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If your business uses any kind of machinery or tools, it is worth knowing whether PUWER is something you actually have to do, or just sensible best practice. Getting it wrong is expensive, and the answer is less flexible than some owners hope. Here is a straight answer on whether PUWER is a legal requirement, what the law asks of you, and what happens if you ignore it. Pallet truck, covered by PUWER Is PUWER a Legal Requirement? Yes. PUWER is a legal requirement. The Provis

Hiring kit in is meant to make life easier, and a lot of businesses assume the hire company takes care of all the safety side. That assumption is where the trouble starts. Hired equipment does not sit outside the rules, and the responsibility does not all sit with the hire firm. Here is whether PUWER applies to hire equipment, and exactly who is responsible for what. Dumper, covered under PUWER Does PUWER Apply to Hire Equipment? Yes. PUWER applies to work equipment whether

PUWER is so broad that the hard part is often working out what it does not cover. If you run machinery or plant, you need to know which bits of kit fall under it, or you risk leaving equipment uninspected and your business exposed. Here is what the PUWER regulations cover, with the most common equipment we examine as clear examples. Dumper, covered by PUWER What Do the PUWER Regulations Cover? PUWER covers the safe provision, use, maintenance and inspection of work equipmen

If your business runs machinery or tools, you have probably been told you need a PUWER inspection without ever being told why. Is it not the same as a service? What is it actually for? Here is a clear answer on the purpose of a PUWER inspection, what it checks, and why it is a separate job from keeping your equipment running. Axle stands, covered by PUWER What Is the Purpose of a PUWER Inspection? The purpose of a PUWER inspection is to confirm that work equipment is safe t

If you run a business with any kind of machinery or tools, you have probably seen PUWER on a risk assessment, an invoice, or a report and never had it explained. It is one of the most far-reaching pieces of health and safety law in the UK, and it likely applies to you. Here is what PUWER stands for, what the regulations require, and who they affect. Roller, covered by PUWER What Does PUWER Stand For? PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

A lot of businesses assume their service engineer can sign off a LOLER inspection, or that they can do it in-house to save a few quid. Sometimes that is fine, and sometimes it lands them in trouble. The law is specific about who is allowed to carry out the examination. Here is exactly who can do it, what the rules actually require, and the catch most people miss. Forklift, covered by LOLER Who Can Carry Out LOLER Inspections? LOLER inspections must be carried out by a compete

It is easy to treat a LOLER inspection as a tickbox cost, one more thing on the calendar that gets in the way of the actual work. But there are solid reasons the law insists on it, and most of them protect your business as much as your people. Here is why LOLER inspections are required, covering the safety, legal and business reasons in plain terms. Telehandlers, covered by LOLER Why Are LOLER Inspections Required? LOLER inspections are required because lifting equipment de

If you run a business with lifting equipment, it pays to know exactly where the legal weight falls. Is it on you, or on the people operating the kit? And if you are the operator, what are you actually on the hook for? Here is a clear answer on whether employees have specific duties under LOLER, what they are still responsible for, and where the line sits. Crane, covered by LOLER Do Employees Have Any Specific Duties Under LOLER? Not directly. LOLER places its specific dutie

Work out the LOLER interval wrong and you are either paying for examinations too often or, far worse, running equipment that is overdue and uninsured. The frequency is not the same for every machine, which is where the confusion creeps in. Here is how often LOLER inspections need to be carried out, broken down by equipment type, plus the situations that bring the date forward. Excavator, covered by LOLER How Often Should LOLER Inspections Be Carried Out? LOLER inspections m

If you run a business with lifting equipment, you have probably wondered whether LOLER is something you genuinely have to do, or just industry best practice you can put off. It is a fair question, and getting it wrong is expensive. Here is a straight answer on whether LOLER is a legal requirement, what the law actually asks of you, and what happens if you ignore it. Scissor lift and cherry picker, both covered by LOLER Is LOLER a Legal Requirement? Yes. LOLER is a legal req

If you own or run a business with lifting equipment, the hard part is often working out which bits of kit actually fall under LOLER. Get it wrong and you either pay for examinations you do not need, or leave equipment uncovered and risk a problem with the HSE or your insurer. Here is a clear rundown of the equipment LOLER applies to, with the most common examples we examine. Scissor lift, included in LOLER What Equipment Is LOLER Relevant To? LOLER is relevant to any equipm

If you own or run a business that uses lifting equipment, you have probably seen LOLER written on a certificate, an invoice, or an email from your insurer. It is one of those acronyms that gets used constantly without anyone stopping to explain it. Here is exactly what LOLER stands for, what the regulations mean, and what they ask of you as a business. Cherry Picker, which comes under LOLER What Does LOLER Stand For? LOLER stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipme