Information
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PUWER Risk Assessment: Form reference 32 issue 1
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Document No.
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Equipment Being Assessed:
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Brief description of the intended use for the equipment being assessed
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Equipment Reference Number:
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Location of the Equipment:
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Applicable Standards for Reference:
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Conducted on:
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Carried out by:
Regulation 4 Suitability of work equipment
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Regulation 4 Suitability of work equipment
(1) Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided.
(2) In selecting work equipment, every employer shall have regard to the working conditions and to the risks to the health and safety of persons which exist
in the premises or undertaking in which that work equipment is to be used and any additional risk posed by the use of that work equipment. -
Is the equipment designed for the purpose it is being used?
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Is the equipment being used for its intended purpose?
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Is the equipment being used in appropriate and acceptable conditions?
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Are the environmental conditions safe for continued operation?
Regulation 5 Maintenance of the equipment
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Regulation 5 Maintenance
(1) Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
(2) Every employer shall ensure that where any machinery has a maintenance log, the log is kept up to date. -
Is the equipment subject to statutory inspection? If so, state which regs. apply e.g. COSHH, LOLER etc
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Select the regulatory requirement
- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment regulations 1998
- Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- Work at Height Regulations 2005
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
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Is the equipment subject to a maintenance program?<br><br><br><br>
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Is there a log or register of the maintenance carried out?
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Is there a formal procedure for reporting faults with the equipment?
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Is the equipment in good working order?
Regulation 6 Inspection
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Regulation 6 Inspection
(1) Every employer shall ensure that, where the safety of work equipment depends on the installation conditions, it is inspected—
(a) after installation and before being put into service for the first time; or
(b) after assembly at a new site or in a new location, to ensure that it has been installed correctly and is safe to operate.
(2) Every employer shall ensure that work equipment exposed to conditions
causing deterioration which is liable to result in dangerous situations is inspected—
(a) at suitable intervals; and
(b) each time that exceptional circumstances which are liable to jeopardise the safety of the work equipment have occurred, to ensure that health and safety conditions are maintained and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time. -
Is equipment inspected after installation and before being put to use for the first time?
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Is equipment inspected after it is assembled at a new site or location?
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Is work equipment inspected at suitable intervals when it is exposed to conditions causing deterioration, which is liable to result in dangerous situations (e.g. high vibrations)?
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Is the equipment inspected for safety, each time an exceptional circumstances arises e.g. a major fault occurs?
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If equipment leaves the undertaking, or if obtained from another person, it is accompanied by physical evidence that the last inspection has been carried out?
Regulation 7 Specific risks
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Regulation 7 Specific risks
(1) Where the use of work equipment is likely to involve a specific risk to health or safety, every employer shall ensure that—
(a) the use of that work equipment is restricted to those persons given the task of using it; and
(b) repairs, modifications, maintenance or servicing of that work equipment is restricted to those persons who have been specifically designated to
perform operations of that description (whether or not also authorised to perform other operations). -
is operation of this equipment restricted to named and designated operatives?
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is Maintenance of this equipment restricted to named and designated operatives?
Regulations 8 & 9 Information and instructions
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Regulation 8 Information and instructions
(1) Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have available to them adequate health and safety information and, where appropriate, written instructions pertaining to the use of the work equipment.
(2) Every employer shall ensure that any of his employees who supervises or manages the use of work equipment has available to him adequate health and safety information and, where appropriate, written instructions pertaining to the use of the work equipment.
Regulation 9 Training
(1) Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken.
(2) Every employer shall ensure that any of his employees who supervises or manages the use of work equipment has received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken. -
Have all users of work equipment received adequate information, instruction and training, including: - Methods, Risks, Precautions,
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Has special emphasis been given to young persons under 18 years of age?
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Have all supervisors/ managers of work equipment received adequate information, instruction and training, including: - Methods, Risks, Precautions<br>
Regulation 10 Conformity with Community requirements
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Regulation 10 Conformity with Community requirements
(1) Every employer shall ensure that an item of work equipment conforms at all times with any essential requirements, other than requirements which, at the time of its being first supplied or put into service in any place in -
Does the equipment comply with relevant community directives (e.g. does it display a CE mark)?
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If so and where an essential requirement has applied to the design and construction of an item, have the requirements of regulations 11-19 and 22-29 been applied?
