Educational checklist examples for safety, equipment and operational tasks — what a checklist covers, who uses it and how it connects to forms, inspections and training. Informational only — template examples to adapt, not official documents or legal advice; completing a checklist does not guarantee compliance and employers remain responsible.
What a press brake checklist is
A press brake checklist is a check before using a press brake, focusing on the safeguarding that protects hands from the tooling, the tooling itself and the controls, because the closing tools and the moving sheet create crush and trap hazards.
This page is an educational overview with a simplified example of what such a checklist usually covers. It is not an official template, not specific to any machine or jurisdiction and not legal advice — the employer decides the safe system of work and what the check covers.
Purpose
- Confirm the safeguarding (guard, light curtain or device) is fitted and working.
- Check the tooling is correct, secure and undamaged.
- Confirm the controls, mode selection and emergency stop are in order.
- Confirm safe handling of the sheet, including any second-person arrangement.
Who completes it
- The trained operator authorised to use the machine, before use.
- Defects or a failed safeguard stop use until corrected.
- The employer decides who is competent to set up and use the press brake.
- Tooling changes and servicing may be restricted to competent people.
When it is used
- Before each shift or first use of the machine that day.
- After a tooling change or change of mode.
- When the safeguard, controls or stop feel wrong.
- On the frequency the employer sets.
Typical items
- Machine ID, operator, date and shift.
- Safeguarding fitted and tested; light curtain or device responding.
- Tooling correct, secure and undamaged; back gauge set.
- Controls, mode selection and emergency stop working; sheet handling planned.
- Defects found and action taken (e.g. locked off, reported).
- These are example items only — adapt them to the machine and your risk assessment.
Common mistakes
- Bypassing or muting the safeguard to speed up bending.
- Hands near the tooling line during the stroke.
- Using damaged or wrong tooling.
- No plan for handling large or heavy sheets safely.
Document workflow
A press brake checklist follows the task risk assessment and sits alongside the machine pre-use check and the safe system of work for sheet handling. A failed check is completed after by locking off and reporting it, and a crush injury triggers an incident report and a review of the safeguarding.
See the related documents below for what is commonly completed before, used with and completed after a press brake check.
Retention (high level)
Where checks are recorded, employers usually keep them for a period they set, alongside the machine records. Specific retention periods vary by jurisdiction and type of work.
This page does not state a required period — confirm retention with the applicable law and the official authority.
Completing and sharing as a PDF
Recorded checks are often stored as PDFs alongside the machine’s records. Exporting to PDF supports the record; it does not make the check official or guarantee compliance.
Employer checklist
- Provide effective safeguarding and prohibit bypassing it.
- Ensure operators are trained and authorised and tooling is sound.
- Plan safe handling of large or heavy sheets.
- Keep checks and machine records together.
Worker notes
- Test the safeguard and check the tooling before starting.
- Keep hands clear of the tooling line during the stroke.
- Lock off and report any safeguard or tooling fault.
Country considerations
Most countries require employers to guard machinery and provide safe work equipment, but the detail, terminology and record-keeping rules differ, and the official authority is different in each. This page is high-level and general — it is not a statement of any country’s law and not a guarantee that a checklist is valid anywhere.
Always confirm the current requirements with the official authority for your country and a qualified professional.
Who is responsible
The employer is responsible for safeguarding machinery, ensuring competence and for compliance. This page is an educational overview with a template example; it does not certify a machine, does not replace training and does not transfer responsibility.
Export, edit and share documents
The documents, policies and templates this involves can be exported, edited, signed, stored and shared as PDFs with the HELPERG PDF Editor.
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