PUWER Assessment

Guidance - All work equipment is to be constructed or adapted so as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is being used or provided, and every employer should ensure that all work equipment is used only for operations for which, and under conditions for which, it is suitable. Consideration must be given to initial integrity, the pace where it will be used, and the purpose for which it will be used.

Guidance - When selecting work equipment, employers should take into account ergonomic risks so the operators do not have to exert undue force or stretch beyond normal strength or physical reach.

Guidance: Employer must ensure that equipment is suitable for the process and conditions of use.
ACOP: Work equipment should be installed, located and used in such a way as to reduce risks to users of the work equipment and other workers. Consideration needs to be given to ensure that there is sufficient space between the moving parts of work equipment and fixed or moving parts in its environment, and that's all forms of energy and substances used or produced can be supplied and/or removed in a safe manner

Guidance: All work equipment should be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Maintenance may include routine maintenance based on recommendations of the equipment manufacturer and planned preventive maintenance (where inadequate maintenance could cause equipment, safeguard, or other protection failure in a dangerous way). Frequency of maintenance activities should take into account:
a) intensity of use - frequency and maximum working limits;
b) operating environment - eg outdoors
c) variety of operations - is the equipment performing the same task or does this change?
d) risks from malfunction or failure

Guidance: Is Planned Preventative Maintenance in place? (PPM's)

Guidance: ACOP: Such a person should have received proper instruction, information and training for such work.

Guidance: Information can be in writing or verbal where this is considered to be sufficient. Written instructions refer primarily to the information provided by manufacturers or suppliers, such as instruction sheets or manuals, instruction placards, warning labels and training manuals.

Guidance: All persons who use, manage, or supervise the use of work equipment should have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the use of the work equipment, any risks involved and precautions to be taken. There is a clear overlap with regard to the training requirements of the management of health and safety at work regulations 1992.

Guidance: Employers should prevent articles or substances falling or being injected from work equipment, rupture or disintegration of parts or work equipment, work equipment catching fire or overheating, the unintended or premature discharge of any article, gas, dust, liquid, vapour or other substance from work equipment, or the unintended or premature explosion of the work equipment. Where this is not reasonably practicable then such matters should be adequately controlled. Your risk assessment should identify if any of these hazards are relevant and the actions that you need to take.

Guidance: You should ensure that work equipment, parts of the equipment and articles or substances produced, used or stored in work equipment are protected so as to prevent injury to any person By burn, scald or sear. The risk from contact with hot or cold services should be reduced by engineering methods, i.e. reduction or increase in surface temperatures, insulation, shielding, barricading and guarding. While engineering measures should always be applied, Where appropriate, alternative or complimentary forms of protection might also be necessary e.g. PPE,, warning signs instructions, training, supervision etc

Guidance: Where appropriate, work equipment should be provided with one or more controls for starting the work equipment and for controlling any change in speed, pressure or other operating conditions of work equipment, where such change may result in increased risk.
Controls should be designed and positioned so as to prevent inadvertent or accidental operation.
It should only be possible to stop equipment by using appropriate controls. You should not normally be able to restart any equipment simply by resetting a protection device e.g. interlock - operation of the start control should also be required. The control must not be capable of starting itself due to effects of gravity, failure of a spring mechanism etc

Guidance: An emergency stop control should be provided where the other safeguards are not adequate to prevent risk when some irregular event occurs. However, this is not a substitute for necessary safeguarding.
Where it is appropriate to have one, emergency stops should be provided at every control point and at other appropriate locations around equipment so that action can be taken. Your risk assessment should identify where emergency stops are required. Emergency stops should be easily reached and activated.

Guidance: Where controls have to be positioned where people are at some risk, e.g. robot teaching pendant, particular precautions should be used, e.g. hold to run controls, reduced or limited capability of equipment. You may need to employ additional measures if someone could remain inside safeguards at start-up. Any warnings must be ambiguous, easily perceived easily understood.

Guidance: If work on isolated equipment is done by more than one person, locking devices with multiple locks and keys might be necessary. In some cases sources of energy may need to be maintained when equipment is stopped so measures will need to be taken to eliminate risks before attempts are made to isolate.

Guidance: All work equipment and parts of work equipment should be stabilised by clamping, or otherwise secured for the purposes of health and safety. Most machines used in a fixed position should be bolted or otherwise fastened down so that they do not move or rock during use. Mobile work equipment must always be used within the limits of its stability.

Guidance: Where reasonably practicable, steps should be taken to ensure that work equipment is constructed or adapted so that it can be maintained whilst shut down. You need to review the measures provided by the manufacturer.
Also remember that if faultfinding may be required where the equipment has to be live your answer must be "NO"

Guidance: If there are no risks even when the equipment is not completely shut down, then you will obviously need to take no action. Remember to consider contact with live electrical parts in Control Panel.

Guidance: All the equipment should be marked in a clearly visible manner with any marking appropriate for reasons of health and safety.
Examples might include clear marking of stop and start controls, including isolators, the maximum rotation speed abrasive wheels, maximum safe working loads of lifting equipment in accessories, marking of compressed gas cylinders, colour coding or marking of pipelines and vessels etc.
Work equipment should incorporate any appropriate warnings or warning devices. Such warnings should be unambiguous, easily perceived and easily understood (e.g. positive instructions, prohibitions, and restrictions).