Not every piece of work equipment has a statutory inspection: only the ones in Annex VII.
In Italy, the D.Lgs 81/2008 requires every piece of work equipment to be kept in working order, but only the items listed in Annex VII go in front of a third party at intervals the law itself fixes. INAIL — the Italian national institute for insurance against accidents at work — carries out the first inspection; later ones fall to the ASL, Italy's local health authority, or to an authorised body, and the interval changes from one family to the next: annual for elevating platforms and telehandlers, every two years for suspended platforms. Here is what's inside Annex VII, how often, who does what, and how not to confuse the statutory inspection with the checks that stay in-house.
What Annex VII covers, and which equipment it applies to
In Italy, the D.Lgs 81/2008 places the duty to keep every piece of work equipment in working order on the employer, from the hand drill to the overhead crane. Only some of that equipment — the items listed in Annex VII — has to go, at fixed intervals, in front of a party outside the company, who assesses its condition and efficiency and issues a report. That's art. 71, paragraph 11, and it's the difference that matters: for a piece of Annex VII equipment, the law itself sets a date; for everything else, the manufacturer's manual and the risk assessment do.
Annex VII is organised into three groups: appliances that lift materials, those that lift people — or people together with materials — and pressure equipment and assemblies. Within each group the interval changes from one family to the next, and for two families it isn't a single number at all but a rule that depends on the sector of use, the type of appliance and the year it was manufactured.
INAIL carries out the first inspection, and it has 45 days from the request to do so; once that deadline passes without result, the employer can turn to a public or private authorised body instead. Later inspections fall to the ASL — or to the ARPA, Italy's regional environmental protection agency, where regional law provides for it — or, at the employer's own choice, to one of the authorised bodies. The DM 11 aprile 2011 sets out how the inspections are to be carried out.
How often, family by family
Annex VII calls the equipment by names that don't always match the ones used on the shop floor or on site: that's the first reason an inspection gets missed. The middle column is there to help you recognise your own machine.
| Equipment | What it actually is | Periodic inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Motor-driven mobile platforms extending from a carriage | mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs): spider lifts, self-propelled platforms, van-mounted cherry pickers | annual |
| Aerial ladders with variable inclination | vehicle-mounted turntable ladders | annual |
| Self-propelled trucks with a telescopic boom | telescopic handlers — telehandlers, in site language | annual |
| Construction-site lifts and hoists with a vertically guided car or platform | construction hoists fixed to the scaffolding and dismantled once the job is finished | annual |
| Suspended platforms and their winches | suspended access platforms hung from above for façade work | every 2 years |
| Self-climbing platforms on masts | mast climbing work platforms that travel up one or more masts anchored to the building | every 2 years |
| Material-lifting appliances with a capacity over 200 kg, not manually operated | overhead travelling cranes, tower and lorry-mounted cranes, fixed electric winches and hoists | the interval depends on the sector of use, whether the appliance is fixed or mobile, and the year of manufacture: the rule is in Annex VII |
| Pressure equipment and assemblies | steam generators, compressed-air vessels, autoclaves, piping | a functional inspection and an integrity inspection, at intervals that change with the fluid, the category and the type of equipment |
Intervals from Annex VII of Italy's D.Lgs 81/2008. These are the maximum gaps between one inspection and the next: the manufacturer's manual and the risk assessment can call for more frequent checks, never wider ones. For the last two rows the interval isn't a single figure but a matrix: it has to be read straight from Annex VII, because summarising it here would give the wrong answer to someone.
The lift in your warehouse doesn't follow Annex VII
Among the appliances that lift people, Annex VII lists construction hoists: the lifts fixed to scaffolding and taken down once the job is finished. A lift installed permanently in a building — offices, a block of flats, a warehouse — follows a different route instead, the DPR 162/1999, which places maintenance on the owner and a periodic inspection every two years, carried out by the ASL or by a notified body. Two different regimes, two different deadlines, two different reports: easy to mix up, because the word is the same.
Who does what, from first start-up onward
The life of a piece of Annex VII equipment starts before its first inspection: it starts with a notification that gives it an identity.
