Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

breakdown based maintenance
– here mainten-
ance is only carried out when faults or failures have 
occurred. This is only acceptable if the failure does 
not present an immediate hazard and can be cor-
rected before the risk is increased. If, for example, a 
bearing overheating can be detected by a monitoring 
device, it is acceptable to wait for the overheating to 
occur as long as the equipment can be stopped and 
repairs carried out before the fault becomes danger-
ous to persons employed.

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Work equipment hazards and control
163
The inspection under PUWER will vary from a simple 
visual inspection to a detailed comprehensive inspec-
tion, which may include some dismantling and/or testing. 
The level of inspection required would normally be less 
rigorous and intrusive than thorough examinations under 
the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 
1998 (LOLER) for certain lifting equipment. In the case of 
boilers and air receivers the inspection is covered by the 
Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 which involves 
a thorough examination (see the summary in Chapter 17). 
The inspection under PUWER would only be needed in 
these cases if the examinations did not cover all the sig-
nifi cant health and safety risks that are likely to arise.
11.5.3 Examination of boilers and air receivers
Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, a 
wide range of pressure vessels and systems require thor-
ough examination by a competent person to an agreed 
specifi cally written scheme. This includes steam boilers, 
pressurized hot water plants and air receivers which are 
contained in the Certifi cate syllabus.
The Regulations place duties on designers and 
manufacturers but this section is only concerned with the 
duty on users to have the vessels examined. An employer 
who operates a steam boiler and/or a pressurized hot 
water plant and/or an air receiver must ensure:
➤
that it is supplied with the correct written informa-
tion and markings
➤
that the equipment is properly installed
➤
that it is used within its operating limits
➤
there is a written scheme for periodic examination of 
the equipment certifi ed by a competent person (in the 
case of standard steam boilers and air receivers the 
scheme is likely to be provided by the manufacturer)
➤
that the equipment is examined in accordance with 
the written scheme by a competent person within the 
specifi ed period
➤
that a report of the periodic examination is held on 
fi le giving the required particulars
➤
the actions required by the report are carried out
➤
any other safety critical maintenance work is carried 
out, whether or not covered by the report.
In these cases the competent person is usually a specialist 
inspector from an external inspection organization. Many 
of these organizations are linked to the insurance com 
-
panies who cover the fi nancial risks of the pressure vessel.