In brief
Under Annex III as renewed on 23 December 2025, most lifting equipment, pressure vessels, installations and machine tools are inspected at least once a year unless the standard sets a shorter period, and building scaffolds every 6 months. The inspection is carried out by an authorised person registered on EKİPNET, and the contract is set up on ISG-KATİP at least 1 day before; a report without a contract is invalid. From 1 January 2027, the equipment inspection body requirement extends from four types of equipment to eight.
What changed on 23 December 2025?
Annex III of the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment, which governs maintenance, repair and periodic inspections, was completely renewed by the amendment published in the Official Gazette of 23 December 2025, issue 33116. The new text and tables are in the annex to the amendment; the Ministry also summarised the changes in its announcement of 24.12.2025. The key changes for businesses are:
- EKİPNET was defined as the module within ISG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system) in which periodic inspection activities are recorded and monitored.
- No periodic inspection report may be issued without a contract made through ISG-KATİP; a report issued without a contract is invalid and the authorisation of the authorised person who issued it is suspended for one month.
- The term "accredited inspection body" became "equipment inspection body" in line with Law No. 6331, and the types of equipment to which this requirement applies are expanding from 2027.
- The sections to be included in reports were set out in detail; defects began to be graded as minor and major.
- If you voluntarily have equipment inspected that is not listed in the Annex III tables, no report format or contract requirement applies.
The legal basis is Art. 10/4 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety, which obliges the employer to have the necessary inspections, measurements, examinations and investigations carried out. In an industrial city like Bursa, where forklifts, cranes, compressors and presses are used intensively, these changes directly affect the inspection calendar of almost every production facility.
Periodic inspection intervals table
The periods in Annex III are maximum periods. If the relevant standard specifies a period, that applies; if the standard specifies no period, the period in the table may not be exceeded. For equipment not listed in the tables or standards, the interval specified by the manufacturer applies, or failing that, the risk assessment. The inspection frequency can be increased according to factors such as environmental conditions, frequency of use, the age of the equipment, its accident or overhaul history and previous inspection results.
| Group | Equipment | Maximum period |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure vessels | Steam and hot water boilers, heating (central heating) boilers, thermal oil boilers | 1 year |
| Pressure vessels | Compressed air and gas tanks (including compressor tanks), closed expansion tanks, calorifiers and accumulation tanks | 1 year |
| Pressure vessels | Dyeing machine vessels, steam cooking vessels, autoclaves, atmospheric hazardous liquid storage tanks | 1 year |
| Pressure vessels | LPG and similar liquefied gas tanks (underground, above ground) | Examination at the interval given in the written plan; reassessment at the end of 10 years |
| Pressure vessels | Cryogenic tanks | At the interval specified in the relevant standards |
| Pressure vessels | Vertical cylindrical welded hazardous liquid storage tanks built to API standards | 10 years |
| Lifting and conveying | Cranes (overhead, gantry, mobile, tower, etc.), hoists and lifting gear | 1 year |
| Lifting and conveying | Industrial trucks such as forklifts, pallet trucks and order pickers | 1 year |
| Lifting and conveying | Vehicle lifts, lifting tables, mobile elevating work platforms, mast climbing work platforms, suspended access equipment | 1 year |
| Lifting and conveying | Conveyors; lifting accessories such as slings, clamps, vacuum and magnetic lifters | 1 year |
| Lifting and conveying | Goods and service lifts, construction and crane lifts, escalators and moving walks, manipulators | 1 year |
| Lifting and conveying | Building scaffolds | 6 months |
| Lifting and conveying | Mobile access and working towers (mobile scaffolds) | 1 year |
| Installations | Internal electrical installation and earthing, lightning protection, generators, transformers, batteries, cathodic protection | 1 year |
| Installations | Extinguishing systems including sprinklers, hydrants, fire hose cabinets and pumps; portable extinguishers; fire detection; escape route pressurisation and smoke extraction | 1 year |
| Installations | Ventilation and air conditioning installations | 1 year |
| Machine tools | Mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic presses, press brakes, guillotines, lathes, milling machines, machining centres, drilling, grinding, saws, woodworking machines | 1 year |
| Racking and doors | Industrial racking and industrial doors | 1 year |
| Construction machinery | Loaders, backhoe loaders, hydraulic excavators, dozers, graders, dump trucks, concrete pumps, etc. | 1 year |
Lifts covered by the Lift Regulation are inspected not according to this table but according to a separate instrument, the Regulation on Periodic Inspection of Lifts. For the complete table and the reference standards for each line, see the annex in the Official Gazette.
Test pressures and load tests
An examination is carried out at every periodic inspection; tests, however, have two layers. Unless the standard states otherwise, the following rules apply:
| Test | At every periodic inspection (at most once a year) | At most every 3 years and after every major maintenance and repair |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrostatic test on pressure vessels | At operating pressure; if no operating pressure is set, at maximum pressure | At the hydrostatic test pressure in the manufacturing standard; if the standard gives no value, at 1.5 times the maximum pressure |
| Load test on lifting equipment | At operating capacity; if not set, at lifting capacity | With lifting capacity and coefficients: static test 1.5 for manually operated equipment, 1.25 for others; dynamic test 1.1 |
When applying this table, the following details matter:
- For pressure vessels where a hydrostatic test cannot be carried out, alternative non-destructive examination methods specified by the standard or manufacturer can be used; the reason is written in the report. Annex III states it clearly: the fact that the equipment or process cannot be stopped is not a valid reason.
- For vessels used below the maximum pressure on the label, the operating pressure, and for lifting equipment used below its capacity, the operating capacity, is marked visibly. If these values are to be exceeded, the equipment may not be used without being retested.
