Introduction to Fire Safety Management

3.7.1 The Provision and Use of Work Equipment 
Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
In these regulations work equipment is defi ned as:
any machinery, appliance, apparatus or tool 
for use at work
This includes hand tools, single machines, lifting equip-
ment, ladders and other access equipment, vehicles, 
offi ce equipment, etc.
The term use applies to not only the actual use for 
which the equipment has been designed and manufac-
tured but importantly when the equipment is:
➤
Installed
➤
Programmed and set
➤
Started and stopped
➤
Maintained and serviced
➤
Cleaned
➤
Dismantled 
and
➤
Transported.
Suitability of work equipment
The regulations require that when an employer is con-
sidering the provision of a piece of work equipment 
he fi rst must consider the suitability of the proposed 
equipment for the work. When considering the suitabil-
ity of a piece of equipment an employer must take into 
account:
➤
The person/s who are going to use the equipment, 
in terms of their size, physical and mental abilities, 
levels of competence and motivation
➤
The task/s to be performed
➤
The frequency of use for the equipment
➤
The working conditions and environment in which it 
will be used.
Figure 3.9
PUWER covers all work equipment

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Organising for safety
51
Employers must ensure that work equipment conforms 
to current EU standards and requirements. Most new 
work equipment particularly any machinery must display 
the European CE mark. The CE mark is merely a claim 
by the manufacturer that the equipment meets all rele-
vant standards and is safe.
In addition to researching and controlling the 
hazards associated with work equipment the manufac-
turers are also obliged to keep a technical fi le relating to 
the fi ndings and outcome of their research and issue a 
‘Declaration of Conformity’, which simply states that the 
equipment complies with the relevant functional health 
and safety requirements within the EU.