Safety, Health & Environment Section
FM SHE 009a
A Guide to the Provision and Use of Workplace
Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998
Jan 2012
Version 3.0
Document review due: Jan 2014
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1
A Guide to the Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations
(PUWER) 1998
1. Introduction
The Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 and its
associated Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) replace a number of former legal
requirements relating to the use of a variety of work equipment. The Regulations aim to
reduce risks to people's health and safety from equipment provided for use at work. PUWER
applies to all work equipment including lifting equipment but the Lifting Operations and Lifting
Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) applies over and above the general requirements of
PUWER in respect of all lifting equipment.
Failure to comply with the requirements of PUWER is a criminal offence and liable to lead to
enforcement action or prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
In general the Regulations require that any equipment provided for use at work is:
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suitable for its intended use and for the conditions it is to be used in;
safe for use;
maintained in a safe state of repair to ensure that people's health and safety is not
exposed to risk;
regularly inspected (where required) by a competent person to ensure that the
equipment continues to be safe for use;
fitted with all necessary suitable safety measures or protective devices e.g. guarding,
protection devices, markings, warning devices, emergency stops and personal
protective equipment;
implementation of procedural measures e.g. safe systems of work, provided for use
to persons who have received adequate information, instruction and training in the
equipment's operation/use.
‘Equipment’ and ‘Use’ Definitions
The definition of 'work equipment' is very broad and literally means any equipment provided
for use at work including:
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machines such as circular saws, drilling machines, photocopiers, motor vehicles,
mowing machines, tractors, dumper trucks and power presses;
hand tools such as screwdrivers, knives, hand saws, hammers,
lifting equipment such as lift trucks, elevating work platforms, vehicle hoists, lifting
slings and bath lifts;
other equipment such as ladders, water pressure cleaners, apparatus such as
laboratory apparatus e.g. bunsen burners.
Substances, livestock, structural items (e.g. walls, stairs, roofs, etc.) and private motor
vehicles are not items of work equipment and are not covered by PUWER.
If members of staff bring their own equipment from home for use at work this will also be
covered by PUWER and the University has a duty to make sure it complies with the
Regulations. Though not being used for ‘work’ purposes any equipment brought into the
University by students to be used on University premises must also comply with the
requirements of PUWER.
The definition of the 'use of equipment' includes starting, stopping, repairing, modifying,
servicing, maintaining, cleaning and transporting.
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How to ensure compliance with PUWER
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Assess all the equipment in use, decide what can cause risks, and how;
Identify all existing control measures;
Consider what measures can be introduced to prevent or reduce risks further;
Implement identified measures.
Risk Assessing Equipment
When identifying the risks, consider:
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all the work which has to be done with the equipment during normal use and also
during setting-up, maintenance, repair, breakdowns and removal of blockages;
who will use the equipment, including inexperienced workers, workers with language
difficulties, new starters, people who have changed jobs within the company or those
who may have particular difficulties, e.g. those with impaired mobility or poor readers;
young people, who may be inexperienced and lack knowledge or awareness of
existing or potential risks;
workers who may act foolishly or carelessly or are likely to make mistakes;
whether guards or safety devices are poorly designed and inconvenient to use or are
easily defeated (this could encourage workers to risk injury); the type of power
supply, e.g. electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic - each type has different risks and ways
to control them.
Example risks associated with work equipment
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using the wrong equipment for the job, e.g. ladders instead of access towers for an
extended job at high level;
not having adequate guards on machinery, leading to accidents caused by
entanglement, shearing, crushing, trapping or cutting;
not fitting adequate controls, or the wrong type of controls, so that equipment cannot
be turned off quickly and safely, or starts accidentally;
not properly maintaining guards, safety devices, controls etc so that machines or
equipment become unsafe;
failure to provide adequate information, instruction and training for those using the
equipment;
not fitting roll-over protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts on mobile work
equipment where there is a risk of roll over (Note: this does not apply to quad bikes);
not maintaining work equipment or carrying out regular inspections and thorough
examinations;
not providing the personal protective equipment needed to use certain machines
safely, e.g. chainsaws, angle grinders.
The General Requirements of PUWER
Work equipment must be suitable for the purposes for which it is used. Regard should be
given to the working conditions when selecting work equipment.
Regulation 5 Work equipment must be properly maintained. If a maintenance log is kept
then it must be kept up to date. During internal safety audits or during inspections by the
enforcing authorities duty holders may be required to produce maintenance logs for
inspection.
Regulation 6 If the use of work equipment creates a specific risk to health and safety then
the use of that work equipment should be restricted to those persons given the task of using
it. Repairs, modification or maintenance of such equipment must be restricted to designated
trained persons. For example abrasive wheels must only be changed by designated persons
who have been properly trained and who are competent to do so.
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Regulation 7 Users and supervisors of work equipment should be given adequate
information, instruction and training for health and safety purposes. Employers should
provide information, instructions and training not only to those who actually use work
equipment, but also to employees supervising or managing its use.
