THE ANSWER, FIRST
Work equipment must be suitable and used safely, with appropriate maintenance, inspection, information and training. Buying equipment is only the start.
Check the sourceJump to a section
Who is responsibleYour next stepsBefore spending moneyWhat you can do yourselfPutting it into practiceRecords to keepWhen to reviewCommon questionsOfficial sourcesWho is responsible?
Businesses owning, controlling or using work equipment, including hired equipment.
Provide suitable, safe equipment, appropriate maintenance and inspection, safeguards and adequate information, instruction and training.
START HERE
Your next three steps
- 1
Assess equipment against the job and conditions of use.
- 2
Identify inspection and maintenance needs from risk and manufacturer information.
- 3
Make sure users are trained and safeguards remain effective.
BEFORE YOU PAY
Make sure you’re buying the right job
- Identify the machine or equipment and its actual use.
- Provide instructions, maintenance information and any modifications.
- Ask what inspection is appropriate and whether other specific requirements apply.
Watch out: A maintenance visit is not automatically the inspection or thorough examination a particular item needs. Lifting equipment can have additional requirements.
Compare the whole cost of two quotesWhat can you do yourself?
Keep an equipment inventory, arrange maintenance and make sure users can report defects. Simple checks still need appropriate knowledge and instructions.
When to get competent help
Use relevant competence for technical inspection, repairs, guarding or modifications. Some equipment also has duties under other regimes, such as lifting or pressure systems.
Buy support for the actual machine and its use
Before you commission work
Identify equipment, intended tasks, instructions and known modifications before requesting inspection or advice. Include second-hand and hired items where relevant. Tell the provider about cleaning, adjustment and maintenance activities so the brief is not limited to the machine’s normal production cycle.
Follow through on the result
Match findings to individual equipment and record who will arrange and verify any work. Ask what the report leaves outside its scope, including any separate specialist examination. Do not treat a service invoice as interchangeable with every inspection or examination record simply because each relates to the same machine.
Keep a useful record
Aim for information that helps the next person make a sound decision.
- Equipment identity and intended use.
- Inspection and maintenance information relevant to its risks.
- Training, defects and action on faults.
When to review it
Risk-based inspection intervals and relevant installation or exceptional-event checks; not one annual rule for all equipment.
Ask a supplier to distinguish a legal deadline, a recommendation based on risk and a condition in your contract or insurance. They are not interchangeable.
Questions to put to a provider
- What does the inspection cover and exclude?
- Is a separate thorough examination required?
- What evidence will we receive?
Common questions
Does PUWER only concern large machinery?
No. Work equipment is a broad category that includes tools and other equipment used at work.
Check the official sources
Read the current guidance for the place where you operate. A link is not an endorsement of this website by the regulator.
Source-checked guidance. Specialist editorial sign-off is pending; this is not an assessment of your business. It does not cover every specialist activity or replace competent, case-specific advice.
Our editorial standards · Report something that needs correcting