Regulation 11 Dangerous parts of machinery (where operational or maintenance operations generate a potential exposure to dangerous parts)
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Regulation 11 Dangerous parts of machinery
(1) Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken in accordance with paragraph (2) which are effective—
(a) to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or
(b) to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone. -
Reference should be made to BS5304, BSEN292-1 in making this assessment
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Have measures been taken to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machine or rotating stock bar, or to stop movement or any dangerous part or rotating stock bar before any person enters a danger zone?
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Has adequate information, instruction, training and supervision been given?
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So far as is practicable, are guards and protection devices suitable and sufficient for the purpose for which they are provided (e.g. good construction, sound material, adequate strength, maintained and in good repair, etc.)?
Regulation 12 Protection against specified hazards
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Regulation 12 Protection against specified hazards
(1) Every employer shall take measures to ensure that the exposure of a person using work equipment to any risk to his health or safety from any hazard specified in paragraph (3) is either prevented, or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. -
So far as is reasonably practicable, have the risks associated with the following hazards been adequately controlled by means other than PPE, information, instruction, training or supervision?
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Hazards to consider include the following: please tick if due consideration has been given
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An article or substance being ejected from the equipment
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Rupture or disintegration of parts
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Fire or overheating
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Unintended discharge of article or gas, dust, liquid, vapour or other substance
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Unintended explosion of equipment or article or substance used or stored in the equipment
Regulation 13 High or very low temperature
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Regulation 13 High or very low temperature
Every employer shall ensure that work equipment, parts of work equipment and any article or substance produced, used or stored in work equipment which, in each case, is at a high or very low temperature shall have protection where appropriate so as to prevent injury to any person by burn, scald or sear. -
Where appropriate, are all parts of work equipment, articles or substances in the equipment protected to prevent burns by contact (engineering measures should always be applied, although circumstances may arise where the only form of protection may be PPE, etc.)?
Regulation 14 Controls for starting or making a significant change in operating conditions
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Regulation 14 Controls for starting or making a significant change in operating conditions
(1) Every employer shall ensure that, where appropriate, work equipment is
provided with one or more controls for the purposes of—
(a) starting the work equipment (including re-starting after a stoppage for any reason); or
(b) controlling any change in the speed, pressure or other operating conditions of the work equipment where such conditions after the change result in risk to health and safety which is greater than or of a different nature from such risks before the change. -
This section is qualified by the term ‘where appropriate’ which relates to the features, functioning and the risk associated with use. Start, stop and emergency control systems are not generally appropriate for work equipment with no moving parts, or where the risk of injury is negligible, e.g. battery powered clocks (ref should be made to the guidance note). It may well be that some of the following questions are not applicable.
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Is the equipment fitted with start, stop or operating condition controls which require a deliberate action to operate?
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Can starting take place by use of a protective device (e.g. an interlock)?
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Are the controls protected against inadvertent operation (e.g. starter shrouded)?
Regulation 15 Stop controls
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Regulation 15 Stop controls
(1) Every employer shall ensure that, where appropriate, work equipment is provided with one or more readily accessible controls the operation of which will
bring the work equipment to a safe condition in a safe manner. -
Does the stop control mechanism bring the work equipment to a safe condition in a safe manner (less than 10 seconds with woodworking machinery)?
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Are all sources of energy switched off after stopping the equipment (compressed air/ hydraulic pressure)?
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Does the stop control equipment operate in priority to controls which start or change operating conditions?
Regulation 16 Emergency stop controls
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Regulation 16 Emergency stop controls
(1) Every employer shall ensure that, where appropriate, work equipment is provided with one or more readily accessible emergency stop controls unless it is
not necessary by reason of the nature of the hazards and the time taken for the work equipment to come to a complete stop as a result of the action of any control
provided by virtue of regulation 15(1). -
Is the equipment fitted with an emergency stop control which operates in priority to any other control mechanism?
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Is the emergency stop control easily accessible?
Regulation 17 Controls
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Regulation 17 Controls
(1) Every employer shall ensure that all controls for work equipment are clearly visible and identifiable, including by appropriate marking where necessary.
(2) Except where necessary, the employer shall ensure that no control for work equipment is in a position where any person operating the control is exposed
to a risk to his health or safety. -
Are all controls clearly visible?
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Are they identifiable?
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Are they appropriately marked?
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Are control mechanisms in a safe position and operators free from danger?
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So far as is reasonably practicable, can the operator of any control ensure that from the position of the control, no person is in a place where there is a risk to health and safety?
