UK Statutory Instrument 1998 United Kingdom

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

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At a glance

Enforced by

HSE, ONR

What's here

172 compliance obligations, 36 practical guides across 2 topics · 6 journeys

Penalty landscape

112 of 172 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 60 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Employer 169
  • Any Person 3

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

4 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

31 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides
View all 36 guides →

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Employers also bound by 171 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — INTRODUCTION

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — GENERAL

s.005

Maintenance

2 years imprisonment
  • Maintain equipment and keep maintenance logs up to date Employer
  • Maintain equipment in good condition and keep maintenance logs up to date Employer
  • Maintain equipment in good repair and keep logs up to date Employer
  • Maintain equipment properly and keep maintenance logs up‑to‑date Employer
  • Maintain work equipment in good repair and update maintenance logs Employer
  • Maintain work equipment and keep maintenance logs up to date Employer
s.006

Inspection

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment is inspected and records kept Employer
  • Inspect and record safety of work equipment Employer
  • Inspect mobile work equipment and keep records Employer
  • Inspect, record and retain evidence of work equipment safety Employer
  • Inspect work equipment and keep inspection records Employer
  • Inspect work equipment and keep safety records Employer
s.007

Specific risks

2 years imprisonment
  • Designate and train staff to use and maintain hazardous equipment Employer
  • Restrict use and maintenance of high-risk equipment to trained staff Employer
  • Restrict equipment use and maintenance to designated trained staff Employer
  • Restrict equipment use to trained, designated persons Employer
  • Restrict use and maintenance of high‑risk equipment to designated, trained staff Employer
  • Restrict use and maintenance of risky equipment to designated, trained staff Employer
s.008

Information and instructions

2 years imprisonment
  • Provide clear health and safety information and instructions for work equipment Employer
  • Provide health and safety information and instructions for work equipment Employer
  • Provide health and safety information and written instructions for work equipment Employer
  • Provide health & safety information and instructions for work equipment Employer
  • Provide health & safety information and written instructions for work equipment Employer
s.009

Training

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure all equipment users and supervisors receive health‑and‑safety training Employer
  • Provide adequate health and safety training for equipment users Employer
  • Provide health and safety training for all work equipment users Employer
  • Provide health and safety training for equipment users and managers Employer
  • Provide health and safety training for equipment users and supervisors Employer
  • Provide health and safety training for work equipment users Employer
s.010

Conformity with Community requirements

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment meets essential safety requirements Employer
  • Ensure work equipment meets safety design standards Employer
s.011

Dangerous parts of machinery

2 years imprisonment
  • Guard dangerous parts of machinery and stop movement before access Employer
  • Prevent access to dangerous machinery parts Employer
  • Prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery Employer
  • Provide and maintain guards for dangerous machinery parts Employer
  • Provide effective guarding for dangerous parts of machinery Employer
  • Provide guarding for dangerous parts of machinery Employer
  • Provide guards and safety measures for dangerous machinery parts Employer
s.012

Protection against specified hazards

2 years imprisonment
  • Protect people from falling objects, equipment failure, and fire risks Employer
  • Protect people from specified machinery hazards Employer
  • Control specified hazards from work equipment Employer
  • Prevent or adequately control hazards from mobile work equipment Employer
  • Prevent or control hazards from work equipment Employer
  • Prevent or control specified hazards from work equipment Employer
s.013

High or very low temperature

2 years imprisonment
  • Protect equipment and substances at extreme temperatures Employer
  • Protect equipment that reaches extreme temperatures Employer
  • Protect people from extreme work equipment temperatures Employer
  • Protect people from hot or cold work equipment Employer
  • Protect workers from hot or cold equipment Employer
  • Provide protection for hot or cold equipment Employer
  • Provide protection for hot or cold work equipment Employer
s.014

Controls for starting or making a significant change in operating conditions

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment controls require deliberate action to start or change Employer
  • Fit deliberate-start and change controls on work equipment Employer
  • Fit work equipment with deliberate start and change controls Employer
  • Provide controls for starting and changing operating conditions of equipment Employer
  • Provide safe start and change‑over controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide safe start‑up and change‑over controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide start and change‑over controls on work equipment Employer
s.015

