What documents are required for a piece of construction equipment?

The list in a table

This table groups together the most common documents for a piece of construction equipment (excavator, loader, aerial work platform, forklift, crane…). Some only apply to lifting equipment. The exact obligations depend on your equipment and its use: if in doubt, ask your inspection body.

The machine's documents

The manufacturer's instruction manual is the reference for use and maintenance. The employer must inform operators and mechanics of the instructions it contains (article R4323-1). Keep a copy accessible, in the cab or on the machine's digital record: the inspector also asks for it during the VGP inspection.

The EC declaration of conformity is drawn up and signed by the manufacturer or importer for a new machine (article R4313-1). It certifies that the machine meets the applicable technical rules. Keep it with the purchase paperwork.

For lifting appliances, the employer keeps a maintenance logbook recording every maintenance, repair, replacement or modification operation up to scrapping (order of 2 March 2004, arrêté du 2 mars 2004). Each entry states the date, the people or companies involved, the nature of the operation and, for replaced parts, their references. For other equipment, INRS also recommends keeping such a logbook.

Inspection (VGP) documents and how long to keep them

Periodic thorough inspections apply to the equipment listed by order: lifting appliances (order of 1 March 2004, arrêté du 1er mars 2004) and certain earthmoving equipment (order of 5 March 1993, arrêté du 5 mars 1993). Each inspection results in a report. Its outcome is recorded in the safety register, and if the inspector is external, the report is appended to the register (articles R4323-25 and R4323-26).

The register and reports can be kept on paper or digitally (article R4323-27). They must remain accessible to the labour inspectorate and to social security prevention officers.

The employer keeps the documents of the last five years' health and safety inspections and checks and, in any case, those of the last two inspections (article D4711-3). A lifting appliance's maintenance logbook is kept until it is scrapped. In practice, keep all of a machine's documents in one place, whether paper or digital, so you can find them within minutes.

For guidance on reading an inspection report and handling its observations, see our dedicated guide.

The operator's documents

Every operator of self-propelled mobile equipment or lifting equipment must have received appropriate training (article R4323-55). For equipment presenting particular risks, including construction equipment, ride-on forklifts, aerial work platforms and cranes, an operating authorisation issued by the employer is also required (article R4323-56).

This authorisation requires a certificate of no medical contraindication, valid for five years, issued by the occupational physician; the employer keeps a copy. The authorisation and the copy of the certificate are made available to the labour inspectorate.

What about CACES? According to INRS, CACES is not mandatory in itself, but it is a good way for the employer to assess the operator's knowledge and skill before issuing the authorisation. It is valid for 10 years for construction equipment (R482) and 5 years for other families.

Hired equipment: what to ask the hire company

A company using a hired lifting appliance is responsible for making sure inspections are properly carried out. Before using it, INRS recommends having, among other things:

• the hire company's certificate stating that, at the time of hire, the equipment complies with the applicable technical rules;
• a copy of the entry-into-service inspection report;
• a copy of the latest periodic inspection report;
• the instruction manual;
• the maintenance logbook, if you are the one maintaining the hired equipment.

What Trackary does, and what it does not do

Trackary stores documents and inspection reports on each machine's record, tracks VGP and other inspection deadlines, and keeps the maintenance logbook up to date from job reports, exportable to PDF. Trackary does not issue operating authorisations or CACES, and does not carry out VGP inspections. Keeping the safety register and retaining documents remain the employer's obligations, and their liability remains unchanged.