Prove every piece of work equipment is suitable, maintained and safe to use.
Track PUWER inspections and maintenance for all work equipment, with risk-based schedules, defect logging and a complete audit trail.
Quick answer
PUWER compliance means making sure work equipment is suitable, maintained, inspected where needed, guarded and used by trained people. HSE PUWER guidance applies to almost any equipment used at work, from hand tools and ladders to machinery, conveyors and workshop plant. Duty holders must manage the equipment through its life and keep evidence that risks are controlled.
The duty usually sits with the employer or person in control of the work equipment and how it is used. They must choose suitable equipment, keep it in safe condition, inspect it at suitable intervals where safety depends on condition, and give users adequate information, instruction and training.
PUWER does not set one fixed inspection interval for all equipment. Intervals are risk-based, taking account of equipment type, manufacturer guidance, use, environment and deterioration. Equipment may also need inspection after installation, after assembly at a new location, or after exceptional circumstances that could affect safety.
Keep asset records, inspection checklists, maintenance logs, defect reports, remedial actions, guarding and interlock checks, user training records and any written safe systems of work. The evidence should show the equipment was suitable, inspected by competent people, maintained, and removed from use when dangerous defects were found.
CertFlow keeps every item of work equipment in an asset register with risk-based inspection and maintenance schedules. Engineers can complete PUWER checklists on mobile, log defects with photos, raise remedial jobs and keep a timestamped audit trail. The compliance register then shows what is valid, due, overdue or awaiting action.
The duty
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require employers to ensure work equipment is suitable for its purpose, maintained in a safe condition and inspected at suitable intervals by competent people.
CertFlow gives every machine an asset record, a maintenance and inspection schedule, and a defect-to-remedial workflow that proves the equipment was kept safe throughout its life.
Your legal duties
Work equipment must be suitable for its intended use and the conditions in which it is used, and only used for operations, and under conditions, for which it is suitable.
Equipment must be maintained in efficient working order and good repair, and inspected at suitable intervals by a competent person where safety depends on the installation conditions or on deterioration.
Dangerous parts of machinery must be guarded, and controls, stop and emergency-stop devices, isolation, stability, lighting and warning markings must all meet PUWER requirements.
Everyone who uses, supervises or manages work equipment must have adequate information, instruction and training covering its safe use and the risks involved.
How CertFlow handles it
Work Equipment runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
A built-in PUWER 1998 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Put every work equipment asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Every work equipment certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on work equipment inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
Why it matters
Unsafe or poorly maintained work equipment breaches PUWER 1998 and can lead to HSE enforcement notices, prosecution and unlimited fines, alongside serious injury and the cost of unplanned downtime.
Free download: the Work Equipment duty-holder guide Hoists and Cranes UK Ltd Zero missed recertifications since go-liveQuestions
Almost any machinery, appliance, tool or installation used at work, from hand tools, ladders and power tools to production machinery, conveyors and workshop plant.
PUWER does not fix intervals. Inspection frequency is risk-based and set by the duty holder, taking account of the manufacturer guidance, the conditions of use and the rate of deterioration.
PUWER covers all work equipment in general. LOLER adds specific duties for lifting equipment and lifting operations. Lifting equipment must satisfy both sets of regulations.
CertFlow holds every machine as an asset with its own inspection and maintenance schedule, a defect-to-remedial workflow and a complete, timestamped history that proves the equipment was kept safe.
Yes. Build any PUWER inspection checklist, including guard and interlock checks, run it on a recurring schedule and log every action through to completion.
Further reading
What the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require of you, in plain English.
References
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
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See it on your data
We'll set up a live environment with your asset types and branding, then walk you through a PUWER 1998 job end to end.
Get started
See CertFlow on your own data in a 20-minute demo, or start a free trial today.
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