Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

PUWER explained: inspection and testing of work equipment

If your business provides any equipment for work, from a hand drill to a production line, PUWER is the law that says it must be suitable, safe and inspected so it cannot hurt the people using it.

We are an independent inspection body: we examine and test your work equipment, we do not sell or maintain it, so the inspection record we leave you is impartial and stands up to scrutiny.

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Reg 6

Risk-based inspection, no fixed interval

All equipment

Every tool, machine and installation used at work

6 & 12 months

Power press thorough examination by guard type

HSE

Enforced by the Health and Safety Executive

The regulation

What is PUWER, and why does it exist?

PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It came into force on 5 December 1998 under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and it is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive.

Where other regulations zero in on one type of kit, PUWER is the broad safety net. It covers any machinery, appliance, tool or installation used at work, and it asks four plain things of it: that the equipment is right for the job, kept in safe working order, used only by people who have been trained, and fitted with the guards and controls that stop it injuring anyone.

The duties are not advisory. A breach is a criminal matter, and the responsibility sits with whoever owns, operates or controls the equipment, even when it is hired in or brought from home by a worker. Getting PUWER right protects people first, and the business from prosecution second.

At a glance

Full name: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
In force from 5 December 1998
Enforced by the HSE, backed by ACOP L22
Applies to all employers and the self-employed who provide or use work equipment
Covers almost every piece of equipment used at work, from hand tools to heavy plant
Sits alongside LOLER, PSSR and other equipment law

Scope

What work equipment does PUWER cover?

PUWER has the widest reach of all the equipment regulations. If it is used at work, it is almost certainly covered, and the way you use it counts too: starting, setting, cleaning, repairing and transporting all fall inside the rules.

Machinery

Presses, lathes, saws, mixers, conveyors and production lines, fixed or portable.

Tools & appliances

Hand tools, power tools, ladders, pressure washers and bench equipment.

Mobile plant

Vehicles, dumpers, MEWPs and self-propelled plant have their own PUWER rules.

Power presses

Presses working cold metal have the strictest regime, with their own examination cycle.

Covered by PUWER

Any machinery, appliance, tool or installation used at work
Equipment a worker brings from home and uses for the job
Equipment that is hired or leased in rather than owned
Storage racking, roller-shutter doors and other workplace installations

Covered by other law as well

Lifting equipment also meets LOLER, on top of PUWER
Pressure systems also meet PSSR, on top of PUWER
Personal protective equipment falls under the PPE Regulations
PUWER still applies underneath all of these as the baseline duty

Your legal duties

The four things PUWER requires of you

Strip PUWER back and it asks four clear things of every duty holder. Get these right and compliance follows. Miss one and it is usually the gap an HSE inspector finds first.

1

Suitable equipment for the job

Work equipment must be suitable for what it is actually used for, in the conditions it actually works in. That means choosing kit that matches the task, the materials and the environment, and not pressing a machine into a job it was never built for.

Suitability is assessed through a risk assessment, which is also where the need for any guarding, extraction or interlocks is decided.

2

Maintained in a safe condition

Equipment must be kept in efficient working order and good repair, so it does not deteriorate into a hazard. Where a machine has a maintenance log, it has to be kept up to date.

Maintenance keeps the equipment safe between inspections; inspection is the independent check that the maintenance is actually working.

3

Inspected where risk requires it

Under Regulation 6, equipment is inspected where its safety depends on how it was installed, where it is exposed to conditions that cause it to deteriorate, and after any exceptional event such as a major modification or suspected damage.

There is no fixed interval: the frequency comes from the risk assessment, the manufacturer’s guidance and real experience of the equipment in service.

4

Guarded, controlled and used by trained people

Dangerous parts must be guarded, machines must have safe controls and a way to isolate them, and equipment must be used only by people given proper information, instruction and training.

What you get is a record, not a certificate: a PUWER inspection produces a written inspection record, kept at least until the next inspection. There is no statutory “PUWER certificate”, whatever a supplier may call it.

Inspection & testing

How often must work equipment be inspected?

Unlike LOLER, PUWER sets no fixed interval. Regulation 6 ties inspection to risk: equipment is inspected after installation where its safety depends on how it was fitted, at suitable intervals where it is exposed to wear, and again after any event that could have compromised it.

The one part of PUWER with a clear statutory cycle is the power press working cold metal. Here a thorough examination and test by a competent person is required on a strict schedule.

Equipment	Examination interval
Power press	With automatic, interlocking or photo-electric guards: at least every 6 months
Power press	With fixed guards or enclosed tools: at least every 12 months
Other equipment	Risk-based under Regulation 6, with no fixed period set in law

For everything outside the power-press regime, more inspection is not automatically safer. The HSE warns that over-inspecting can wear out safety devices and tempt a tick-box culture. The skill is setting an interval the risk genuinely justifies.

Why is there no annual PUWER date?

Because PUWER covers everything from a kettle to a forging press, a single interval would be meaningless. The law makes you set the frequency from risk: harsh, outdoor or round-the-clock use pulls the date in; light, benign use lets it out.

That judgement is exactly what a competent examiner brings, and what an inspection record then evidences.

Is there a “PUWER certificate”?

