Plant and Machinery (PUWER) Checklist

1) When buying or hiring plant and equipment what procurement process do you have to ensure compliance with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)?

2) What roles and responsibilities do you have in place to ensure compliance with PUWER?

3) Are all operators trained and competent for the items they are using e.g. excavator driver, abrasive wheels and are relevant training records available?

4) Is certification available for all items of plant and machinery on site?
a) where are these kept and who maintains the records?

5) How are the individual items of plant & equipment identified e.g. tagging, name, plates etc?

6) Is there a planned maintenance schedule for the plant and equipment being used?

7) Are maintenance records kept for each item?

8) How is the plant checked for worthiness when first arriving on site?

9) Has all equipment supplied been fully examined before issue?

10) What service provision do you have in place for any defective equipment to be returned if defects are found?

11) What measures are taken to prevent unauthorized usage of all items of plant and machinery?

12) Do your risk assessments and method statements cover use of plant & equipment?

13) What checks / inspections are carried out?
a) Are any of these recorded?

14) How do you monitor compliance with PUWER and how do you ensure the associated corrective actions are carried out ?

15) What management controls do you have in place (Supervisory Levels) of daily operations of plant and equipment?

16) What communications process do you have in place between all relevant parties for plant & equipment near miss / incidents, SHE alerts and best practice?

17) How do you implement lessons learned from plant & equipment SHE alerts / best practices?

18) Have noise assessments been carried out for plant / machinery?

19) Are all items fit for purpose i.e. is the right tool being used for the task?

20) Are all guards fitted securely?

21) Where lockout / interlock systems are fitted do they work and are they regularly maintained?

22) If an emergency stop system is fitted to the plant is this tested on a regular basis and the results recorded?

23) Are all hand tools on site in a suitable condition and fit for purpose?
e.g. heads firmly attached to handles, chisel head not mushroomed.

24) Is the PPE worn by the operator appropriate for the item of plant in use?

25) Are spill kits provided in all vehicles?