Regulations 8 & 9 All work equipment put into use after December 1992 must comply with
all relevant EC Community Directives. The duty of ensuring compliance rests with the
employer, so CE marks should be sought wherever possible when purchasing equipment.
Competent equipment suppliers should be able to advise purchasers.
Regulation 11. Dangerous Parts of Machinery
It is an absolute duty to prevent persons coming into contact with dangerous parts of the
machinery or any rotating stock-bar. Where practicable this should be through the use of
fixed guards which are properly fastened and require tools to remove them. If regular access
to parts of the machine is required and a fixed guard is not practicable, use an interlocked
guard, this will ensure that the machine cannot start before the guard is closed and will stop if
the guard is opened while the machine is operating.
On equipment such as guillotines devices such as photoelectric systems or automatic guards
may be used instead of fixed or interlocked guards. Where guards cannot give full protection
from identified hazards, jigs, holders, push sticks etc, should be used to move the work
piece.
Whatever guards / control measures are used they must suitable, of good construction, be
maintained, allow the machine to be cleaned and maintained safely, not give rise to an
increase in risk, not be easily bypassed or disabled and be situated at a suitable distance
from the danger zone.
Note: For machinery used in engineering, woodworking and agriculture, the Health & Safety
Executive have produced more detailed guidance. Contact the SHE Section for further
advice.
Regulation 12 Protection against Specific Hazards
Regulation 12 of PUWER requires employers to take measures to ensure that the exposure
of a person using work equipment to any risks to their health and safety from any hazard
given below is either prevented, or, where that is not practicable, adequately controlled:
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any article or substance falling (e.g. from a scaffold or ejected (e.g. swarf ejected
from a machine tool) from work equipment;
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rupture or disintegration of work equipment (e.g. parts breaking off and being thrown
off such as an abrasive wheel bursting, a scaffold collapsing, etc.);
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work equipment overheating or catching fire (e.g. through friction
burning out, cooling system failure, etc.);
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the unintended or premature discharge of any gas, dust, liquid or vapour or other
substance from work equipment(whether produced, used or stored in the work
equipment);
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the unintended or premature explosion of work equipment or of any substance or
article used or stored in it
electric motor
Note: Prevention should be achieved as far as possible other than by the provision of
personal protective equipment, information, instruction, training and supervision.
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Protection Against Temperature Extremes
Measures must be taken to ensure that people are protected from work equipment or
substances used, produced or stored in work equipment which are at extremes of
temperature (Regulation 13).
Control Systems
PUWER sets minimum objectives for the fitting of control devices to work equipment. Where
appropriate work equipment should be:
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Fitted with start and governing controls (Regulation 14);
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Fitted with one or more stop buttons (Regulation 15);
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Fitted with an accessible emergency stop button (Regulation 16).
Regulation 18 All controls on work equipment should be clearly visible and identifiable and,
if needs be they should be marked (Regulation 17). All control systems should be, so far as
is reasonably practicable, safe.
Regulation 19 Where appropriate work equipment should be provided with a means to
isolate it from its power source. Steps should be taken to prevent reconnection causing
danger to other persons.
Regulation 20 Where necessary for health and safety work equipment or any part of work
equipment shall be stabilised by clamping or otherwise.
Regulation 21 Suitable and sufficient lighting should be provided at any place where a
person uses work equipment.
Regulation 22 Work equipment should be so constructed to ensure that, as far as is
reasonably practicable, maintenance operations can be carried out without risk to health.
Regulation 23 Work equipment should be clearly marked as appropriate for reasons of
health and safety.
Regulation 24 Work equipment should incorporate warnings or warning devices as
appropriate. Such devices shall only be appropriate if the warnings that they give are
unambiguous, easily perceived and easily understood.
Mobile Work Equipment
Part 3 of PUWER relates to mobile work equipment such as fork-lift trucks. The University
must ensure that where such equipment is used for carrying people it is suitable for such
use. Action must be taken to reduce risks to the passenger(s).
Power Presses
Part 4 of PUWER relates to power presses. Power presses and any guarding or protection
devices must be thoroughly inspected at regular times and checked on a daily basis to
ensure safety operation. Inspections are to be conducted by a competent person who must
keep records.
Conformity
Purchasers must ensure that any products they buy comply with any legal requirements
implementing any Directives applicable to the product. In general, this has been achieved
when a product displays a 'CE Marking'. In respect of machinery, adequate operating
instructions needs to be provided with the equipment in addition to information about residual
hazards (i.e. noise, vibration etc.).
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If equipment is supplied second hand it is the duty of the supplier to make sure it is safe and
that there are instructions to enable safe use. Second hand equipment may not always have
CE marking.
DO YOU USE WORK EQUIPMENT THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE HARM?