No. PUWER produces a written inspection record, not a statutory certificate, and that record is kept at least until the next inspection. Anyone selling you a “PUWER certificate” is using a marketing word, not a legal one.

We issue a clear, dated inspection record you can hand straight to an HSE inspector or an insurer.

Who is responsible

Responsibilities and the competent person

PUWER shares the load across three roles. The legal weight sits with the duty holder, but safe equipment depends on everyone playing their part, and on the inspection being done by someone genuinely competent to judge it.

Employers & duty holders

Select suitable equipment for the task and environment
Carry out a risk assessment and act on it
Keep equipment maintained and the log up to date
Arrange inspection where risk requires it
Provide information, instruction and training
The duty applies even if equipment is hired, not owned

The competent person

Knows what to look at, what to look for and what to do about a fault
Has the practical and theoretical knowledge of the equipment
Is independent and impartial, with no reason to pass faulty kit
For power presses, holds the standing required to thoroughly examine them
Records findings clearly and flags any defect for action

Operators & employees

Use equipment only as trained
Carry out pre-use checks before each shift
Report faults and damage immediately
Never remove or defeat a guard
Never modify equipment without authorisation

Common confusion

PUWER vs LOLER: what is the difference?

They are named together so often that people assume they are one thing. They are not. The clean way to hold them apart is by scope and by what they produce.

PUWER

All work equipment

The broad baseline for every piece of work equipment, from hand tools and ladders to conveyors, presses and the lifting kit itself.

Scope: All work equipment used at work
Frequency: Risk-based, no fixed interval (power presses excepted)
Output: Inspection record, not a statutory certificate

LOLER

Lifting equipment, specifically

The focused law for anything whose job is to raise or lower a load, plus the accessories and the lifting operation itself.

Scope: Lifting equipment and accessories only
Frequency: Fixed maximums: 6 or 12 months, or a scheme
Output: Report of Thorough Examination (Schedule 1)

In most workplaces both apply at once. A forklift, for example, must be PUWER-compliant as safe, maintained work equipment, and LOLER-compliant as lifting equipment with a current thorough examination. Because all lifting equipment is also work equipment, PUWER sits underneath LOLER rather than being replaced by it.

Why it matters

What happens if you do not comply?

PUWER is enforced under criminal law. An HSE inspector who finds unsafe or poorly managed equipment can issue an improvement notice, giving you a set period to put it right, or a prohibition notice that stops the equipment being used on the spot.

Serious or repeated failings lead to prosecution, with fines tied to the harm risked and the size of the business, and the heaviest cases reaching individual managers. The costs that hurt most, though, rarely appear in the judgment: a stopped line, an invalidated insurance policy, and the aftermath of a preventable injury.

Improvement notices requiring action within a fixed period
Prohibition notices that stop the use of equipment immediately
Prosecution of the company and, in serious cases, of individual managers
Fines set against the harm risked and the turnover of the business
Injury or death from unguarded or badly maintained machinery

Five habits that keep you compliant

Keep a live equipment register with each item, its use and its risk rating
Tie inspection frequency to a documented risk assessment, not a guess
Diarise power-press examinations at 6 or 12 months by guard type
Run pre-use checks and train staff to report defects without hesitation
Use an independent competent person and keep every inspection record on file

FAQs

PUWER questions, answered

What does PUWER stand for?

PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It is the UK law that makes sure work equipment is suitable, safe, properly maintained and inspected, and used only by people who have been trained.

What counts as work equipment under PUWER?

Almost anything used at work: any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation. That ranges from a hand drill to a production line, and it includes equipment a worker brings from home or that is hired in rather than owned.

How often is a PUWER inspection required?

There is no fixed interval. Regulation 6 sets inspection by risk: after installation where safety depends on it, at suitable intervals where equipment deteriorates, and after any exceptional event. The one exception is the power press, which has a set examination cycle.

How often must a power press be examined?

A power press working cold metal must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every 6 months if it has automatic, interlocking or photo-electric guards, and at least every 12 months if it has fixed guards or enclosed tools.

Is there such a thing as a PUWER certificate?

No. PUWER produces a written inspection record, not a statutory certificate. The record must be kept at least until the next inspection and made available to an HSE inspector on request. Any supplier offering a “PUWER certificate” is using a marketing term.

What is the difference between PUWER and LOLER?

PUWER covers all work equipment with risk-based inspection, while LOLER covers lifting equipment specifically, with fixed 6 or 12-month thorough examinations. Lifting equipment meets both at once, because it is work equipment too.

Who is responsible for PUWER compliance?

Whoever owns, operates or controls the equipment, plus any employer whose staff use it. The duty applies even when equipment is hired in, so if your people use it, you are responsible for making sure it is safe and inspected.

Who can carry out a PUWER inspection?

A competent person, meaning someone who knows what to look at, what to look for and what to do about a fault. Routine checks can be done in-house, but an independent examiner removes any commercial pressure to pass equipment that should fail.

Book your PUWER inspection

We carry out independent, impartial PUWER inspection and testing of work equipment across the UK, with your inspection record on file the moment we leave site. No onboarding delay, no thirty-day wait, no red tape.

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PUWER inspection services LOLER regulations PSSR regulations COSHH / LEV