- 01
Notice of commissioning
before use, filed online through INAIL's portal
the employer; INAIL assigns the equipment its registration number
- 02
First inspection
INAIL has 45 days from the request
INAIL; once that deadline passes, a public or private authorised body chosen by the employer
- 03
Later periodic inspections
at the interval Annex VII sets for that family
the ASL or ARPA, or an authorised body of the employer's own choosing
- 04
Booking the next inspection
ahead of the deadline: time passes between the request and the report
the employer
Inspections aren't free, and the cost stays with the employer. The document that comes out of one — the report — is what the supervisory authority asks for: not the date in a diary, and not the maintenance contract.
Periodic inspection, the employer's own checks, maintenance: three different things
The periodic inspection is what the rest of this guide is about: it covers only Annex VII equipment, is carried out by a party outside the company — INAIL, the ASL, the ARPA or an authorised body — at the interval Annex VII writes down, and ends in a report. Your regular maintenance contractor can't carry it out, and no service contract stands in for it.
The employer's own periodic checks are a different matter, and they cover every piece of equipment that wears with use. Art. 71, paragraph 8 doesn't set a number: it asks for the frequency to come from the manufacturers' own instructions, from recognised good-practice standards, or, failing those, from codes of good practice. It also calls for extraordinary checks after repairs, modifications, accidents, natural events and long periods out of use.
One of the few numeric intervals the law does write down sits elsewhere, in Annex VI, point 3.1.2: ropes and chains of lifting and hauling appliances, every three months, failing a specific instruction from the manufacturer. Maintenance, finally, is art. 71, paragraph 4, and follows the instructions for use — that is, the machine's own manual. It's the only one of the three that's usually already organised in-house, which is exactly why it's the easiest to mistake for all three.
"The ASL checks the forklift every year": almost never true
Counterbalance forklift trucks, the ones that live in the warehouse, aren't in Annex VII: there's no third-party periodic inspection for them, though the art. 71 paragraph 8 checks and the three-monthly check on ropes and chains still apply. Self-propelled telescopic-boom trucks — telehandlers — are in Annex VII, though, with an annual inspection: two machines that look alike, two different regimes. The other two frequent slip-ups are assuming the maintenance contract also covers the statutory inspection, and failing to notify INAIL when a new appliance is commissioned — with the result that the first inspection never gets started.
What happens when the periodic inspection lapses
There's no switch that flips off the day after. What actually happens is that the equipment is left without the document certifying its condition and efficiency, and in inspection practice a piece of Annex VII equipment with a lapsed inspection is one that shouldn't be used until the inspection has been carried out. Breaches of the art. 71 duties are penalised under art. 87 of the D.Lgs 81/2008.
The practical consequence, though, arrives before the penalty does: if something happens and the report is missing, there's also no way to show the equipment had been inspected. The same goes for paragraph 9, which requires the results of the checks to be put in writing and at least the last three years of them to be kept and made available to the supervisory authorities.
A detail that often gets forgotten: if the equipment works away from the production unit's own premises — a telehandler moving between building sites, a rented MEWP — paragraph 10 requires it to be accompanied by a document certifying that the last check had a positive outcome. Having the report sitting in an office isn't enough.
What to keep, for every piece of Annex VII equipment
There's no mandatory logbook template: the law just requires the results to be in writing and available. This is the minimum that makes an inspection easy to find the day you need it, instead of hunting for it in three different places.
- The registration number INAIL assigns at commissioning, together with the make, model and year of manufacture
- The manufacturer's use-and-maintenance manual, and the maintenance plan that follows from it
- The report of the last periodic inspection, with any requirements it raised and the date they were closed out
- The date of the next inspection, counted from the last one carried out, at the interval set for that family
- The results of the in-house art. 71 paragraph 8 checks, in writing, at least those from the last three years
- Where the equipment is today: site, department or building site
- Who's responsible for that machine, and who calls the inspector as the date approaches
- For equipment that leaves the site, the document from the last positive check that has to travel with it
This guide is informational material: it does not replace the standards cited, the manufacturer's manual or the judgement of a qualified technician. ToriSet organises deadlines and documents; it does not certify compliance.
