Rotary Lift has launched a heavy-duty lift inspection program called Inspect to Protect.
According to Rotary, the ANSI national standard covering vehicle lift operation and a number of state codes and regulations require that all vehicle lifts be inspected by qualified inspectors once a year.

"In this tough economy, many fleets are delaying new equipment purchases and hanging onto their existing trucks longer, leading to increased maintenance," said Roger Perlstein, Rotary Lift director of heavy-duty. "At the same time, OSHA and various state and local regulatory agencies now regularly include vehicle lifts in their workplace inspections. As a result, it is critical that fleets and independent repair facilities know whether their vehicle lifts are working properly in order to maintain employee safety and productivity."

Because there is no national certification, licensing or directory of qualified lift inspectors, fleets, dealers and maintenance facilities have typically been on their own to find someone to inspect their vehicle lifts.

"Properly functioning vehicle lifts are crucial to service bay safety and can directly impact both employee morale and productivity," said R.W. "Bob" O'Gorman, president of the Automotive Lift Institute, the independent trade association for the North American lift industry. "Periodic lift inspections following the manufacturer's recommendations ensure reliability and allow the continued safe operation of the lift."

Each participating Inspect to Protect company has inspectors on staff who meet all of the criteria for a "qualified lift inspector" outlined in the ANSI standard. In addition, each company is required to attend annual Rotary Lift training, maintain insurance coverage and be able to provide customers with lift maintenance, repair and Rotary replacement parts.

Program providers receive inspection checklists that detail what should be inspected on all of its lift models. At the conclusion of every inspection, customers receive an inspection certificate signed by the lift inspector that details what was found during the inspection, any adjustments made and parts replaced for each lift. This inspection certificate can be posted on the lift in a literature pouch provided by the inspector or it can be stored with other lift records.

The Rotary Lift Inspect to Protect program runs Sept. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009.

More info: www.rotarylift.com/inspect_HD.aspx