- Safety devices such as safety valves must be set appropriately for the operating pressure.
- Scaffolds are marked so that the maximum load they can carry is visible.
- Non-destructive examinations are carried out by personnel certified to at least level 2 under TS EN ISO 9712.
The coefficients are the general rule applied when the Ministry has not published a periodic inspection document for the equipment in question. If an equipment-specific document has been published, it is followed.
Who carries out the inspection? EKİPNET and the ISG-KATİP contract
Periodic inspections are carried out by authorised persons registered on EKİPNET: engineers, technical teachers, technicians or senior technicians in the relevant disciplines. Annex III lists separately which professions are authorised for each equipment group. For example, electrical, earthing and lightning protection installations can be inspected by electrical or electrical-electronic engineers, electrical technical teachers and electrical technicians; pressure vessels by engineers in disciplines such as mechanical, chemical, metallurgical and materials engineering and by mechanical technicians; and building scaffolds also by civil engineers and construction technicians.
The contract between the employer and the authorised person is prepared in line with the template on ISG-KATİP and mutually approved through the system at least 1 day before the inspection. We explained the general logic of contract procedures in our article on ISG-KATİP contract approval.
The equipment inspection body requirement: today and after 1 January 2027
The periodic inspection of some equipment must be carried out not by a single authorised person but by an equipment inspection body. Until the Ministry makes new arrangements, inspection bodies accredited to TS EN ISO/IEC 17020 by TÜRKAK (the Turkish Accreditation Agency) for the relevant scope are accepted as equipment inspection bodies.
| Requiring an inspection body today | To be added from 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|
| Tower cranes | Powered lifting platforms for persons with impaired mobility |
| LPG tanks and installations | Steam boilers |
| Escalators | Cableway installations |
| Suspended access equipment | Mast climbing work platforms |
Reports duly issued before 2027 remain valid for their period. The practical conclusion for textile dyehouses, food and chemical plants that use steam boilers is this: plan the boiler inspection due in 2027 with an accredited inspection body now, and confirm that steam boilers are within the body's scope.
What should a good periodic inspection report contain?
Annex III lists the sections of the report one by one. Look for the following in the report you receive:
- General information: workplace name, SGK (Social Security Institution) registration number, address, contract number, start and end date and time of the inspection, next inspection date, report date.
- Inspection method: the number and name of the standard or regulation relied on; if none, the manufacturer's method or a decision based on the risk assessment.
- Equipment information: make, model, year of manufacture, serial number and technical characteristics ensuring traceability.
- Measurement and test values, and the serial numbers and calibration details of the measuring instruments used.
- Descriptions of defects, notes and a clear result and opinion.
For equipment for which the Ministry has published criteria documents, defects are graded as minor and major. Minor defects are corrected by the start date of the next inspection; if not corrected, they count as major defects. Equipment with a major defect is not operated until the defect is corrected. If the report states that the equipment cannot be used, the employer places an easily visible warning sign on it; at a second inspection carried out after the deficiency has been remedied, a new report marked "usable" is issued.
There is one more detail for installations: the installation design drawings are required when inspecting fire installations, ventilation and air conditioning, and electrical, earthing and lightning protection installations. For installations without design drawings, the employer must have them designed in accordance with the relevant legislation. This shortcoming often arises in old buildings or sections added later; check the status of the drawings before the inspection calendar.
Tracking tips
- Keep an inventory. For each item of equipment, keep the group, serial number, location, last inspection date, next date, report number and open defects in a single list.
- Record daily checks. Annex III requires equipment to be checked by its operators before each start of work, and visual examinations and function tests to be recorded. Equipment found to have cracks or excessive wear is taken out of use and put forward for periodic inspection.
- Keep records. Maintenance and repair records are kept for the service life of the equipment, and periodic inspection reports for as long as the equipment is in use.
- Check hired equipment. When taking delivery of a hired forklift, platform or crane, ask for the current periodic inspection report.
- Automate the calendar. Enter inspection dates in the OHS renewal calendar and transfer them to your calendar; group equipment falling due in the same month into a single visit.
The 2026 basic administrative fine for failing to have the required inspections and measurements carried out is 33,326 TL, and the amount is increased according to headcount and hazard class. Inspection results also need to be entered in the risk assessment. To draw up your equipment inventory and plan inspections, you can look at our periodic inspection service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is a forklift's periodic inspection carried out?
At least once a year unless the standard sets a shorter period. A load test at operating capacity is carried out at every inspection; at least every three years or after major maintenance and repair, the test is repeated with lifting capacity and coefficients. The inspection frequency can be increased according to intensity of use and the age of the equipment.
Do we have to have equipment inspected that is not listed in Annex III?
The authorised person and ISG-KATİP contract requirements apply to equipment in the Annex III tables. If you voluntarily have equipment inspected that is not on the list, no report format or contract requirement applies. Even so, you must continue to maintain and inspect such equipment according to the manufacturer's instructions and the risk assessment.
What should we do if the report says "major defect"?
The equipment is not operated until the defect is corrected, and an easily visible warning sign is placed on it. At a second inspection carried out after the defect has been corrected, a new report stating that the equipment can be used is issued.
For which equipment does the accredited body requirement apply?
Today it applies to tower cranes, LPG tanks and installations, escalators and suspended access equipment. From 1 January 2027, powered lifting platforms for persons with impaired mobility, steam boilers, cableway installations and mast climbing work platforms are added.
Equipment inventory and an inspection calendar under the new Annex III, with inspections carried out through our solution partners, plus report and defect follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.