Inspection Records: a GA1 inspection app for lifting equipment inspectors
Complete the thorough examination on a phone or tablet, issue the certificate on the spot, and let the app keep track of renewals and defects for every customer.
What is Inspection Records?
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007, lifting equipment in Ireland has to be thoroughly examined by a competent person at set intervals, usually every 6 or 12 months depending on the equipment, and the result recorded in a report of thorough examination. The Health and Safety Authority's GA1 form is the layout most inspectors use for that report.
Inspection Records is our GA1 inspection app, built for the firms that carry out those examinations. The inspector fills in the GA1 on a phone or tablet beside the machine, and the app produces a branded PDF certificate with their saved signature. The certificate is emailed to the customer, filed against the machine and tracked until the next examination is due.
Each firm gets its own account to sign in to, with its own branding, customers and records, all private to that firm. We built it and look after it ourselves at GBA Solutions.
Inspection Records isn't on open sign up. We make it available to inspection firms by arrangement, so if you'd like to see it, get in touch and we'll show you how it works.
The problems it solves
Certificates written up in the evening
Filling in GA1s by hand or in Word means the paperwork is done twice, once on site and again in the office. With the app, the certificate is finished before you leave the yard.
Renewals that slip past
Keeping track of when every machine for every customer is due again is hard on paper. The app lists what's due and overdue, and sends a reminder email 30 days ahead.
Defects nobody follows up
A defect noted on a certificate is easy to forget. The app keeps it on the dashboard until it's marked fixed, the machine is re-examined or the item is closed with a reason.
Sending certificates before you're paid
Each certificate carries a paid switch, so it's only emailed to the customer once it's paid, unless you've set that customer to receive certificates straight away.
Who it's for
- Lifting equipment inspection firms
- Sole trader inspectors
- Plant hire firms that examine their own fleet
- Competent persons carrying out thorough examinations
How it works
Everything happens on the phone or tablet you already carry, and the office side runs in any web browser.
Pick the customer and machine
Choose the customer, then the machine or a new one. Equipment types and particulars you've used before are offered from a list, so you're not typing the same thing twice.
Complete the GA1
Work through the examination, add the safe working loads, any defects, photos and a pass or fail. The next examination date fills in from the period you choose.
Preview and finalise
Check a draft PDF marked as a draft, then finalise. The certificate is locked, signed with your saved signature and stored against the machine.
Send and follow up
Email the certificate to the customer, with a copy to yourself, and let the app remind you when it's due again or when a repair is overdue.
What the app does
GA1 form on your phone or tablet
Laid out in the order of the HSA GA1, with safe working load configurations, purposes of examination, tests and the competent person's details.
Branded PDF certificates
Your logo and company details on every certificate, with your signature applied automatically. A normal pass fits on one A4 page.
Pass or fail and defects
Every GA1 records a pass or fail. Defects that are dangerous, or could become dangerous, are recorded with a date for repairs, and a failed machine is clearly marked not to be used.
Photos on the certificate
Add up to six photos of the machine, its plate or a defect, and they print on the certificate.
Fleet visits
Examining a customer's whole fleet? The visit details carry from one machine to the next, and the machines already done are ticked off.
Certificates emailed for you
Certificates go to the customer from your firm's name, with a copy to you, once you've marked them paid.
Renewal reminders
A morning email lists certificates falling due in the next 30 days and repairs that are overdue. Customers can get their own reminder too.
Equipment register and reports
Every customer's machines with their last examination, next due date and status, plus a PDF equipment report you can email to the customer.
Records you can't lose
Finalised certificates are never edited or deleted. A mistake is voided and redone, with the original kept, and everything can be downloaded as a spreadsheet.
Your records and your data
- Each inspection firm's records are kept completely separate, and only that firm's logins can see them.
- Data is held on Google Cloud in the EU, and the records are yours. You can download your certificates and equipment register at any time.
- Finalised certificates are locked, so the record of what was examined and when can't be changed after the fact.
- The app installs on the home screen of an iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet, with no app store needed, and works in any web browser on a computer.
- It's built and supported by GBA Solutions in Naas, Co. Kildare, and you deal with the person who built it.
Related pages
Common questions about Inspection Records
What is a GA1?
The GA1 is the Health and Safety Authority's form for a report of thorough examination of lifting equipment. A competent person completes it after examining the equipment, recording the equipment, its safe working loads, any defects and the date of the next examination. The HSA says reports can be produced in other formats, as long as they contain the required information.
How often does lifting equipment need a thorough examination in Ireland?
It depends on the equipment. Schedule 1 of the General Application Regulations 2007 sets the periods, which for most lifting equipment is every 6 or 12 months, with equipment for lifting people and lifting accessories on the shorter period. A competent person may also set a shorter interval.
What's the difference between a GA1 and a GA2?
The GA1 records the thorough examination of lifting equipment by a competent person, usually every 6 or 12 months. The GA2 records the weekly inspection of lifting equipment used on construction sites. Inspection Records is built for the GA1.
Does the certificate follow the HSA GA1?
Yes. The form and the certificate follow the order and contents of the HSA GA1, including the equipment particulars, safe working loads, purposes of examination, tests, defects, next examination date and the competent person's declaration.
Can I use it on a phone and a tablet?
Yes. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, and computers. You can add it to your home screen so it opens like any other app, without going through an app store.
Can I add photos to a certificate?
Yes. You can add up to six photos to each examination, taken with the camera or picked from your photos, and they print on the certificate.
Will it remind me when certificates are due?
Yes. A morning email lists certificates falling due in the next 30 days and any repairs that are overdue. You can also choose to send each customer their own reminder.
What happens if I make a mistake on a finalised certificate?
Finalised certificates can't be edited or deleted, so the record stays trustworthy. You void the certificate and the app opens a new one filled in with the same details for you to correct.
Can I sign up online?
Not at the moment. We make the app available to inspection firms by arrangement rather than through open sign up. Get in touch and we'll talk you through it.
Who built Inspection Records?
We did. GBA Solutions designed and built it, and we host and support it ourselves. We also build health and safety and construction compliance software for other businesses.
Want to know if Inspection Records is right for you?
Inspection Records is available to inspection firms by arrangement. Get in touch and we'll show you how it works.