Most of us first meet L117 as the reason a new starter cannot drive the counterbalance truck until their course is booked. That is a fair summary of the opening chapters. It is not the whole document.
L117, Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training and safe use, is published by HSE; the current third edition dates from 2013. It combines an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) on operator training, approved in 1999 to give practical guidance on regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), with HSE guidance on safe use and maintenance.
The two kinds of text carry different weight. Of the ACOP, L117 says: "This Code has a special legal status. If you are prosecuted for breach of health and safety law, and it is proved that you did not follow the relevant provisions of the Code, a court will find you at fault, unless you can show that you have complied with the law in some other way."
Of the guidance: "Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law."
The ACOP itself (paragraphs 30–47) covers basic training. Selection, the three stages, authorisation, monitoring and supervision sit in the guidance around it. And in L117, "an operator is anyone who operates a lift truck, even as a secondary or occasional part of their job" (paragraph 7).
People who are reasonably fit, physically and mentally, and "reliable, with a responsible attitude to their work" (paragraph 49). Operators should be over the minimum school-leaving age (16), "except in ports, where they must be at least 18 years old, unless they are undergoing a suitable course of training, properly supervised by a competent person".
On medical fitness, "HSE is not prescriptive about the need for medical assessment for fitness to drive lift trucks and there is no legislation relating directly to this topic" (paragraph 53). Fitness is judged case by case, with DVLA standards as a reference, and nobody unfit through alcohol or drugs should drive (paragraph 50).
Paragraph 55 says operator training "should always include three stages":
The ACOP adds that training "should not be altered to suit immediate operational or production needs" (paragraph 41). Anyone who has run a peak season knows why that sentence is there.
No: "There is no such thing as a lift-truck 'licence'." (paragraph 69). What L117 asks for is written authorisation from the employer after all three stages, naming the operator, the date, the truck types and any conditions (paragraph 67). Accreditation of trainers is voluntary; HSE "no longer administers an accrediting bodies scheme" (paragraph 96). Where new operators claim experience, "you should insist on evidence" (paragraph 70).
This is the section that rewards a slow read. "Training will not in itself ensure the competence of individuals: this will develop with experience" (paragraph 73). "Continued supervision will be necessary to make sure that good operating standards are maintained" (paragraph 74).
"Lift-truck operators, even those who are trained and experienced, need to be routinely monitored in the workplace." (L117, paragraph 75)
Paragraph 76 suggests a formal monitoring and assessment process by a competent person, and says: "Formally timetable this assessment (for example a retest) to make sure it is done at reasonable intervals."
Paragraph 84 opens: "The HSW Act requires you to provide adequate supervision." Supervisors need "enough training and knowledge to recognise safe and unsafe practices", though not full operator training. Paragraph 85 says they should be able to "carry out an effective observation and know what to look for" and "recognise unsafe practice and behaviour".
Agency workers and contractors are "likely to need some specific job and familiarisation training, as well as additional supervision" (paragraph 90).
Put together, the picture is of a site where someone watches how trucks are driven, on purpose and on a timetable, and knows what to look for. That is the harder half of the job, especially across nights, weekends and a changing agency crew.
L117 gives no fixed interval: "There is no specific time period after which you need to provide refresher training or formal assessment" (paragraph 79). You may choose a set period "(for example 3-5 years)", which is where the familiar figure comes from. It is an example, not a requirement, and the same paragraph adds: "Where you adopt this approach, you will still need to monitor performance, in case operators need extra training before the set period ends."
A refresher date is an example in L117. Monitoring is the expectation.
Paragraph 78 suggests refreshers where operators "appear to have developed unsafe working practices" or "have had an accident or near miss". Both depend on someone noticing, which is where a near-miss log and a clear near-miss response earn their keep.
A truck overturn is a RIDDOR dangerous occurrence (lifting equipment overturning, RIDDOR Schedule 2) whether or not anyone is hurt.
L117 notes that lift trucks "are involved in about a quarter of all workplace transport accidents" (paragraph 1; for the wider picture see UK workplace transport statistics). The training side of the code is the part sites in logistics and beyond know best.
The quieter question is the one after that. If paragraph 75 asks for routine monitoring in the workplace, what does yours look like on the night shift, at the dock at 5am, or in a new agency driver's first fortnight? The field has more ways to answer that well than it used to.
L117 is an Approved Code of Practice with guidance, not a regulation. The ACOP part (on basic training) has a special legal status: if you are prosecuted and did not follow it, a court will find you at fault unless you show you complied with the law another way. The guidance part is not compulsory, but following it will normally be enough to comply. The underlying legal duties come from PUWER regulation 9 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
L117 sets no fixed interval: "There is no specific time period after which you need to provide refresher training or formal assessment." It gives 3–5 years as an example of a set period an employer might choose, and says performance must still be monitored in between. It also suggests refreshers after an accident or near miss, a long gap, or signs of unsafe working practices.
No. L117 states there is no such thing as a lift-truck licence. Employers give written authorisation to operators who have completed basic, specific job and familiarisation training, naming the trucks they may drive.
Over the minimum school-leaving age (16), and at least 18 in ports unless on a suitable training course properly supervised by a competent person. L117 says children under 16 should never operate lift trucks.
Enough training and knowledge to recognise safe and unsafe practice, though not necessarily full operator training. Supervisors should be able to carry out an effective observation, recognise unsafe practice and behaviour, and communicate with operators and managers. L117 also says trained operators need routine monitoring in the workplace.
Yes. L117 says the same standards apply to agency workers and contractors, that their competence should be established first, and that they are likely to need specific job and familiarisation training as well as additional supervision. Duties cannot be passed to another party by contract.
L117 asks you to supervise how trucks are driven, not just who is trained. What would you see if you could watch your busiest aisle for a fortnight? Safety Mapping: a free two-week trial on one camera.
By Hao Zheng, CEO at RoboK · Published 28 October 2026 · Last updated 28 October 2026