The inspection is the inspector's job; what usually goes missing is the report.
A piece of Annex VII equipment carries three things with it that usually live in three different places: the INAIL registration number, the manufacturer's manual and the inspection reports. Keeping them on the same record is what changes on the day of the check.
The inspection report in a binder, the next date kept in your head
The report attached to the equipment's record, with the next inspection worked out from the last one logged
The INAIL registration number on a sheet of paper, a different one for every machine
Registration number, make, model and year of manufacture on the equipment's record, with a photo
The use-and-maintenance manual in a drawer in the workshop
The manual's PDF attached to the machine's record, opened on your phone from the QR code on the frame
You notice the deadline has passed when someone asks for the report
An email 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever has to call the inspector
What changes from one country to the next.
Outside Italy there's no such thing as an "Annex VII": the idea of having some equipment inspected by a third party exists almost everywhere, but the list of machines, the source that sets the interval, and who issues the report all change. Below is the picture for the countries where the source is clear; what counts is still the standard cited, together with the manufacturer's manual.
Your choice is remembered in this browser.
Italy
References
D.Lgs. 81/2008, art. 71
Places on the employer the duty of maintenance according to the instructions for use (paragraph 4), periodic and extraordinary checks at the frequency the manufacturer or good-practice standards indicate (paragraph 8), recording the results (paragraphs 9 and 10), and the periodic inspections of Annex VII equipment (paragraph 11).
D.Lgs. 81/2008, Allegato VII
The list of equipment subject to a statutory periodic inspection, with the interval for each family: material-lifting appliances, people-lifting appliances, and pressure equipment and assemblies.
D.Lgs. 81/2008, Allegato VI, punto 3.1.2
Sets a three-monthly inspection of the ropes and chains of lifting and hauling appliances, failing a specific instruction from the manufacturer: it's one of the few numeric intervals the law writes down.
DM 11 aprile 2011
Sets out how the Annex VII periodic inspections are to be carried out, and the criteria for authorising the public and private bodies that may perform them.
DPR 162/1999
Governs lifts and hoists installed permanently in buildings: maintenance falls to the owner, and a periodic inspection every two years is carried out by the ASL or a notified body. These aren't Annex VII equipment.
DM 329/2004
The regulation on the commissioning and use of pressure equipment and assemblies: it's the text that Annex VII sits alongside for the functional inspection and the integrity inspection.
Intervals
First inspection
INAIL has 45 days from the request; once that deadline passes, an authorised body
INAIL
Later periodic inspections
annual or every 2 years depending on the family; for lifting appliances over 200 kg and for pressure equipment the interval depends on sector, type, fluid and year of manufacture, as set out in Annex VII
the ASL or ARPA, or a public or private authorised body
The employer's own checks
at the frequency the manufacturer or good-practice standards indicate (art. 71, paragraph 8)
a competent person appointed by the employer
Ropes and chains of lifting appliances
every 3 months, unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise
a competent person appointed by the employer
NoteThis is the most tabulated framework of the three: Annex VII lists the equipment one by one with its interval, and commissioning has to be notified to INAIL, which assigns the registration number. Lifts installed permanently in buildings stay outside it: they follow the DPR 162/1999.
France
References
Code du travail, art. R4323-23
Requires work equipment subject to the rule to undergo general periodic inspections, so that any deterioration capable of creating a danger is caught in time.
Arrêté du 1er mars 2004
France's text on inspecting lifting appliances and accessories: it lists the equipment covered, sets the intervals, and requires inspections at commissioning and at recommissioning.
Intervals
General periodic inspection (VGP) of lifting appliances
normally every 12 months
a qualified person, often an inspection body
VGP of appliances that lift people
every 6 months
a qualified person, often an inspection body
Inspection at commissioning and recommissioning
before use, after assembly, a repair or a change of site
a qualified person
NoteFrance has no single annex the way Italy does: the list of equipment covered and the intervals sit in the arrêté du 1er mars 2004, which shortens the interval to six months for some families. Before setting your plan, check which entry in the arrêté your machine falls under.
