Quick answer: the NSW EWP code describes four inspection layers: pre-operational (each use), routine (scheduled servicing), periodic and major. The intervals for the last two come from the machine’s own manufacturer manual and the standards the code applies, not from a universal calendar. On a hire the split is clean: the daily pre-start is yours; everything scheduled, servicing, periodic inspections and the major, is ours, evidenced by the logbook that travels with the machine. Your other job is to report faults immediately and not work around them.
Inspection layers and manufacturer schedules
- Pre-operational inspection. A visual walk-around plus function tests at the start of each use, by a competent person, normally the operator. About ten minutes. Full walk-through: daily pre-start inspection for EWPs.
- Routine maintenance. The manufacturer’s service schedule: fluids, filters, batteries, wear items, calibrations. Done by service technicians against the maintenance manual and recorded in the logbook. The hours and months are the manufacturer’s, so they differ between a JLG, an LGMG and a Zoomlion.
- Periodic inspection. A deeper inspection of structure, safety devices and function by a competent person. The code points to the manufacturer’s requirements and AS 2550.10 practice for the interval; for the machines on our fleet that is at least annual, and sooner where the manual or the duty says so.
- Major inspection. A strip-down assessment of structural and critical components before the machine continues in service. AS 2550.10 practice puts it at ten years of service or the manufacturer’s stated point, whichever the machine’s manual and the code apply. It is a machine-by-machine date read from the logbook and the manual, not a rule of thumb.
Where this guide says “annual” or “ten years” it is describing the common case on our own fleet. The machine’s manual and logbook govern the specific unit you have on hire.
What Equip Hire owns
Every machine in our fleet goes out with routine servicing current, periodic inspection in date, and the logbook on board. Behind that sit the manufacturer maintenance manuals, risk assessments and plant registrations in our machinery document library, the paperwork that backs your SWMS pack on request. Mid-hire, faults are our problem to fix or swap: call 0472 721 234 and we would rather truck a replacement than have you nurse a fault.
What the hirer must report
The hirer’s layer is the daily pre-start, and the duty that goes with it is reporting. Report at once, not at off-hire:
- Anything the pre-start finds. A failed function test, a leak, damage, a missing decal or guard. Stop, tag the machine out of service and call. The pre-start checklist covers recording and tagging.
- Any fault code or alarm. Photograph the display and the model, note what the machine was doing, and call. EWP fault codes: record, stop and call explains why the code table is ours to read, not yours.
- A machine that will not start or lift. The operator-level checks that are safe to make before calling are in scissor lift will not start or lift.
- Damage, knocks and incidents. Transport knocks, contact with structure, overloads, tip alarms on a slope. Even when the machine seems fine afterwards.
- Odd behaviour. Noises, slow functions, a battery that will not hold charge, a cylinder that drifts down.
Alongside reporting, the hirer owns battery care on electrics (overnight charging; the charging guide is one rule and three habits), refuelling diesels with clean fuel, never elevated and never indoors, and reasonable care: not overloading, keeping the machine inside its ratings, and giving us wash-down and service access on longer hires.
The logbook is the proof
The machine’s logbook records services, inspections, faults and rectifications. Site managers and inspectors can ask for it; so can your principal contractor. If a machine arrives without one, that is a fair question to ask any hire company. Ours travel with the machine.
Why this matters beyond compliance
Maintenance status changes machine behaviour: tired batteries cut runtime, worn tyres change stability margins, a weeping cylinder today is a failed lift next month. The four layers exist so no single missed check becomes an incident. Owners of ageing machines carry all four layers themselves, one of the quiet arguments in hire vs buy.
FAQs
What inspections does an EWP need? Pre-operational (each use), routine servicing, periodic and major, at the intervals the manufacturer’s manual and the EWP code apply to that machine.
Which inspections are the hirer’s responsibility? The daily pre-start, plus fault reporting and reasonable care. All scheduled maintenance and periodic and major inspections are the hire company’s.
What is a major inspection? A strip-down assessment of structural and critical components before a machine continues in service, at the point AS 2550.10 practice and the manufacturer set for that machine, commonly ten years.
How do I know a hired machine is in date? Check the logbook on the machine. Services, periodic inspection dates and rectifications are recorded there.
What if I find a fault mid-hire? Stop, tag it out, call us. Faults must be rectified before use, and swaps are normal, not an imposition.
Do I service the machine on a long-term hire? No. Scheduled servicing stays ours; we arrange access windows with you. Your pre-starts and battery or fuel care continue daily.
Does the pre-start replace servicing? No. It is the daily layer between services. Both exist because they catch different failures.
Who can do the periodic inspection? A competent person per the code and AS 2550.10 practice. For hire machines, that is organised by us with qualified technicians.
What records should I keep as a hirer? Your completed pre-start checks for the hire period. A photo of each day’s sheet in the job folder is enough.