PUWER Inspection & Examination Services

PUWER inspection company

With over 30 years’ experience, Cyclone is a trusted PUWER inspection company.

Working with businesses throughout the UK, we are able to offer advice on PUWER requirements for your workplace load bearing equipment and carry out PUWER testing and examinations. Our expert team will work with you to ensure both the safety and regulatory compliance of your equipment.

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What does PUWER stand for?

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, otherwise known as PUWER, places duties on an employer and its staff to ensure its work equipment, whether owned by them or not, is in good working order and is safe to use by its employees or contractors. Being PUWER compliant ensures the correct maintenance and certification is applied to the working equipment.

The focus of PUWER assessments is always on safety. Individual assessment details are recorded for each item inspected, and it’s important that these records are kept safe, as the HSE may ask to see these during a health and safety inspection or in the case of an accident involving an item of equipment.

What are the requirements for PUWER assessments?

PUWER inspections are necessary for checking that equipment can be operated, adjusted, and maintained safely. They also enable you to identify and address any deterioration, defects, damage, or general wear and tear, and your Cyclone inspector will detail these in your examination reports. This means you can then take preventative action to prolong your equipment’s life, ensure its ongoing safety, and potentially reduce future expenditure on costly repairs or even replacement.

Due to the wide range of workplace equipment covered by PUWER, individual equipment inspections can vary from a simple visual examination to a detailed inspection which involves the equipment being dismantled for further testing. In addition, PUWER also requires all staff to have had appropriate training for the equipment they use, and for clear safety information and instructions to be provided.

What equipment requires a PUWER inspection?

PUWER covers any equipment that’s used in a workplace and could pose a risk to people’s health and safety. For example, this includes trolleys, racking, stands, jigs and fixtures, and handling equipment such as pallet trucks and other moving – but not lifting – devices. It applies to both portable and stationary equipment, from handheld power tools to air conditioning units and computers. Furthermore, it places duties on anyone who owns, operates, or controls work equipment, as well as applying to any equipment which employees provide for their own use.

Cyclone can carry out PUWER inspections on the following load bearing equipment:

How often is PUWER testing
required?

The frequency of your PUWER inspections depends on requirements under PUWER, your individual risk assessments and insurance terms. We would recommend that each item of equipment is formally tested at least every 12 months, or more often depending on how frequently or intensively it’s used, or the risk to the user’s health and safety if it were to malfunction. Our expert team will be able to advise you on this, and ensure a suitable testing schedule is put in place.

PUWER inspections must be carried out on workplace equipment:

After installation and before being put into use for the first time – a formal inspection will ensure it’s been installed correctly and will operate safely.
When work equipment is frequently exposed to conditions that cause deterioration over time and affect its safety. In this case, periodic inspections need to be carried out. This could range from weekly to monthly checks, but it depends on how much you use the equipment and the specific environment you operate it in.
Following ‘exceptional circumstances’ – additional inspections may need to be carried out if the equipment has undergone major modifications, refurbishment, significant changes to the way it’s used, or serious damage.

In addition to formal testing, operators should carry out a quick pre-use check before each use of any work equipment, to

In addition to formal testing, operators should carry out a quick pre-use check before each use of any work equipment, to ensure it has no obvious signs of damage. For example, they should check the cables on handheld tools and test the breaks and lights on work vehicles.

How often do you need a PUWER inspection?

These can vary, and shorter and longer intervals can be required determined by a risk assessment, please reach out to the Cyclone team for more information.

Every 6
Months

for equipment which is used heavily, or is likely to cause significant harm if it fails.

Every 12
Months

for all other workplace equipment.

Do you also need LOLER testing?

Many companies which require PUWER inspections for their workplace equipment also have lifting and handling equipment. This type of equipment requires separate LOLER testing.