Twelve units make up this qualification, each individually assessed and credited:
1072 Health, Safety and Security at Work
5201 Prepare the Telescopic Forklift Truck for Driving or Manoeuvring
5202 Operate, Move or Manoeuvre the Telescopic Forklift Truck
5203 Select, Transfer and Position Loads Using a Telescopic Forklift Truck
5204 Load the Container, Vehicle, Vessel or Craft Using a Telescopic Forklift Truck
5205 Unload the Container, Vehicle, Vessel or Craft Using a Telescopic Forklift Truck
5206 Undertake Post-operational Checks on Telescopic Forklift Trucks
5207 Obtain Information on the Collection and/or Delivery of Loads
5208 Keep Work Areas Clean in an Industrial/Construction Operations Environment
5209 Moving and/or Handling Goods in an Industrial/Construction Operations Environment
5210 Sort Goods and Materials for Recycling or Disposal
5211 Wrap and Pack Goods in an Industrial/Construction Operations Environment
Theory assessment
77-question written theory test, pass standard 80% (62 of 77). Answered in the candidate’s own handwriting, covering:
Roles, responsibilities and the law
Machine preparation and pre-use inspection, including boom sections and hoses
Travelling with the boom retracted and low, gradients and manoeuvring
Stability with the boom extended, the counterweight and rear-end swing
Load assessment and the load chart by reach and height
Load Motion Control as a support to the operator’s own load checks
Stacking and de-stacking by reach at height, and use of attachments
Single-side loading and unloading of vehicles
Post-operational checks, parking and shutdown
The following are safety-critical and must be answered correctly regardless of the overall score:
Seat belt use and roll-over protection
Overhead services distances
Excavation clearances
Travel position with the boom retracted and low
Load chart check before lifting at reach
Load Motion Control supports, and never replaces, the operator’s own checks
Counterweight crush zones
Licence and age requirements
Isolation on leaving the machine
Practical assessment
Structured exercises, each marked against observed performance criteria. Every criterion must reach competent; any dangerous act terminates the assessment.
Pre-use inspection and preparation to the manufacturer’s specification, including boom sections, hoses and pins, the Load Motion Control check and the load chart, with defects recorded and reported
Travel and manoeuvre laden and unladen with the boom retracted and low: gradient technique, blind corners, confined aisles, pedestrian awareness, reversing under observation
Stacking and de-stacking by reach at height, planned from the load chart for the reach and height needed, approach square, truck level, clean pallet entry and exit
Single-side loading and unloading of a vehicle: vehicle security checks, plan agreed with the driver, loads placed over the axles and to the headboard, boom extension kept within the load chart, vehicle balance maintained
Goods handling, wrapping and housekeeping: load information confirmed, area kept clear, goods handled without damage, waste segregated to the correct streams
Park and shutdown: safe authorised position, boom retracted and lowered, forks grounded, brake on, neutral, isolated and key removed, post-use checks completed
The assessor deemed Fred Bloggs competent within the stated scope, and the qualification was awarded in August 2026.
The legal position
No UK government body issues a licence to operate an industrial telescopic forklift truck, and no statute requires one. The duty to train and assess competence sits with the employer, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 section 2(2)(c) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 regulation 9.
The Approved Code of Practice L117, Rider-operated lift trucks, covers industrial telescopic forklift trucks and sets out a three-stage training model: basic training, job-specific training, and familiarisation with the particular machine and site. The employer completes this with a written authorisation for that operator to use that machine. Where the machine is used for lifting, LOLER 1998 requires thorough examination at least every 12 months.
The full site evidence statement sets out the basis of the qualification, the assessment decision and the audit trail, for presentation to site management and health and safety personnel.