ARE YOU SURE IT COMPLIES WITH PUWER? IF NOT ASK FOR HELP
References
HSE. (1998). Safe use of work equipment. Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and guidance L22 (Second edition).
HSE. (1999). Simple guide to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Leaflet INDG291.
HSE. (1998). Safe use of woodworking machinery. Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998 as applied to woodworking machinery. Approved Code of Practice and
guidance L114.
HSE. (1998). Safe use of lifting equipment. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment
Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and Guidance L113
Buying new machinery: A short guide to the law and some information on what to do for
anyone buying new machinery for use at work. Leaflet INDG271
HSE. (1998). Hiring and leasing out of plant: application of PUWER 98, Regulations 26 and
27 MISC156.
HSE. (2001). PUWER 98: Retrofitting of braking to woodworking machines HSE information
sheet Woodworking Sheet No 38
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PUWER: Equipment Safety Checklist
This checklist should be used for all potentially hazardous equipment other than ‘mobile work
equipment (e.g. fork-lift trucks, tractors, etc.) for which a separate checklist is available
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Equipment Suitability
Yes
Equipment is suitable for its intended use by design, construction
or adaptation?
New equipment is CE Marked, a copy of the EC Declaration of
Conformity and operating instructions have been obtained from
supplier?
Where applicable equipment is stable (e.g. by bolting, clamping or
tying, etc.)?
The equipment is used in an appropriate environment (consider
e.g. ventilation, damp or flammable conditions)?
Information, Instruction and Training
Comprehensible written instructions, a safe system of work and
risk assessments are provided to users?
Users have access to the written instructions provided by the
manufacturer?
(a) Equipment users have been given adequate training in use,
risks, controls
and precautions?
(b) Written training records signed by user are kept?
The equipment is being used in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, written safe system of work?
There are appropriate clear warning notices or markings (e.g. to
wear personal protective equipment, restrictions on use, a list of
authorised users, etc)?
Maintenance
There are appropriate intervals for inspecting:
(a) electrical safety;
(b) any safety devices.
If inadequate maintenance could cause the equipment, guards, or
other protection to fail in a dangerous way, there is a system of
planned preventive maintenance in place, including where
appropriate the periodic replacement or refurbishing of items
before they reach the end of their usual life
Clear maintenance instructions have been given to those
responsible for maintaining the equipment?
There is an up-to-date maintenance log for the equipment?
Maintenance is undertaken by competent persons?
The equipment and system of maintenance is designed to
minimise the risks which may arise during maintenance?
The equipment can be securely isolated from power supply to
prevent inadvertent reconnection:
(a) by removing a plug from a socket easily visible to the person
at risk?
(b) by locking it off?
If equipment has been adapted or modified are changes suitable
and safe?
In the case of pressurised equipment, there is a written scheme of
examination?
Control Measures
No
N/A
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19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27
28.
29.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
(a) Are start and stop controls are readily accessible clearly
marked and
operational?
(b) Are other operating controls clearly marked and operational?
Can machinery only be started when a specific labelled start
‘device’ is used?
Does the start device require to be activated to restart the
machine if either the power fails or when a control or safety
device fails or trips out?
Where necessary, is there a prominent and easily accessible
emergency stop device?
When power is isolated does the machinery come to rest safely
without the possibility of access to dangerous parts?
Are all dangerous parts of machinery adequately guarded or
otherwise suitably protected?
All guards are in good working order and allow an adequate view
of the work?
Guards and other protective devices are not easy to bypass or
disable?
Is protection adequate in relation to:
(a) items falling from the equipment?
(b) items being ejected?
(c) overturning?
(d) collapse?
(e) overheating or fire?
(f) disintegration?
(g) explosion?
If the equipment produces/releases gas fume or dust when used
is there:
(a) a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system? Is it tested
annually?
(b) a COSHH specific assessment in place?
Is there sufficient general and (where necessary) local lighting?
Is there appropriate protection against contact with hot/very cold
temperatures?
Specific Issues - Woodworking Machinery
Circular saw benches, dimension saws, powered and hand fed
cross-cut saws, single-end/double-end tenoning machines are all
fitted with automatic braking devices?
Are narrow band-saws, re-saws, vertical spindle mounting
machines, hand fed routing machines, thicknessing machines,
planning/thicknessing machines and surface planning machines
fitted with automatic braking devices?
The safe working speed is marked on the machine?
Diameter of the smallest saw blade that can be used is marked on
the machine?
Specific Issues - Abrasive Wheels
(a) Is the maximum rotation speed of the wheel marked on the
wheel or on a noticed fixed in the workroom?
(b) is the power-driven spindle governed to prevent rotation speed
exceeding this figure?
Is adequate guarding provided to contain wheel fragments that
might fly off?
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33.
Is adequate information/training
handing/mounting of wheels?
General Comments:
given
in
the
correct
Actions to be taken in order of priority:
Date for review:
Assessed by: ______________________________
Date:
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