Manufacturing & Engineering UK-wide

Machinery and equipment manufacturer: compliance checklist

Use this checklist to confirm your machinery and equipment manufacturing business (SIC division 28) meets its obligations before you sell. Work through the universal workplace items every manufacturer shares, then the product-conformity and type-approval items for what you make. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Guide summary

Work through this checklist for your machinery factory. First, make your workplace safe: write risk assessments, control hazardous substances, guard machinery, assess fire risk, and hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million. Then check your products meet the right rules: the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, EMC rules, pressure equipment laws, and lifts rules. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before selling.

  • Write risk assessments and set safe systems for all tasks
  • Control metalworking fluids, welding fume, and solvents under COSHH
  • Guard and maintain all machinery under PUWER
  • Assess manual handling and fire risk from hot work and oils
  • Hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million
  • Comply with Equality Act 2010 and UK GDPR with ICO registration
  • Meet Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (UKCA or CE)
  • Meet EMC Regulations 2016 for electrical and electronic equipment
  • Meet pressure equipment rules (PER 2016 and Simple Vessels 2016)
  • Meet Lifts Regulations 2016 if you make lifts
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Related guides in Health & Safety

Use this checklist to confirm your machinery and equipment manufacturing business meets its obligations before you sell. Work through each item and answer yes or no. If you answer no, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Workplace health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain and by HSENI in Northern Ireland. The product-conformity and type-approval regimes are Great Britain regimes — UKCA is the GB mark where one is required and CE marking also continues to be accepted on the GB market. Vehicle and engine type approval runs through the Vehicle Certification Agency. If you supply Northern Ireland, check the position separately. Food-contact materials for food-processing machinery are a devolved regime. Each section names the body that applies.

Section 1 — Every machinery manufacturer (factory and people)

These workplace and employment duties apply to every manufacturer, whatever you make. Confirm each one.

  1. 1

    Have you written your risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place?

    Your general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your people. Risk-assess machining, welding, assembly and lifting and put safe systems of work, training and supervision in place. If not, follow "Set up and run a safe machinery factory".

  2. 2

    Have you assessed and controlled exposure to fluids, fume and coatings?

    COSHH requires control of metalworking fluids and mists, welding fume, solvents and paints, with local exhaust ventilation and health surveillance where required.

  3. 3

    Is your machinery safeguarded, maintained and inspected under PUWER?

    Machine tools, presses and welding plant must be guarded, maintained and safely isolated for setting, maintenance and testing under PUWER.

  4. 4

    Have you assessed manual handling and carried out your fire risk assessment?

    Reduce hazardous handling of castings, components and finished machines. Assess fire risk from hot work, oils and flammables under the fire-safety regime for your nation.

  5. 5

    Do you hold employers' liability insurance and meet your equality and data duties?

    Hold at least £5 million of cover once you employ anyone. Do not discriminate under the Equality Act 2010 (or separate NI equality law enforced by the ECNI). Comply with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, registering with the ICO unless exempt.

Section 2 — Placing products on the market

Confirm the regimes that apply to what you make — several may apply to one product. These are Great Britain regimes. Check Northern Ireland separately if you supply there.

  1. 1

    Does your machinery meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008?

    Make sure machines meet the essential health and safety requirements, with the right conformity assessment, technical file, declaration of conformity, instructions and marking (UKCA, or CE which is still accepted on the GB market). If not, follow "Place machinery and equipment on the market".

  2. 2

    Does electrical or electronic equipment meet the EMC Regulations 2016?

    Electrical and electronic equipment must meet the electromagnetic compatibility requirements, with conformity assessment, documentation and marking.

  3. 3

    Does pressure equipment meet the pressure-equipment regimes?

    Boilers, vessels and piping under pressure must meet the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (graded by hazard category, often involving an approved body). Mass-produced simple vessels meet the Simple Pressure Vessels (Safety) Regulations 2016.

  4. 4

    Do lifts meet the Lifts Regulations 2016?

    New passenger and goods lifts and lift safety components must meet the conformity-assessment, documentation and marking requirements of the Lifts Regulations 2016.

  5. 5

    Do your vehicles and engines have the type approval they need?

    Agricultural and forestry tractors and towed equipment need vehicle type approval, and non-road mobile machinery engines need NRMM emissions type approval, through the Vehicle Certification Agency, before sale.

  6. 6

    Do other products meet the general product safety duty, and food-machinery food-contact parts the food-contact rules?

    Goods outside a specific regime must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Trading Standards). Parts of food, drink and tobacco processing machinery that contact food must meet the devolved food-contact-materials rules for your nation.

If you answered no to anything

Work through the guide linked in that item before you sell. The two task guides — the safe-factory spine and placing machinery and equipment on the market — set out what to do. Start from the router if you are not sure which apply to you.

Official sources

Authoritative health and safety and product-conformity guidance.