The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) put duties on companies and people who own, operate or control work equipment. PUWER requires that all work equipment used is safe for use, appropriate for the task, suitably marked and is subject to a statutory periodic ‘Inspection’ carried out by a ‘Competent Person’. Work equipment used for lifting will be subject to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
The PUWER Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) defines a Competent person as ‘ a person with such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to be inspected’.
PUWER requires that all inspections are recorded and that any defects or issues are reported to the owner/responsible person and, where necessary, the relevant Enforcing Authority.
What is Work Equipment?
As defined in PUWER, work equipment is any type of equipment, machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work. The pictures above show just a few examples of work equipment, listed below is a list of more examples, but it is not limited to:
- Excavators
- Diggers and Dumpers
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Pallet Trucks
- Jacks and Hydraulic Equipment
- Dock Levellers
- Axle Stands
- Industrial Doors
- Ladders and Steps
- Racking
- Compactors
- Staging
- Mechanical Handling Equipment
How often should Work Equipment be inspected?
PUWER does not define the frequency of Work Equipment inspection by a Competent Person, unlike other regulations such as LOLER. We would recommend the following to our clients:
- Twelve monthly in general cases, unless equipment falls under LOLER.
- Six monthly if used for working at height or associated with lifting persons.
- At an agreed inspection interval subject to Risk Assessment.
RD Engineering PUWER Inspection Services can help with identifying your work equipment inspection requirements and can help with solutions for its control. We will carry out periodic inspections with as little disruption to your business as possible and produce detailed statutory reports. At all times we will be professional, safe, understanding and keen to build a happy relationship with our clients that lasts. Keeping up with compliance can sometimes be difficult, let us help with monitoring when your inspections are next due and giving you plenty of notice before the next due date.