Germany
References
BetrSichV
Germany's industrial safety ordinance: it requires every piece of work equipment to be inspected at intervals the employer sets in the risk assessment, and reserves fixed, written intervals and a mandatory authorised inspection body for the installations subject to monitoring under Anhang 2 — lifts and pressure installations among them.
TRBS 1201
The technical rule that explains how to determine the type, scope and intervals of work equipment inspections: it's the text that stands in, in Germany, for Italy's table.
Intervals
Recurring inspection of work equipment
at the interval the risk assessment sets, following the criteria in TRBS 1201
a qualified person (befähigte Person)
Inspection of installations subject to monitoring (lifts, pressure installations)
at the intervals Anhang 2 of the BetrSichV sets, with a main inspection and intermediate inspections
an authorised inspection body (ZÜS)
Inspection before first commissioning and after significant modifications
before use
a qualified person or a ZÜS, depending on the type of installation
NoteThe difference in approach is substantial: for most equipment the interval isn't in a legal table at all — the employer sets it in the risk assessment, justifying it against the TRBS 1201 criteria. Only the installations under Anhang 2 of the BetrSichV have written intervals and a mandatory inspection body.
What we get asked most.
Which equipment needs a periodic inspection?
Only the items listed in Annex VII of Italy's D.Lgs 81/2008: material-lifting appliances with a capacity over 200 kg that aren't manually operated, appliances that lift people — MEWPs, suspended platforms, mast climbing work platforms, aerial ladders, construction hoists, telehandlers — and pressure equipment and assemblies. Every other piece of equipment stays subject to the employer's own checks under art. 71 paragraph 8, which follow the manufacturer's manual and don't go through a third party.
How often does a MEWP need to be inspected?
Every year. Motor-driven mobile platforms extending from a carriage — Annex VII's name for MEWPs — have an annual periodic inspection. INAIL carries out the first one, and the ASL, the ARPA or a public or private authorised body carry out the later ones, at the employer's own choice. The statutory inspection doesn't replace the checks and maintenance the manufacturer's manual calls for, which stay the company's responsibility.
Who carries out the periodic inspection: INAIL, the ASL, or a private body?
The first inspection is INAIL's, and it has 45 days from the request to carry it out: if that deadline passes without it being done, the employer can turn to a public or private authorised body. Later inspections fall to the ASL, or to the ARPA where regional law provides for it, or to an authorised body of the employer's choosing. The procedure is set out in the DM 11 aprile 2011, and the cost stays with the employer.
What happens if the periodic inspection has lapsed?
The equipment is left without the document certifying its condition and efficiency, and in inspection practice a piece of Annex VII equipment with a lapsed inspection shouldn't be used until the inspection has been carried out. Breaches of the art. 71 duties are penalised under art. 87 of the D.Lgs 81/2008. It's worth booking the inspection ahead of the deadline, because time passes between the request and the report.
How long do inspection reports need to be kept?
For the checks the employer carries out, art. 71 paragraph 9 requires the results to be put in writing and at least the last three years of them to be kept and made available to the supervisory authorities. It's worth keeping the reports of the Annex VII periodic inspections for as long as the equipment is in service: they're the machine's history, and the inspector starts from there at the next inspection. If the equipment works away from the site, paragraph 10 requires it to be accompanied by a document from the last positive check.
Where does ToriSet fit into the periodic inspections?
ToriSet helps you keep to the deadlines: you record each piece of equipment with its make, model, INAIL registration number and site, set the interval Annex VII sets for its family, and from there the next inspection is worked out from the last one logged, with a reminder that arrives ahead of time for you and for whoever has to call the inspector. The report stays attached to the machine's record, along with the manual. The inspection itself is carried out by INAIL, the ASL, the ARPA or the authorised body, and recording the results as art. 71 requires remains your own obligation.
Related guides
See them allOne inspection every year, another every two, a check every three months — all on different machines.
Put every piece of equipment on a single record, with its registration number, manual and reports: the next deadline is worked out from the last job logged, and the reminder arrives 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever has to call the inspector.
No credit card · The Free plan stays free