PUWER 1998 · Work equipment

Guillotine Inspection and Testing

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

Most workshops assume a guillotine is a power press in the eyes of the law. It is not: Schedule 2 excludes guillotines from the Part IV regime, yet the blade forgives nothing. We inspect and test sheet metal and paper guillotines under PUWER and issue the written record of inspection.

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  • Independent and impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • Reports issued promptly
Schedule 2Guillotines are excluded from the PUWER Part IV power press regime
Risk basedInspection at intervals set by a competent person under Reg 6
Written recordThe output is a record of inspection, not a certificate
Front and rearFinger guards, hold downs and back gauge access all in scope
Work equipment we inspect

Why your guillotine needs PUWER inspection

A guillotine shears sheet material between a fixed bed blade and a falling cross blade, with hold downs clamping the work an instant before the cut. Sheet metal guillotines rule fabrication shops, and their paper and print cousins do the same work at speed in finishing rooms. The legal position surprises people: PUWER's Schedule 2 lists the guillotine among the machines the Part IV power press regime does not apply to, so there is no statutory 6 or 12 monthly thorough examination cycle here.

What remains is everything else PUWER demands, applied to a machine with no tolerance for error. Regulation 11 requires that fingers can never reach the blade or the hold downs from the front, the sides or the rear, and Regulation 6 requires inspection at intervals a competent person sets from the machine's use, evidenced by a written record. On a guillotine the difference between compliant and dangerous is measured in millimetres of guard gap.

Sheet metal guillotines
Hydraulic and mechanical shears
Paper and print guillotines
Finger guards and grids
Hold downs and clamps
Back gauges and rear access
Photoelectric guarding
Foot pedals and controls
How it works

How we inspect your guillotine

The inspection works both sides of the blade: front finger guard gaps measured with gauges against reach standards, hold down timing proven against the stroke, the rear of the machine checked for access to the blade and back gauge, photoelectric guards tested for effective stopping where fitted, foot pedals checked for shrouding, and the controls, stops and isolation all exercised under power.

  • 1

    Measure, never eyeball

    Finger guard openings and reach distances are measured with gauges, because a gap that looks tight can still pass a finger to the blade line.

  • 2

    Prove the sequence

    Hold downs must clamp before the blade moves and guards must stop the stroke. Both are demonstrated through cuts, not inferred from the manual.

  • 3

    Record and schedule

    The written record of inspection states the findings, the defects and the interval, and lands in your SEIS portal the same day.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Examiners who know the Schedule 2 position and inspect accordingly
  • Both sides of the machine inspected, including the rear everyone forgets
  • Gauged measurements against reach standards, recorded in writing
  • Records and interval reminders through the SEIS client portal
What we check

Guillotine: what a thorough inspection covers

Finger guard gaps

Guard grids bent by sheet handling open gaps that pass fingers at exactly blade height. Openings are gauged and judged against safe reach distances.

Hold down timing

Hold downs that clamp late let the sheet, and whatever rests on it, kick as the blade lands. The clamping sequence is proven against the stroke.

Rear access

The back gauge side of a guillotine is often open to a walkway. We check that nobody can reach the blade or the gauge travel from the rear while the machine is live.

Photoelectric guarding

Where light guards are fitted, the stopping performance and mounting distance must match. We test the stop within the guard's protective field.

Foot pedal shrouding

An unshrouded pedal fires the blade from a stumble. The pedal, its cover and its position are checked as part of the control circuit.

Blade gap and packing

Wrong blade clearance chews cuts and tempts hands toward the bed to steady the work. Gap and packing condition are inspected against the machine's spec.

Intervals and your record

How often, and what you receive

Every guillotine inspection closes with a written record of inspection under PUWER, identifying the machine, the guarding measurements taken, the condition of hold downs, controls and rear access, any defects with timescales, and the interval set by our competent person. The record, not a certificate, is what the regulations require and what an inspector will ask to see, and it lives in your SEIS client portal from the day of the visit.

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

Guillotine 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

Guillotine inspection: common questions

Is a guillotine a power press under PUWER?
No. Schedule 2 of PUWER excludes guillotines from the Part IV power press regime, so the statutory 6 and 12 monthly examination cycle does not apply. Machines that are true power presses are covered by our power press inspection service.
So does a guillotine need any statutory inspection?
Yes. The general PUWER duties still apply in full: effective guarding under Regulation 11 and inspection at suitable intervals under Regulation 6, with a written record kept as evidence.
How often should a guillotine be inspected?
At an interval a competent person sets from its use and condition. A production shear cutting all day warrants a shorter cycle than a machine used occasionally, and the record states the reasoning.
Do you inspect paper guillotines as well as metal ones?
Yes. Print finishing guillotines carry the same blade hazard with faster cycles, and their two hand controls, clamps and photoelectric guards are inspected and tested the same way.
What is the most common guillotine defect?
Damaged finger guard grids, bent by years of sheet handling, opening gaps at blade height. Second is rear access nobody has risk assessed because nobody stands there, until someone does.
Is there a certificate at the end?
No, and that is by design: PUWER produces a written record of inspection rather than a certificate. The record carries the findings, the defects and the next interval, and it is the document to keep.
Where are these requirements set out?
In PUWER 1998, with the power press exclusions in Schedule 2. HSE guidance on PUWER covers the general duties, and our PUWER regulations guide explains the record keeping, intervals and defect process in plain terms.
How do I book a guillotine inspection?
Call 0330 043 8191 or use the contact form with the machine details. We can inspect the guillotine alone or take in the rest of the fabrication shop on the same visit.

Is your guillotine 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