PUWER equipment breaches rise by 40% on construction sites

August 23, 2021

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) places duties on people and companies who own, operate, or have control over work equipment.

According to the Building Safety Group (BSG), there has been a 40% increase in PUWER equipment breaches occurring on construction sites during the first half of 2021.

BSG’s latest figures were obtained following 8,500 independent site inspections that were conducted between 1 January and 30 June. The 40% increase was identified when comparing Q1 with Q2 figures.

PUWER regulations are enforced by HSE inspectors during regular checks. An improvement notice will be placed on a piece of equipment if a health and safety inspector feels that it has not been subject to inspections and risk assessments detailed under PUWER.

In these instances, the inspector will tell the business owner what actions they need to take to comply with PUWER regulations and give them a period of 21 days to put these actions into place. If the actions are not followed within this period then a prohibition notice will be enforced, preventing the owner from using the equipment.

BSG’s inspection report comes at a time when the HSE is increasing its focus on enforcing PUWER regulations, following concerns that the condition of some machines may have degraded due to long periods of inactivity because of COVID-19.

Andy Harper, technical support manager at BSG, said: “Businesses need to look at PUWER regulations closely and make note of what is considered ‘work equipment,’ which is a catch-all term that covers any tool, appliance, or piece of machinery that could potentially pose a risk to employees.

“PUWER regulations require a competent person to periodically inspect each piece of work equipment to ensure it is fit for use, and to officially record their findings for future reference.

“With more complex pieces of machinery, instructions on how to use the equipment, alongside any potential safety issues, should be made available to all equipment users.”

 

This is valid as of 23rd August 2021.

Sign-up to the Barbour Monthly Newsletter

Get the latest Health, Safety and Environmental news and information – sign up for updates from Barbour EHS. Computer monitor What you’ll get:
  • Free downloads including Directors’ Briefings, legislation updates, webinars, risk assessments and more
  • VIP invites to events
  • Important industry news and updates
  • Invitations to hot topic webinars hosted by Barbour
  • Industry partner information
[ssba-buttons]

You May Also Be Interested In

Comments are closed.

✉ Sign up to the Barbour Newsletter

Free downloads, advance notice of webinars, product updates and perks – all straight to your inbox.

  • Barbour EHS may from time to time send updates about Barbour products and services. By providing your contact information you consent to being contacted for direct marketing purposes by Barbour EHS. Please ensure you review our Privacy Policy.