In September 2026, the French labour inspectorate (inspection du travail) launched a nationwide inspection campaign targeting mobile work equipment and lifting equipment. The action is part of the French labour inspection system’s 2026-2029 enforcement plan and aims to reduce serious accidents between vehicles and pedestrians in the workplace.
Which equipment is being inspected
The campaign targets five categories of work equipment commonly used in construction, industry and agriculture: excavators and mini-excavators, wheel loaders and mini-loaders, compactors, ride-on forklift trucks, and tractors fitted with a front loader. Inspectors assess companies on four points: the quality of the risk assessment for this equipment, the physical separation of vehicles and pedestrians on site, the periodic technical inspections of the equipment, and driver training and authorisation. On the latter point, a new medical certificate valid for five years has applied since October 2025, replacing the previous approval systems.
Concerning results from the previous round
An earlier inspection round in 2023-2024 covering the same type of equipment revealed substantial shortcomings. At more than half of the companies inspected, risk assessment documentation was either missing or inadequate. At 64 percent, measures to separate vehicles and pedestrians were insufficient, and at 26 percent of companies driver authorisations were not in order. For periodic inspections, the rate of missing or incomplete verifications rose to 84 percent for forklift trucks. These figures were the direct trigger for the new campaign.
The campaign runs in phases: from June to August 2026, companies received guidance and could complete a sector self-assessment; from September to November 2026, the actual workplace inspections take place; and follow-up inspections and further action can occur until January 2027. A national evaluation report is expected in the first half of 2027.
Relevance for EHS professionals
For HSE professionals worldwide, the campaign is relevant because it shows how a country structurally enforces equipment inspection and machine safety, a theme that plays out in virtually every jurisdiction through comparable occupational health and safety legislation and the mandatory periodic inspection of lifting and hoisting equipment. The French findings on missing risk assessments and inadequate separation of vehicles and pedestrians illustrate risks that occur just as readily on construction sites and industrial premises elsewhere, and underscore the importance of solid HSE documentation files and driver/operator competency records.
Additional research: DREETS Pays de la Loire (dreets.gouv.fr), Résilience Consultants (campaign analysis).
Source: Équipements mobiles et de levage : les contrôles ont débuté, 15 September 2026
