5 ways to automate equipment pre-use checks

#1 - The basic check-in

Who it's for: Small teams sharing the odd machine, where one person might use a tool an hour after someone else put it down.

What it is: An equipment pre-use check is a quick safety look at a tool or machine before you switch it on. This version is three steps on a phone: name the thing you are about to use, pick whether it looked good or faulty, then type what you saw. Each completion is one stamped record, and the trail over a day shows every time that machine was checked before use.

In practice: A small bakery with one dough mixer shared across two shifts. The early baker opens the canvas, types "the dough mixer", picks "Good to use", types "all clear, guard seated", and submits. Server timestamp captured. The afternoon baker runs it again before their batch, spots a frayed power cable, picks "Fault found", and types "power lead frayed near the plug, not using it". Two stamped checks for one machine in one day, both on a phone, no clipboard by the socket.

Why it works: The check is the proof. What changes is that there is now a time-stamped record showing the tool was looked at before it was used, and who said what. If something fails later, the manager can see whether the last person flagged it or waved it through, instead of guessing.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (name the tool or machine)
• 1 single choice (Good to use, Fault found, not using it)
• 1 text input (notes on what you saw)

#2 - With written guidance

Who it's for: Sites with rotating staff using the same kit, where a new starter might be the next person to pick up a machine.

What it is: The basic check-in plus two guidance panels woven through the canvas. The first panel tells the worker what to look for before they switch on: damaged leads, missing guards, leaks, cracks, anything held together with tape, strange smells or sounds. The second panel tells them what to do if they find a fault. A first-day starter gets the same checklist in their head as a ten-year veteran, without anyone standing over them.

In practice: A three-site garden centre where seasonal staff rotate between branches and share hedge trimmers, blowers, and a ride-on mower. A new weekend hire is about to take out the ride-on. The guidance panel reminds them to check the blade guard, the power leads, and listen for anything odd from when it last ran. They spot a loose guard, pick "Fault found", and the second panel tells them to switch it off, label it, and report it rather than risk it. The next person who reaches for that mower sees it was flagged, not used.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A "what to look for before you use it" panel that names the common failure points, so the visual check is consistent across people.
2. A "what to do if you find a fault" panel that tells the worker to stop, switch off, label, and report rather than push on.
3. A shared standard for what counts as a fault, so a new starter and a veteran flag the same things.

Why it works: Written guidance sits inline at the moment the worker is about to act. The hire reads the checklist the first time they run the check, and it is right there again the next time they pick up a different machine. It is not a safety talk they half-heard in week one. It is on the screen at the moment of the task, every time.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance panel (what to look for before you use it)
• 1 text input (name the tool or machine)
• 1 single choice (Good to use, Fault found, not using it)
• 1 text input (notes on what you saw)
• 1 guidance panel (what to do if you find a fault)

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Teams where someone needs to sign off each check, or an auditor or insurer could ask to see who confirmed it.

What it is: A signed pre-use check is the basic check-in plus a signature captured at the end of every run. The timestamp, the note on what was found, and a finger-drawn signature confirming the person checked the machine before use all go on the same record.

In practice: A warehouse operation running pallet trucks and forklifts across two shifts, where the insurer requires a signed pre-use check on every powered machine. A forklift driver opens the canvas at the start of their shift, types "forklift 3", checks it over, picks "Good to use", and signs at the bottom. The signature is captured on the touchscreen, time-stamped, and attached to the same record as the note. When the insurer's annual review lands, the safety lead pulls 40 checks at random, sees a name and signature on every one, and the review closes in an afternoon instead of a week of chasing.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A signature step at the end of every check.
2. A named confirmation on the same record as the timestamp and the note.
3. A defensible record at the level an auditor or an insurer expects, with no paper to file.

Why it works: The signature is what closes the loop. The timestamp says when. The note says what the worker found. The signature adds: and this named person confirms they checked it. Captured on the same device, at the same moment, in the same record, the three together are what an auditor or an insurer expects to see.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (name the tool or machine)
• 1 single choice (Good to use, Fault found, not using it)
• 1 text input (notes on what you saw)
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams wanting photo proof of any fault found, so a repair can be planned before anyone travels out.