Stop controls

2 years imprisonment
  • Equip machinery with accessible and safe stop controls Employer
  • Provide accessible stop controls for work equipment Employer
  • Provide accessible stop controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide effective stop controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide readily accessible stop controls on work equipment Employer
s.016

Emergency stop controls

2 years imprisonment
  • Fit readily accessible emergency‑stop controls on work equipment Employer
  • Fit work equipment with accessible emergency‑stop controls Employer
  • Provide accessible emergency stop controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide appropriate emergency stop controls on work equipment Employer
  • Provide readily accessible emergency stop controls on equipment Employer
s.017

Controls

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment controls are safe, visible, and identifiable Employer
  • Ensure safe placement, visibility and warnings for equipment controls Employer
  • Ensure work equipment controls are visible, safe and give warnings Employer
  • Ensure safe visibility and placement of equipment controls Employer
  • Ensure safe, visible controls and protection for work equipment Employer
  • Ensure work equipment controls are safe, visible and clearly marked Employer
s.018

Control systems

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure control systems of mobile work equipment are safe Employer
  • Ensure control systems of work equipment are safe Employer
  • Ensure control systems of work equipment are safe and reliable Employer
  • Ensure control systems on work equipment are safe Employer
  • Ensure equipment control systems are safe and resilient Employer
  • Ensure safe control systems for work equipment Employer
s.019

Isolation from sources of energy

2 years imprisonment
  • Provide and maintain safe isolation of machinery from energy sources Employer
  • Provide a safe way to isolate equipment from energy sources Employer
  • Provide clear, accessible isolation devices and safe reconnection procedures Employer
  • Provide clear and accessible isolation for work equipment Employer
  • Provide clearly identifiable isolation devices and safe reconnection procedures Employer
  • Provide safe energy isolation for work equipment Employer
  • Provide safe isolation of energy sources for mobile equipment Employer
s.020

Stability

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment is stable and secure Employer
  • Stabilise work equipment for health and safety Employer
  • Stabilise work equipment to prevent it moving or tipping Employer
  • Stabilise work equipment to prevent movement Employer
  • Stabilise work equipment to prevent tipping Employer
s.021

Lighting

2 years imprisonment
  • Provide suitable and sufficient lighting for work equipment Employer
  • Provide suitable lighting for work equipment areas Employer
  • Provide suitable lighting for work equipment use Employer
  • Provide suitable lighting for work equipment Employer
s.022

Maintenance operations

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment is safe for maintenance work Employer
  • Ensure maintenance can be carried out safely on work equipment Employer
  • Ensure safe design and adaptation of equipment for maintenance Employer
  • Ensure safe design and protection for equipment maintenance Employer
  • Ensure safe maintenance of work equipment Employer
s.023

Markings

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure visible health‑and‑safety markings on work equipment Employer
  • Ensure work equipment has visible health and safety markings Employer
  • Mark work equipment clearly for health and safety Employer
  • Mark work equipment with clear health‑and‑safety signs Employer
  • Mark work equipment with visible health‑and‑safety signs Employer
s.024

Warnings

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment has clear and effective safety warnings Employer
  • Fit appropriate health & safety warnings on all work equipment Employer
  • Fit clear warnings on all work equipment Employer
  • Fit work equipment with clear, appropriate warnings Employer
  • Fit work equipment with clear, unambiguous warnings Employer
  • Provide clear, unambiguous warnings on all work equipment Employer

Part III — MOBILE WORK EQUIPMENT

s.025

Employees carried on mobile work equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure mobile work equipment is safe for carrying employees Employer
  • Ensure mobile work equipment used to carry employees is safe Employer
  • Ensure safe mobile work equipment for carrying employees Employer
  • Ensure safety of staff carried on mobile work equipment Employer
  • Only use mobile equipment that is suitable and fitted with safety features for carrying employees Employer
  • Use only suitable, safety‑rated mobile equipment for carrying staff Employer
s.026

