PUWER Assessments

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, often abbreviated to PUWER, are regulated by the UK HSE (Health and Safety Executive). They place duties on companies who own, operate or have control over work equipment and regulate that it's safe for its intended use.

“Work equipment” in this context applies to any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work.

To comply with PUWER, every new piece of equipment has to undergo a PUWER inspection. A PUWER workplace assessment typically involves:

• Identifying and reporting any hazards
• Assessing risks by calculating the chance of harm being done
• Identifying ways to eliminate those risks where possible
• When a complete elimination of a certain risk is not possible, listing ways to reduce it and specifying precautions which need to be taken

A PUWER workplace assessment should be performed each time a piece of equipment is installed. Reassessments are necessary if any modifications or changes are made, or if that equipment will be used differently. Reassessment is also required if there has been an accident.

PUWER regulations apply to work activities throughout the whole of Great Britain, as well as offshore installations such as oil rigs and gas supply platforms. The groups covered by PUWER include:

• Employers
• Self-employed people and the equipment they control or use (whether for profit or not)
• Those who are employed to supervise or manage the use of equipment operated by others

“Work equipment” in the context of PUWER applies to any equipment, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work (whether exclusively or not), including equipment that employees provide for their own use at work.

PUWER regulations apply to work equipment found at any workplace in Great Britain and offshore installations, including but not exclusive to; factories, construction sites, farms, hospitals and offices.

The regulations do not refer to equipment used by the public, which comes under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. PUWER also does not apply to those who have supplied, sold or hired equipment – in this case, it’s up to the purchaser of the equipment to make sure that it is complying with the law – that is; specified, installed and used so that it does not present a risk to those at work.

PUWER requires employers to ensure that their work equipment is used exclusively by individuals who have received the necessary training to carry out the work safely. What is accepted as adequate training will vary according to an employee’s current competence level, and the complexity of the work equipment itself.

Staff without the qualifications necessary to operate a piece of equipment must be given the relevant training by an employer before they can use the equipment unsupervised. The competence of new employees should be assessed to ensure that they only operate equipment which they are qualified to use.