PUWER 1998 · Work equipment

Chamfering Machine Inspection and Testing

Independent inspection of your chamfering machine as work equipment, against the PUWER duties, by a competent engineer surveyor.

A chamfering machine spins milling inserts at the edge of a plate, a pipe or a part, and gets treated with the casualness of a hand tool. We carry out PUWER inspection and testing of bench, plate and pipe chamfering machines, and issue the written record of inspection.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
Risk basedInspection intervals set by a competent person from the machine's duty
Written recordThe output is a record of inspection, not a certificate
Thrown insertsTooling security is a projectile question as well as a cut question
All formatsBench, portable, plate edge and pipe end machines inspected
Work equipment we inspect

Why your chamfering machine needs PUWER inspection

Chamfering and bevelling machines put a defined edge on metal: bench machines break edges on small parts, plate bevellers travel the edge of sheet preparing weld lands, and pipe end machines square and bevel tube for fit up. All of them drive a cutter head carrying indexable inserts at high speed, close to the hands guiding the work, which is exactly the combination PUWER's guarding and inspection duties exist for.

The hazards stack in a small space: the rotating head itself, inserts that become projectiles if a clamp screw is slack or a seat is cracked, workpieces snatched from poor clamping, and on portable machines a trigger that keeps the head live in a moving pair of hands. None of it carries a fixed statutory interval; all of it needs Regulation 6 inspection at a cycle a competent person can defend in writing.

Bench chamfering machines
Portable bevellers
Plate edge milling machines
Pipe end chamfering machines
Cutter heads and inserts
Guards and covers
Work clamps and fences
Feed mechanisms
How it works

How we inspect your chamfering machine

Our engineer inspects the cutter head guarding and its adjustment, insert seats and clamping screws, spindle condition, work clamps and fences, feed mechanisms on travelling machines, trigger and switch behaviour on portable units, stop function and run down, and electrical condition, then tests the machine on a cut so guarding and clamping are judged doing their job.

  • 1

    Inspect the tooling as a projectile risk

    Insert seats, screws and head balance are checked, because a thrown insert clears a guard that only planned for fingers.

  • 2

    Judge the clamping honestly

    Fences and clamps are assessed against the parts actually run, since a snatched workpiece is the machine's other way of causing harm.

  • 3

    Record the findings

    The written record states condition, defects and the interval, and is filed in your SEIS portal alongside the rest of the workshop's records.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Bench, portable and travelling machines covered in one inspection
  • Tooling security treated with the seriousness projectiles deserve
  • Independent findings with no servicing contract behind them
  • Records and reminders in the SEIS client portal
What we check

Chamfering machine: what a thorough inspection covers

Insert clamping

A slack clamp screw turns a carbide insert into shrapnel at spindle speed. Seats, screws and torque are inspected across the head, not sampled.

Head guarding

The guard must cover everything except the working arc. Damaged, missing or wired back covers are the defect we find most often on bench machines.

Work clamping

Parts held by hand against a milling head end badly. Clamps, vices and fences are checked for condition, travel and suitability for the work run.

Portable trigger control

A beveller that stays live when set down keeps cutting whatever it lands on. Trigger action, lock offs and lead condition are all tested.

Feed mechanism

On travelling plate machines the feed must hold the head steadily on line. Racks, rollers and clamps are inspected along the working travel.

Run down time

Cutter heads coast. The stop is timed, and where the run down invites hands in early, we say so in the record with the fix recommended.

Intervals and your record

How often, and what you receive

Every chamfering machine inspection produces a written record of inspection under PUWER: the machine's identity, the condition of guarding, tooling, clamping and controls, defects with recommended timescales, and the inspection interval our competent person has set for its duty. The record is the legal evidence the regulations ask for in place of a certificate, and it is stored in your SEIS client portal from the day we leave site.

No fixed intervalFrequency set by risk and how the equipment is used
After assemblyRe-inspected where safe use depends on correct assembly or relocation
A written recordA dated inspection record, not a statutory certificate
Where it liftsAny powered lifting function is examined under LOLER

Anyone selling a PUWER certificate is using a marketing word, not a legal one. We issue a clear, dated inspection record you can hand to an HSE inspector or your insurer.

Full statutory cover

Part of our full PUWER inspection service

Chamfering machine is one of the many kinds of equipment we cover. We inspect the full range, across every sector, as an independent provider, one item or a whole site, anywhere in the UK.

See our full PUWER inspection service
Other services

Other statutory inspections we carry out

Many sites run more than one regime. We can examine all of it, under one independent provider.

LOLER inspectionThorough examination and certification of lifting equipment and accessories. PSSR examinationWritten Schemes and certified examination of pressure systems. LEV testingLEV thorough examination and test of your extraction systems.
PUWER FAQs

Chamfering machine inspection: common questions

Do chamfering machines fall under PUWER?
Yes. Any powered machine used at work is work equipment, and a chamfering machine's rotating cutter head is precisely the dangerous part Regulation 11 requires guarded and Regulation 6 requires inspected.
How often should a chamfering machine be inspected?
At an interval set by a competent person from its use. A plate beveller preparing weld edges all week needs a tighter cycle than a bench machine breaking edges occasionally, and the record states the interval chosen.
Do you inspect portable bevelling machines?
Yes. Portable units get the same inspection with extra attention on the trigger, lock off, lead and the practical guarding of a head that moves with the operator.
What is the most common defect?
Guards removed or wired back for access, with slack insert screws close behind. Both are quick to fix and cheap compared with what they prevent.
Is there a certificate afterwards?
No. PUWER requires a written record of inspection rather than a certificate, and the record carries the findings, defects and interval. It is what an inspector or insurer will ask to see.
Can the operator's daily checks replace the inspection?
They complement it. Daily checks catch the obvious; the statutory inspection is a competent person's documented judgement on guarding, tooling and controls, done at a defensible interval.
Where are the legal duties set out?
In PUWER 1998, particularly Regulations 6 and 11. HSE guidance on PUWER summarises the duties on work equipment, and our PUWER regulations guide explains the record, intervals and defect handling.
How do I book a chamfering machine inspection?
Call 0330 043 8191 or use the contact form. We usually inspect chamfering machines within a wider workshop visit, which keeps the cost per machine sensible.

Is your chamfering machine due a PUWER inspection?

Talk to an engineer surveyor, get a quote and book your inspection anywhere in the UK.

0330 043 8191 Request a quote