Rolling over of mobile work equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Minimise rolling‑over risk of mobile equipment and protect riders Employer
  • Minimise rollover risk for riders on mobile work equipment Employer
  • Minimise rollover risk for workers on mobile equipment Employer
  • Minimise rollover risk of mobile work equipment Employer
  • Prevent rollover injuries on mobile work equipment Employer
  • Protect occupants of mobile equipment from roll-over risks Employer
  • Protect workers from mobile equipment roll-overs Employer
s.027

Overturning of fork-lift trucks

2 years imprisonment
  • Adapt forklift to minimise overturning risk Employer
  • Adapt forklift trucks to minimise overturning risk Employer
  • Adapt or equip forklifts to minimise overturn risk Employer
  • Equip forklifts to minimise risk of overturning Employer
  • Equip fork-lift trucks to prevent injury from overturning Employer
  • Fit forklift trucks to minimise overturning risk Employer
s.028

Self-propelled work equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure safe self‑propelled work equipment Employer
  • Ensure safety and security of self-propelled work equipment Employer
  • Ensure safety features on self‑propelled work equipment Employer
  • Ensure self-propelled work equipment meets safety and security standards Employer
  • Provide safety controls for self‑propelled work equipment Employer
  • Provide safety features for moving self‑propelled equipment Employer
  • Provide safety features for self‑propelled work equipment Employer
s.029

Remote-controlled self-propelled work equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure remote‑controlled equipment stops automatically and has crush guards Employer
  • Ensure remote‑controlled equipment stops out of range and has crush protection Employer
  • Ensure remote-controlled work equipment is safe and stops automatically Employer
  • Ensure safe operation of remote‑controlled mobile equipment Employer
  • Ensure safety of remote-controlled self-propelled equipment Employer
  • Fit remote‑controlled equipment with automatic stop and guarding Employer
s.030

Drive shafts

2 years imprisonment
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and protect shafts on mobile equipment Employer
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and safeguard mobile equipment shafts Employer
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and safeguard uncoupled shafts Employer
  • Protect drive shafts on mobile equipment from seizure or damage Employer
  • Protect drive shafts on mobile work equipment Employer
  • Safeguard drive shafts on mobile work equipment Employer

Part IV — POWER PRESSES

s.032

Thorough examination of power presses, guards and protection devices

2 years imprisonment
  • Carry out regular thorough examinations of power presses and guards Employer
  • Carry out thorough examinations of power presses and guards Employer
  • Ensure thorough examinations of power presses and safety devices Employer
  • Examine power presses, guards and protection devices and fix defects Employer
  • Inspect power presses, guards and protection devices and fix defects Employer
  • Thoroughly examine power presses and safety guards Employer
  • Thoroughly examine power presses, guards and protection devices Employer
s.033

Inspection of guards and protection devices

2 years imprisonment
  • Inspect and certify guards before using a power press Employer
  • Inspect and certify power press guards and protection devices Employer
  • Inspect and certify power press guards before use Employer
s.034

Reports

2 years imprisonment
  • Notify your employer and the HSE of power press defects Employer
  • Report dangerous defects in power presses to employer and regulator Any Person
  • Report defects in power presses and send copies to the authority Any Person
  • Report findings of power press examinations and inspections Employer
  • Report power‑press defects to employer and enforcing authority Employer
  • Report power press examinations and notify safety defects Any Person
s.035

Keeping of information

  • Keep equipment inspection reports and certificates available Employer
  • Keep equipment reports and certificates available for inspection Employer
  • Keep power press inspection reports and certificates Employer
  • Keep PUWER reports and certificates available for inspection Employer
  • Keep reports and certificates available for inspection Employer
  • Keep safety reports and press certificates available for inspection Employer
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part V — MISCELLANEOUS

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 3 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

HSE

Primary

Health and Safety Executive

Workplace health, safety, and welfare regulation across all industries. Enforces the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and related regulations. Investigates …

ONR

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Independent regulator for nuclear safety and security. Issues nuclear site licences. Regulates nuclear installations, transport, and safeguards.

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