Who Can Carry Out PUWER Inspections? Choosing the Right Person
- Nexus Examination
- Jun 23
- 3 min read
A lot of businesses assume any engineer, or anyone handy, can carry out a PUWER inspection. Sometimes that is fine. For higher-risk machinery, it can land you in trouble. The rules depend on the equipment and on who is doing the checking. Here is exactly who can carry out PUWER inspections, what the law means by competent, and where the line sits.
Who Can Carry Out PUWER Inspections?
PUWER inspections must be carried out by a competent person. For lower-risk equipment, that can be a trained, experienced member of your own staff. For higher-risk machinery, it should be a competent, ideally independent, person, which usually means an external examiner with real knowledge of that equipment.
So the answer depends on the risk. We carry out PUWER examinations across Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and matching the right level of inspection to the equipment is the part businesses find hardest.
What Does "Competent Person" Mean?
A competent person is someone with enough practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the equipment to spot defects and judge how serious they are. PUWER does not set a fixed qualification, but the person must be able to identify faults and decide whether the equipment is safe to keep using.
The key point is that competence is specific to the equipment. The HSE makes clear that inspections must be done by someone genuinely capable of assessing that kit, not just anyone with a general engineering background.
Can You Inspect PUWER Equipment In-House?
For simple, lower-risk equipment, yes. A trained and experienced member of staff can carry out a visual inspection, provided they know what they are looking for and can judge whether it is safe.
Higher-risk machinery is different. It needs a more thorough inspection, often with an element of testing, and that calls for a higher level of competence. In our experience, this is where businesses overreach, assuming a quick in-house look is enough for equipment that really needs an expert.
Why Independence Matters for Higher-Risk Equipment
For higher-risk kit, it is worth having the inspection done by someone independent of whoever maintains or repairs it. Otherwise you have a person effectively checking their own work, and that is exactly the conflict the system is meant to avoid.
An independent examiner has no reason to overlook a fault. A crusher inspection, for example, involves serious moving parts and stored energy, and you want the person assessing it to have both the expertise and the freedom to fail it if it needs failing.
What to Look for in a PUWER Inspection Provider
If you are bringing someone in to inspect higher-risk equipment, these are the things worth checking:
Demonstrable knowledge and experience of your specific equipment type
The ability to carry out a thorough inspection with testing, not just a visual check
Independence from whoever maintains or repairs the kit
Proper insurance and recognised professional standing
Clear, written reports you can show an inspector or insurer
Sensible coverage of your area, so call-outs are quick and reliable
Get those right and the inspection holds up when it matters. Get them wrong and you can end up with a report that does not.
The Bottom Line on Who Can Inspect
The short answer is a competent person, with the level of competence matched to the risk. Trained staff can handle simple visual checks, but higher-risk machinery needs genuine expertise and, ideally, independence.
What you cannot do is treat every inspection as a formality and have whoever is nearest tick it off. The whole point is an honest, capable judgement on whether equipment is safe to use. Our thorough examination services cover the higher-risk end, where getting the competence right matters most.
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