PUWER to the people

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 impose specific legal duties on companies to provide, inspect, maintain and operate safe work equipment.

PUWER stipulates that equipment provided for use at work is:
• Suitable and safe for intended use.
• Maintained in a safe condition and inspected to ensure this remains the case.
• Operated by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training.

As a result, employers must ensure that:
• Measures are in place to minimise risks.
• Only fully trained personnel are allowed to use equipment where there is a specific risk.
• Work equipment provided is suitable, maintained and in good order.

The introduction of The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 has further emphasised the need to keep your health and safety management systems under review, particularly the way in which their activities are managed by senior management.

Good to Go Safety has been designed to aid employers meet their obligations under PUWER. Graham Halliday, product manager, explains: “We wanted a simple solution that would provide: essential pre-use equipment checks; records of all inspections for management/maintenance programmes; a visual indication that a check had been completed; and flexibility in the frequency of inspections.”

A tag is attached displaying a Do Not Use message until a check is completed; a checklist is used to carry out the inspection, with a duplicate copy automatically created and retained as part of the audit trail; the completed checklist is signed and dated before being placed inside the tag to clearly indicate when equipment is Good to Go.

By introducing proactive inspection regimes, not only do you reduce the potential for accidents but you can also save money by identifying faults early (before they develop into a costly repair). Being proactive with equipment management will ensure that you, your equipment and employees are always “good to go”.