What it is: The basic check-in plus a photo of the power cable when a fault is found. When the worker picks "Fault found", they take a quick shot of what is wrong. The photo lands in the same record as the note. The engineer sees the actual damage, not a typed guess at it, and can turn up with the right parts the first time.

In practice: A four-van plumbing firm whose engineers share pressure testers, pipe freezers, and a core drill across jobs. An engineer goes to grab the core drill and finds the power cable frayed at the connector. They pick "Fault found", type "power cable damaged at the connector", and photo it close up. The photo lands in the record with the note. The workshop sees exactly what is wrong, orders the right cable before the engineer is back, and the drill is back in service the next morning instead of after a wasted call-out.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo step that captures the actual fault, taken at the moment it is found.
2. A visual record the engineer can plan a repair from, instead of a typed description.
3. A faster fix, because the right part can be ordered before anyone travels to the machine.

Why it works: A typed note is a description. A photo is the thing itself. The two together let someone who is not on site act with confidence. The note says what the worker thinks is wrong; the photo lets the engineer confirm it and bring the right part. Captured at the moment of the check, on the same device, the fault cannot be misremembered later.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (name the tool or machine)
• 1 single choice (Good to use, Fault found, not using it)
• 1 text input (notes on what you saw)
• 1 photo of the power cable

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Teams where photos get taken but nobody reviews them. Multi-site groups where head office can't look at every photo every time.

What it is: A photo-checked check is the basic check-in plus a photo of the power cable that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the power cable look undamaged and safe to use? A single named spot like the cable is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot of the whole machine is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone leaves.

In practice: A three-site facilities management company closes down equipment every evening. The closing technician photographs the power cable as always. Poppi reads the photo: undamaged, no fraying, no cracks. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a rushed Friday the photo shows a split in the sheath near the connector. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The power cable shows visible damage and fraying near the connector"). The technician sorts it and retakes the photo while still on site.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo of the power cable that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored.
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check.
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at photos.

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the worker leaving. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next day can only record that the cable looked bad; Poppi catching it at check-in gets it fixed that day.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (name the tool or machine)
• 1 single choice (Good to use, Fault found, not using it)
• 1 text input (notes on what you saw)
• 1 photo of the power cable
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the basic check-in plus one addition, so pick the additions your site actually needs.

Is it just you running this, or do other people run it too?

If it is just you, the basic check (#1) is enough. You know what to look for on your own kit, and you do not need the canvas to coach you.

If anyone else uses it (a colleague, a new starter, a rotating crew), go to #2. The guidance panels are what stop one person checking the power cable while another only checks the guard. You write the checklist once; everyone reads it inline before they switch on.

Does someone need to sign off each check?

If the check is internal and no auditor will ever look at it, skip this. If an auditor or an insurer could pull the records and expect a name on each one, #3 adds a signature. The signature puts a named confirmation on the same record as the timestamp and the note.

Do you need photo proof of faults?

If a fault is fixed by whoever is on site, the typed note is enough. Skip this. If a fault has to reach an engineer who is not there, the typed note alone slows the repair down. Go to #4. The photo at the moment the fault is found lets the engineer confirm what is wrong and bring the right part the first time.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something is wrong.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same check.

Related reading

• Lone worker check-ins
• Spot a hazard
• Report a near miss
• Maintenance fault reports
• Tool and asset checkout

Conclusion

An equipment pre-use check is a quick safety look at a tool or machine before you switch it on: name it, judge it, log what you saw. Every version above is the same basic check plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, or an AI check on the photo. Pick the ones your site needs and combine them in the playground.

More additions are coming in future refreshes, like a Poppi briefing that surfaces any machine flagged faulty before the worker starts. Those need more test time and will land separately.

→ Build your own equipment pre-use check on Pilla.