Lifting · return to service
Return to service of a lifting appliance: when must it be inspected?
The return-to-service inspection is mandatory after a change of site or configuration, dismantling followed by reassembly, a major repair or transformation of an essential component, or an accident caused by the failure of such a component (order of 1 March 2004, article 20). Carried out by a competent person, it includes the suitability examination, the state-of-preservation examination, static and dynamic tests and functional tests.
Tower crane re-erected elsewhere, overhead crane hoist replaced, crane stopped after a brake failure: before work resumes, the appliance must be inspected. Here are the cases the texts provide for, what the inspection covers, who does it and which documents to keep. For the overall picture (intervals, report, findings, register), see VGP and lifting equipment: the complete guide.
Commissioning, return to service, VGP: three inspections
The commissioning inspection (vérification de mise en service) takes place at first use in the establishment, whether the appliance is new or second-hand (INRS). It checks that it is installed according to the manufacturer's instructions and can be used safely (article R4323-22 of the French Labour Code, Code du travail). An appliance usable in several configurations is inspected in each of them (order of 1 March 2004, arrêté du 1er mars 2004, article 12).
The return-to-service inspection (vérification de remise en service) follows dismantling and reassembly or a modification that may affect safety. It checks that no dangerous defect is present (article R4323-28). The periodic general inspection (VGP), by contrast, comes round on a fixed date: see what is a VGP?.
The five cases that require a return-to-service inspection
The cases are those of article 20-I; the examples come from circular DRT 2005-04, which comments on the order, and from INRS (the French occupational safety institute).
Exception: replacing built-in chains, cables or ropes with new ones of the same characteristics does not require a return-to-service inspection, provided the work is entered in the maintenance logbook with the place where the corresponding certificate can be consulted (article 21).
| Case (article 20-I) | Examples and details |
|---|---|
| Change of site of use | Appliance installed permanently or on a special support (overhead crane, gantry, tower crane, crane on rails) moved to another site |
| Change of configuration or conditions of use on the same site | Jib or crane track lengthened, height under hook changed. Not a change of reeving or refitting a removable counterweight, if the appliance was inspected that way at commissioning (circular) |
| Dismantling followed by reassembly | Tower crane re-erected; luffing jib of a mobile crane dismantled and refitted (INRS) |
| Major replacement, repair or transformation of an essential component | Brakes, chocking, load descent control, sheaves, load limiters, but also runways, supports, structures, anchorages, ballast (circular) |
| Accident caused by the failure of an essential component | Inspection before any resumption of work |
Mobile cranes, aerial platforms, forklifts: changing job site
An appliance without a special support that changes site is exempt from the return-to-service inspection if, in the same configuration, it has had its commissioning inspection and a VGP less than 6 months old (article 20-II). This covers in particular loader cranes, mobile cranes that do not require major parts to be assembled, earthmoving machines equipped for lifting, forklifts and mobile elevating work platforms (aerial platforms).
According to the circular, a suitability examination for the new site is still needed in practice, notably for mobile cranes, aerial platforms, forklifts and earthmoving machines, unless the initial examination already covered that site and that work. After a repair, dismantling or accident, these appliances follow the general rule.
What the inspection includes
For a lifting appliance, article 19 provides for:
| Examination or test | What is checked | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Suitability examination (examen d'adéquation) | The appliance suits the planned work and the risks, within the conditions set by the manufacturer | Articles 5-I and 19 |
| Assembly and installation examination (where applicable) | Safe assembly and installation, according to the instructions | Articles 5-II and 19 |
| State-of-preservation examination | Detailed visual examination of essential parts: brakes, limiters, hooks, cables, chains... | Articles 9 and 19 |
| Static and dynamic tests | Rated working load multiplied by the manufacturer's coefficient; failing that, 1.25 for one hour (1.5 for a manually powered appliance) static and 1.1 dynamic | Articles 10 and 11 |
| Functional tests | Brakes and travel limiters satisfactory; tripping of load limiters checked after the tests | Article 19-II |
Who carries it out, and what you must prepare
The return-to-service inspection is carried out under the same conditions as the VGP (article R4323-28): by competent persons, in-house or external, knowledgeable about the regulations, whose list is kept available to the labour inspectorate (article R4323-24). In two special cases (tests impossible because of the size of the load, appliance designed for a single lift), INRS states that only an accredited body may intervene (articles 25 and 26).
Article 3 of the order requires you to provide: the appliance, identified and available; the instructions, the declaration or certificate of conformity, previous reports and the maintenance logbook; in writing, the planned work; ground, support and wind data; an operator, safe access and the test loads.
Reports, register, logbook: what goes where
A provisional report is handed over at the end of the inspection, the final one within four weeks (article 3). According to the circular, the provisional report is used to decide on the return to service. According to INRS, a return-to-service report can stand in for a VGP for the same configuration; if it is partial (without the suitability examination, for example), have it completed. For observations: reading a VGP report.
The register and reports may be kept on paper or digitally, under the conditions of article L8113-6 (article R4323-27). See also the maintenance logbook of a lifting appliance.
| Document | What goes in it | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Safety register (registre de sécurité) | The results, without delay; an external inspector's report is appended, or failing that its date and archive location | Order, article 3; R4323-26 |
| Inspection report | Kept for five years and, in any event, the last two | D4711-3 |
| Maintenance logbook (carnet de maintenance) | The repair or modification that triggered the return to service: date, who did it, nature, part references | Order of 2 March 2004, article 3 |
What Trackary does, and what it does not do
Trackary keeps on each machine's record its documents, its jobs and its configurable checks, such as a return-to-service inspection to plan after a repair. If you turn on the report-upload module, the inspection body can upload its report itself, and the compliance file gathers the register as a PDF with the reports. Trackary costs €14 excl. VAT per active machine per month (€11 above 50 machines), unlimited users, with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Trackary does not carry out the inspection or the suitability examination, certifies nothing and replaces neither your inspection body nor your responsibility as an employer.
Repairs, re-erections, inspection reports: Trackary files them on each machine's record and reminds you what is left to do. Try it free for 30 days. Free trial ↗