6.1 Work Equipment
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) sets out the legal duty to provide safe work equipment and to make sure work equipment is used in a safe way.
Work equipment is defined by PUWER to be any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work. Thus work equipment includes scalpels, knives, hammers, soldering irons, photocopiers, laboratory apparatus, ladders, lifts, scaffolding, fork-lift trucks and tractors. There are specific requirements for the use of Mobile Work Equipment, as noted below.
There are several items that are not classified as work equipment, namely:
- Livestock;
- Substances (eg chemicals, cement, water);
- Structural items (eg walls, stairs, fences);
- Private car.
General Duties
Work equipment must be suitable for its intended purpose of use in the place of use under the particular conditions that apply when in use. PUWER applies to Bath Spa University employees working on its premises as well as those who are home workers.
Risk assessments of the use of equipment must be carried out to assess its suitability for particular tasks in accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. See 2.5 Risk Assessment. The risk assessment should identify the significant risks. Significant risks are risks that could result in a major injury or worse arising from (1) incorrect installation/re-installation, (2) deterioration and (3) the result of exceptional circumstances that could affect work operations. Inspection needs to be specified and undertaken in such cases.
All work equipment must be properly maintained. Work equipment that has been assessed to give rise to a risk of significant injury must be inspected at appropriate intervals by a competent person. A maintenance log does not need to be kept to comply with PUWER but is advised to have such a log for high-risk equipment. If a maintenance log is kept it must be kept up to date.
Work Equipment Must Be Inspected:
- Before being put into service;
- At suitable intervals if exposure to conditions causing deterioration is liable to result in dangerous situations;
- In the exceptional circumstance when the equipment may be made unsafe.
The results of inspections must be recorded and retained.
Note that equipment needs to be inspected to comply with other regulations besides PUWER, such as the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) for certain lifting equipment, Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations for scaffolding and excavation supports, Pressure Systems Regulations, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) for local exhaust ventilation and Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations.
Users of work equipment and their supervisors as well as those undertaking repairs, maintenance and modifications of work equipment must be given adequate information, instruction and training and be competent to do the assigned tasks. Department and Schools must keep written records of training.
Dangerous Parts of Machinery
Departments and Schools must ensure the prevention of access to dangerous parts of machinery.
The hierarchy of measures to prevent access to the dangerous part of machinery are:
- Fixed enclosing guards;
- Other guard or protection devices;
- Jigs, holders and push-sticks etc;
- Information, instruction, training and supervision.
Protection Against Specific Hazards
Measures must be taken to prevent or, where prevention is not possible, adequately control specific hazards as listed below. Measures other than provision of personal protective equipment, information, training and supervision should be used as far as are reasonably practicable to safeguard personnel:
- Falling or ejected articles or substances from work equipment;
- Rupture or disintegration of parts of work equipment;
- Catching fire or overheating of work equipment;
- Unintended or premature discharge from work equipment;
- Unintended or premature explosion of work equipment or any article or substance produced, used or stored in it.
Note: Abrasive wheels are a particular example that are covered by PUWER.
Protection Against High Or Very Low Temperatures
Measures must be taken to guard against injury by burn, scald or sear from high and very low temperatures associated with working with work equipment.
Control Systems
Work equipment needs to be fitted, where appropriate, with:
- Start and governing controls;
- Stop button(s);
- Emergency stop button/control that is readily accessible to the operator;
The controls must be clearly visible and identifiable and, where necessary, appropriately marked
Controls must be positioned where an operator would not be exposed to any risk to his health and safety were it to be used.
Braking systems must have a stopping time of less than 10 seconds.
All controls should be safe, as far as it is reasonably practicable.
Other Requirements
Work equipment must be provided with means to isolate it from its energy source.
Where necessary work equipment must be stabilised by clamping or other means.
Adequate lighting must be available to operate work equipment safely.
Work equipment needs to be designed and constructed such that maintenance operations are carried out whilst the equipment is shut down.
Work equipment must be clearly marked for health and safety reasons and incorporate warnings or warning devices, as appropriate.Mobile Work Equipment.
There are particular requirements for Mobile Work Equipment, such as tractors and fork-lift trucks, specified in PUWER. For the necessary details it is important to consult the Approved Code of Practice and/or the BSUC Corporate Safety Adviser.
The Requirements Cover The Following:
- Persons can only be carried by mobile equipment that is designated as suitable to do so;
- Roll over safety measures, including personal restraining system for those carried and Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS);
- Self-propelled and remote controlled self-propelled work equipment safety measures;
- Drive shafts risks and safety measures.
September 2004.