With so much riding on your workshop’s inspection pit (both literally and figuratively), you need to be sure you’re investing in a pit built to last. One that’s safe for your teams, and ready to handle the extreme weights of heavy-duty vehicles.
A CE-marked inspection pit (or UKCA mark) gives you that certainty, with a pit that’s been rigorously designed and thoroughly tested — from a manufacturer that’s annually audited for their processes and performance.
We’ve been in the game long enough to see some suppliers skip it: selling vehicle inspection pits without a CE marking to workshops who didn’t know they need it.
So before you choose a supplier and invest in a pit, you should always make sure it’s got a CE or UKCA marking. Here’s why:
A CE-marked inspection pit gives you:
• Certified structural integrity
• A legally compliant installation
• Reduced risk of health & safety incidents
• Documented instructions and safety guidance
• Less risk of equipment downtime and repairs
• A paper trail that proves your due diligence
It’s a legal requirement
Since 2013, vehicle inspection pits have been classed as load-bearing structures. This brings them under the Construction Products Regulation, and the strict requirements that come with it.
While we have seen some cases of suppliers producing pits without CE markings, it’s a rare occurrence. But regardless of a supplier’s responsibility, your workshop has its own duty to provide safe equipment under PUWER regulations — and choosing a CE-marked pit gives you documented evidence of your compliance.
If you’re investing in a pit for your workshop, you should always check for:
• A CE marking (or UKCA)
• A pit that’s compliant with BS EN 1090-2
• A Declaration of Performance.
The risks to your workshop without a CE-marked pit:
• Enforcement action orders to desist from work
• Penalties and fines
• Potential prosecution (if your negligence leads to an incident)
It’s important for health and safety
Compliance is a big part of choosing a certified inspection pit. But beyond your legal obligations, a CE-marked inspection pit helps to protect your teams and create a safe working environment.
When you choose a pit with CE marking, you can be confident that it’s:
• Carefully designed for structural integrity
• Rigorously tested to the extremes of its limits
• Built in compliance with government safety regulations
• Manufactured by a supplier that’s audited to FPC standards (Factory Production Control).
While a CE marking is never a guarantee of perfect safety (especially when workshops have their own responsibilities for its ongoing safe use), it’s a certified mark of the high standards that have gone into its construction. So your workshop and its teams can have the confidence they need to trust their equipment in a potentially hazardous space.
The risks to health and safety without a CE-marked pit:
• Structural failure leading to personal injury
• Electrical and fire hazards
• Hazardous fumes in a confined space
• Dangerous user activities without the manufacturer’s instructions
It’s a mark of high performance
CE markings are designed around safety and compliance. But there’s a welcome bonus for workshops when they choose a certified inspection pit:
It reduces your downtime, and the need for repairs.
The strict testing and careful design behind a CE-marked inspection pit creates an installation that’s more durable and resilient: one that’s built to last longer and stay in top condition after years of daily use with heavy-duty vehicles.
For workshops looking to make the most of their investment, choosing the CE mark means less time and money spent on repairs and maintenance — and less downtime for a piece of equipment that’s core to their daily work.
The risks to your performance
without a CE mark:
• A low-quality pit that won’t last
• More frequent repairs (and more ongoing costs)
• Increased downtime, leading to backlogs in your workshop
It makes life easier for your teams
As well as the important compliance and safety measures, there’s another requirement that’s easy to take for granted:
A CE-marked inspection pit has to come with thorough documentation.
That usually means a user manual with:
• Installation instructions
• Operating instructions
• Safety guidance
• Maintenance instructions
• Servicing recommendations.
If you buy an inspection pit without a CE marking, it’s possible that it could still be structurally sound and safe to use in principle. But if your technicians don’t know how to use it safely — or keep it in good condition — you’re opening yourself up to a multitude of financial and legal risks.
With a certified pit that’s CE-marked, your teams can:
• Work safely in the pit with full knowledge of the equipment
• Understand the safe working limits and loads it’s built for
• Reduce their risk of damaging or degrading the pit
• Perform the right maintenance (and arrange the right servicing) to protect your long-term investment.
What about Tecnik’s inspection pits?
We’ve been manufacturing inspection pits for over 15 years — and every pit we produce is CE-marked in accordance with BS EN 1090-2.
We’re annually audited for FPC (Factory Production Control) procedures, and every inspection pit comes with structural calculations and a Declaration of Performance (DOP).
As well as the standard inspection pits we manufacture for county councils and car plants, we also regularly produce VOSA-compliant ATF inspection pits, and Class 4 and 7 ATL Inspection Pits, with site surveys, setup and installation, and the supply of regulatory handrails and pit covers for your inspection pits.
So if you’re looking for a supplier that takes regulation seriously — and the guaranteed high standards of a CE-marked pit — start a chat with one of our experts and we’ll talk about what you need.