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Are systems in place to ensure health and safety?
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Are there audible, visible or warning devices which are activated before the equipment starts?
Regulation 18 Control systems
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Regulation 18 Control systems
(1) Every employer shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that all control systems of work equipment—
(a) are safe; and
(b) are chosen making due allowance for the failures, faults and constraints to be expected in the planned circumstances of use.* -
Do control systems allow for failures, faults and constraints to be expected in the planned circumstance of use, with no increased risk to health and safety?
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Does a failure of any part of the control system or its power supply lead to a ‘fail-safe’ condition, which will not impede the operation of the ‘stop’ or ‘emergency stop’ controls?
Regulation 19 Isolation from sources of energy
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Regulation 19 Isolation from sources of energy
(1) Every employer shall ensure that where appropriate work equipment is provided with suitable means to isolate it from all its sources of energy. -
Are there suitable means to isolate the equipment from all sources of energy (e.g. multiple lockable hasps, removal of plug, close and lock off valves, drain/ vent outlets, etc.)?
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Are the means of isolation clearly identifiable?
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Are they accessible?
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Are there appropriate measures to ensure that re connection does not expose any person to a risk of injury (e.g. re connection initiating movement, adequate guards)
Regulation 20 Stability
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Regulation 20 Stability
Every employer shall ensure that work equipment or any part of work equipment is stabilised by clamping or otherwise where necessary for purposes of health or safety. -
Is the equipment stabilised by clamping or otherwise where necessary to prevent risk of injury (e.g. machines bolted to floor, scaffolds tied to building, outriggers on mobile cranes, etc.)
Regulation 21 Lighting
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Regulation 21 Lighting
Every employer shall ensure that suitable and sufficient lighting, which takes account of the operations to be carried out, is provided at any place where a
person uses work equipment. -
Are the places where the work equipment is to be used suitably and sufficiently lit (local lighting may be required on certain machines e.g. lathes, sewing machines)?
Regulation 22 Maintenance operations
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Regulation 22 Maintenance operations
Every employer shall take appropriate measures to ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted that, so far as is reasonably practicable, maintenance
operations which involve a risk to health or safety can be carried out while the work equipment is shut down, or in other cases—
(a) maintenance operations can be carried out without exposing the person carrying them out to a risk to his health or safety; or
(b) appropriate measures can be taken for the protection of any person carrying out maintenance operations which involve a risk to his health or safety. -
Is maintenance carried out with the machine stopped and isolated?
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If not and it is reasonably practicable to do so, are maintenance operations carried out without exposing persons to risk?
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Are there measures in place to reduce the risk of injury (e.g. temporary guards, limited movement controls, PPE, etc.)?
Regulation 23 Markings
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Regulation 23 Markings
Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is marked in a clearly visible manner with any marking appropriate for reasons of health and safety. -
Is the equipment appropriately marked for health and safety purposes e.g. emergency stop controls, safe working load, colour code of gas cylinders
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Do all markings comply with BS 5378 or Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1998?
Regulation 24 Warnings
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Regulation 24 Warnings
(1) Every employer shall ensure that work equipment incorporates any warnings or warning devices which are appropriate for reasons of health and safety.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), warnings given by warning devices on work equipment shall not be appropriate unless they are
unambiguous, easily perceived and easily understood. -
Are all warnings and warning devices unambiguous, easily understood, easily perceived (e.g. signs complying with the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1998, audible visible warnings on fork lift trucks, etc.)?
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Regulation 11 Dangerous parts of machinery
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Regulation 12 Protection against specified hazards
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Regulation 13 High or very low temperature
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Regulation 14 Controls for starting or making a significant change in operating conditions
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Regulation 15 Stop controls
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Regulation 16 Emergency stop controls
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Regulation 17 Controls
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Regulation 18 Control systems
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Regulation 19 Isolation from sources of energy
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Regulation 22 Maintenance operations
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Regulation 23 Markings
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Regulation 24 Warnings
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Is the equipment mobile in nature?
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Regulation 25 Employees carried on mobile work equipment
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Regulation 26 Rolling over of mobile work equipment
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Regulation 27 Overturning of fork-lift trucks
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Regulation 28 Self-propelled work equipment
Check list
Assessors Confirmation
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I have carried out this assessment on this work equipment and have/ have not (delete as appropriate) made recommendations for actions to be taken to achieve compliance, based on my findings on the day of the assessment.
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Assessors Name
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Date for assessment review
