.

FEDERAL OSHA – Construction & Industrial

General Duty Clause

Hazardous conditions or practices not covered in an OSHA standard may be covered under Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 which states: "Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees."

General Safety and Health Requirements

The employer shall initiate and maintain such programs as may be necessary to provide for frequent and regular inspections of the job site, materials, and equipment by designated competent persons. 1926.20(b)(l)&(2)

OSHA Motor Vehicles and Mechanized Equipment

All vehicles in use shall be checked at the beginning of each shift to ensure that all parts, equipment, and accessories that affect safe operation are in proper operating condition and free from defects. All defects shall be corrected before the vehicle is placed in service. 1926.601(b)(14)

No employer shall use any motor vehicle, earthmoving, or compacting equipment having an obstructed view to the rear unless:

The vehicle has a reverse signal alarm distinguishable from the surrounding noise level, or

The vehicle is backed up only when an observer signals that it is safe to do so.

1926.601(a)

Coverage. Motor vehicles as covered by this part are those vehicles that operate within an off-highway jobsite, not open to public traffic. The requirements of this section do not apply to equipment for which rules are prescribed in 1926.602.

1926.601(b)(14)

All vehicles in use shall be checked at the beginning of each shift to assure that the following parts, equipment, and accessories are in safe operating condition and free of apparent damage that could cause failure while in use: service brakes, including trailer brake connections; parking system (hand brake); emergency stopping system (brakes); tires; horn; steering mechanism; coupling devices; seat belts; operating controls; and safety devices. All defects shall be corrected before the vehicle is placed in service. These requirements also apply to equipment such as lights, reflectors, windshield wipers, defrosters, fire extinguishers, etc., where such equipment is necessary.

1926.602(c)(1)(vi)

All industrial trucks in use shall meet the applicable requirements of design, construction, stability, inspection, testing, maintenance, and operation, as defined in American National Standards Institute B56.1-1969, Safety Standards for Powered Industrial Trucks. (there is a 2009 update version)

ANSI STANDARD – B56.1 Part II – 5.5.1

5.5 Operator Care of the Truck

5.5.1 At the beginning of each shift and before operating the truck, check its condition, giving special attention to the following:

(a) condition of tires
(b) if pneumatic tires, check inflation pressure
(c) warning and safety devices
(d) lights
(e) battery
(f) controls
(g) lift and tilt systems
(h) load-engaging means
(g) chains and cables
(h) limit switches
(i) brakes
(j) steering mechanism
(k) fuel system(s)
(l) additional items or special equipment as specified by the user and/or manufacturer

If the truck is found to be in need of repair or in any way unsafe, or contributes to an unsafe condition, the matter shall be reported immediately to the user’s designated authority, and the truck shall not be operated until it has been restored to safe operating condition.

5.5.2 If during operation the truck becomes unsafe in any way, the matter shall be reported immediately to the user’s designated authority, and the truck shall not be operated until it has been restored to safe operating condition.

MHSA

Loading and haulage equipment; inspection and maintenance.

(a) Mobile loading and haulage equipment shall be inspected by a competent person before such equipment is placed in operation. Equipment defects affecting safety shall be recorded and reported to the mine operator.

Closing Notes

1/ You can clearly see here that every person who operates any equipment, machine, vehicle or device, especially if they are powered, has a legal obligation to inspect, document and report the condition to the appropriate personnel, whether there is a defect or not. The employee is legally bound to report the good or defective condition of the unit they are to use or operate. That is a key employee responsibility.

2/ The inspection must be documented – remember the old rule: “If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen”! To protect everyone, it must be in writing in order to prove the event, in this case, INSPECTION.

3/ The employer has a clear legal obligation to implement any safety requirement, standard, rule or regulation in their workplace that would improve and enhance safety and help eliminate injuries to improve their health and safety initiatives and performance.

4/ There are rules, regulations and standards for inspection requirements in every industry in the USA and in every State that apply to your workplace and work environment or operations. The employer has the legal mandate and obligation to implement them.

5/ Pre-Use / Pre-Trip, Post-Use / Post-Trip Inspection, Documentation, Reporting & Monitoring of these Inspection requirements is a Mandatory Legal Obligation in all Industries & Operations in the USA!

FINAL NOTE:

The above rules, standards and regulation excerpts are only designed to achieve and comply with the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS by law. You should want to achieve MAXIMUM RESULTS and BENEFITS and work towards achieving MAXIMUM Best Practices and Performance Standard Results, not minimum for your employees and operations