What does a PUWER inspection involve?
A PUWER inspection is a check by a competent person of the parts of work equipment that keep people safe: guards, interlocks, emergency stops, controls, isolation and anything that wears. PUWER Regulation 6 requires one where safety depends on how equipment is installed, or where it can deteriorate enough to become dangerous. The result must be recorded and kept until the next inspection.
PUWER is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It covers almost everything used at work, from a pillar drill to a roller shutter. LOLER sits on top of it for lifting equipment. Not everything needs a formal inspection, though, and that’s where most of the confusion starts.
What does PUWER Regulation 6 say?
Regulation 6 requires work equipment to be inspected:
after installation, and after assembly at a new site or in a new location, where its safety depends on how it’s installed
at suitable intervals, where it’s exposed to conditions that cause deterioration which could lead to danger
after exceptional circumstances that could affect its safety, such as major modifications, damage or a long period out of use
The result has to be recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded. Equipment that leaves your business, or comes in from another business, needs evidence of its last inspection with it.
What does the inspection actually check?
It focuses on the safety-related parts. On a typical piece of machinery that means:
Guards: fitted, secure, undamaged and not bypassed
Interlocks: opening a guard actually stops the machine
Emergency stops: in the right place, and they work
Controls: clearly marked, working properly, can’t start the machine by accident
Isolation: the machine can be isolated from its power source and locked off
Stability: fixed down or stable where it needs to be
Wear and damage on any part where failure could hurt someone
Markings and warnings: still in place and readable
Sometimes that means running the machine, testing a safety device or taking a cover off. Often it’s a careful visual and functional check.
Which equipment needs a formal PUWER inspection?
Equipment | Formal PUWER inspection? | Worth knowing |
Workshop machinery (lathes, saws, pillar drills, grinders) | Usually yes | Guards and emergency stops wear, get damaged and get removed |
Roller shutters, powered doors and gates | Yes | Safety edges, photocells and anti-drop devices need checking |
Dock levellers | Yes | Unless designed to lift people, which brings in LOLER |
Conveyors | Usually yes | Guarding at nip points and emergency stop cords |
Hand pallet trucks | A simple periodic check | Not LOLER if they can’t lift above 300mm |
Escalators and moving walkways | Yes | Usually every 6 months under industry guidance |
Power presses | Yes, under its own rules | Thorough examination every 12 months (fixed guards only) or 6 months (interlocking guards or light curtains), plus a check every shift |
Hand tools | No formal inspection | A check by the user before use is enough |
Portable electrical equipment | Covered by other rules | Electrical safety checks fall under the Electricity at Work Regulations |
Compressors and pressure systems | Covered by other rules | They need a written scheme of examination under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations |
More on roller shutters and dock levellers in roller shutter and dock leveller inspections, and on pallet trucks in does a pallet truck need a LOLER inspection?
How often does it need doing?
PUWER doesn’t set fixed intervals, apart from power presses. The frequency should come from a risk assessment, based on the manufacturer’s instructions, how hard the equipment works, the conditions it works in, and what previous inspections have found. We cover this in more detail in how often do you need a PUWER inspection?
Who can carry out a PUWER inspection?
A competent person: someone with the knowledge and experience to know what to look at, what to look for, and what to do if they find a problem. That can be someone in-house. Many businesses use an independent inspector for machinery, so there’s a second pair of eyes on equipment their own team uses and maintains every day.
How is it different from maintenance or a LOLER examination?
Maintenance (PUWER Regulation 5) keeps the equipment working: lubricating, adjusting, replacing worn parts.
A PUWER inspection (Regulation 6) checks the safety-related parts are still doing their job, and records it.
A LOLER thorough examination applies to lifting equipment, at fixed intervals of 6 or 12 months, with a set list of what the report must contain.
There’s more on the difference in LOLER vs PUWER: what’s the difference? and is a LOLER inspection the same as a service?
PUWER inspections across the East Midlands
We carry out PUWER inspections alongside LOLER examinations for workshops, warehouses, factories, garages, schools and farms across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Loughborough and Lincoln, and out to Newark, Mansfield and Grantham. We also travel anywhere in the UK. Having both done on one visit means one set of reports and one date to remember.
Every inspection is carried out and signed by me, Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with 14 years’ experience. We don’t sell or repair equipment, so nothing we find is a sale. Reports are written on site before I leave, and once we’ve agreed a price, it stays fixed for all your ongoing inspections.
See our PUWER inspection costs and our PUWER 1998 guide. Or tell us what you’ve got and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
FAQs
What does a PUWER inspection involve?
A competent person checks the safety-related parts of work equipment, such as guards, interlocks, emergency stops, controls, isolation and parts that wear, to make sure they still work and haven’t deteriorated. The result is recorded and kept until the next inspection.
What equipment needs a PUWER inspection?
Equipment whose safety depends on how it’s installed, or that can deteriorate enough to become dangerous. That usually includes workshop machinery, roller shutters, powered doors, dock levellers, conveyors and escalators. Simple hand tools only need a check before use.
How often do you need a PUWER inspection?
PUWER doesn’t set fixed intervals, except for power presses. The frequency should be based on a risk assessment, taking into account the manufacturer’s instructions, how much the equipment is used and the conditions it works in.
Who can carry out a PUWER inspection?
A competent person with enough knowledge and experience of the equipment to know what to check, what to look for and what to do about any problems. It can be someone in-house or an independent inspector.
Do PUWER inspections need to be recorded?
Yes. PUWER Regulation 6 requires the result of an inspection to be recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded. Records can be kept electronically.
Is a PUWER inspection the same as PAT testing?
No. PAT testing checks the electrical safety of portable equipment under the Electricity at Work Regulations. A PUWER inspection checks the mechanical and safety-related parts of work equipment, such as guards and emergency stops.
What’s the difference between a PUWER and a LOLER inspection?
PUWER covers almost all work equipment, with inspection intervals set by risk. LOLER adds extra rules for lifting equipment, including a thorough examination at least every 6 or 12 months and a report with set contents. Read more about the difference between LOLER & PUWER here.
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