Proper lift maintenance is not only a good practice to ensure a long service life for the lift itself, but it’s also a vital step in a good safety program.
Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) President Bob O’Gorman said every vehicle lift should be inspected at least annually by a qualified lift inspector, but some lift manufacturers require more frequent inspections and he advised checking the owner’s manual.
“We recommend hiring only ALI Certified Lift Inspectors. ALI Certified Lift Inspectors have been independently tested and proven qualified to properly inspect any vehicle lift regardless of manufacturer, model, capacity or style using standardized lift inspection protocols,” he said.
“[By using an ALI certified inspector], the end user is ensured that their inspector meets minimum qualifications to a nationally recognized standard,” added Peter Bowers, Technical Sales Manager for Stertil-Koni.
When an ALI Certified Lift Inspector completes a lift inspection in accordance with ALI procedures, O’Gorman said they will provide a copy of a comprehensive inspection report and inspection certificate for each lift, and an ALI Annual Inspection Label will be affixed to each lift that passes.
“If your lift is inspected and does not get an ALI Inspection Label at the end,” he said, “this indicates that the lift did not pass inspection or it was not inspected in accordance with ALI requirements.”
