PUWER Inspections & Assessments

PUWER’s purpose is simple: all work equipment must be safe, suitable for its task, maintained in a safe condition and used only by people competent to use it.

The definition of work equipment is deliberately wide, taking in machinery, appliances, tools and installations of every kind, from a factory press to a battery drill, and it makes no distinction over ownership. Equipment provided by employees, hired equipment and leased equipment all carry the same duties as anything the business bought outright.

The regulations also demand that equipment carries clear markings and visible warnings where they are needed, and, in a requirement that catches many operators out, that equipment must not leave or enter an undertaking without evidence of its last inspection. If a machine arrives on hire without the required paperwork, PUWER says it should not be sent to work.

PUWER sets four triggers for inspection.

Equipment must be inspected after installation and before first use, so that faults introduced during setup are caught before anyone relies on the machine. It must also be inspected again after assembly at any new site or location, because a move can undo an installation.

Equipment that’s exposed to conditions causing deterioration must be inspected at suitable intervals throughout its life, and any exceptional circumstances, damage, incident, or a long period out of use calls for inspection before the equipment is used again.

What counts as a suitable interval depends on the equipment and the conditions it works in, and this is where a competent person earns their keep. We set inspection intervals based on how your equipment is actually used and the environment it lives in, rather than a calendar default, and every result is recorded and retained until the next inspection, as the regulations require.

A PUWER assessment looks at the equipment as a whole. This includes whether it is suitable for the work, whether its guards, controls, and safety devices do their job, whether maintenance keeps it safe, and whether the people using it are trained and competent to do so.

It is a risk assessment with the regulations as its measuring stick, and it identifies the gap between how the equipment should be provided and used and how it actually is.

The output is practical rather than academic, and when using our PUWER assessment service, you’ll receive a clear record of what complies, what needs action and in what order, so you can close the gaps methodically rather than guess at priorities. For new equipment, an assessment before first use catches problems while the supplier still owns them. For an established fleet, it turns an unknown liability into a managed list.

Where equipment lifts, PUWER rarely stands alone. Lifting equipment is subject to LOLER for its thorough examinations, while PUWER governs its wider provision, maintenance, and use, and the two sets of duties run side by side on the same machine. We carry out our LOLER inspections with both regimes in mind, so a single programme keeps a crane, hoist or lift compliant on both fronts.

The same pairing appears across the workplace. Industrial doors are work equipment under PUWER, which is why our roller shutter and industrial door maintenance includes statutory inspection. Storage equipment is also covered by PUWER alongside SEMA guidance as part of our racking inspection service.

Wherever your equipment is located, the inspections can run as a single scheduled programme rather than a diary full of separate visits.