The report and what follows
The inspection results in a report given to the owner, listing any defects and the works to undertake. This report must be kept and its recommendations acted upon: an inspection with no follow-up protects no one and leaves the owner exposed.
Not to be confused with maintenance
A common confusion is to believe that routine maintenance removes the need for the technical inspection, or the other way round. These are two distinct and complementary obligations: the maintenance company ensures day-to-day operation and works on the appliance, while the technical inspection brings an external and independent eye, every five years. One never replaces the other. An owner who neglects the five-yearly inspection, even with flawless maintenance, remains in breach.
What to do with the defects found
The inspection report classifies defects according to their severity. Some call for prompt repair, others for monitoring. The owner's role is to turn these findings into planned works, then to check they have been done before the next inspection. A defect flagged at two consecutive inspections, without correction, points to a failing follow-up and heavily engages the manager's liability.
Anticipate rather than endure the deadline
Across a fleet of several dozen appliances, five-yearly inspections fall due continuously. Anticipating them, by seeing the deadlines of the coming months, makes it possible to prepare the appliances, clear the reservations from routine maintenance and avoid an inspection revealing defects that could have been corrected beforehand. The deadline becomes a controlled appointment rather than a source of nasty surprises.
Steering a multi-site fleet
A manager of several sites juggles as many maintenance contracts, inspectors and deadlines. Without a consolidated view, it is almost impossible to know, at any given moment, which appliances are compliant, which have an overdue inspection and which concentrate the breakdowns. A single map of the fleet, with the condition and deadlines of each appliance, turns this scattered management into steering: you see where to act first, and you report easily.
Inspection, insurance and liability
The technical inspection is not just a box to tick: it conditions insurance cover and the owner's liability. In the event of an accident on an appliance whose inspection is overdue or whose recommendations have not been acted upon, the manager's position becomes very fragile. Meeting the deadlines and documenting the action taken on reports protects users as much as it protects yourself. The traceability of the inspection and its follow-up is a key piece here.
Tracking deadlines with KARTES
KARTES links to each lift its inspection date and its next five-yearly deadline, together with the report and the tracking of works. Across a fleet of several dozen appliances, you see at a glance the inspections coming up and those overdue, and you keep proof of the follow-up of recommendations.
Key points
- The technical inspection is mandatory every five years, on top of maintenance.
- It is carried out by an inspector independent of the maintenance company.
- Its report must be kept and its recommendations acted upon.
- Across a fleet, tracking the five-yearly deadlines is the key challenge.
