UK Statutory Instrument SI 1998 United Kingdom

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

These Regulations impose health and safety requirements with respect to the provision and use of work equipment, which is defined in regulation 2(1). The Regulations revoke and re-enact the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (“the 1992 Regulations”), which gave effect as respects Great Britain, except in relation …

Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Enforced by
HSE, ONR
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Imprisonment 84 of 123 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 39 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Employer120 Any Person3

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Employer — also bound by 682 other Acts
TULRCA 1992 72 duties
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1

INTRODUCTION

0 of 3 sections shown
3 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.001 Citation and commencement
s.002 Interpretation (opens in a new tab)
s.003 Application
Part 2

GENERAL

21 of 21 sections shown
s.004 Suitability of work equipment Regulated
  • Ensure work equipment is suitable and used safelyEmployer
s.005 Maintenance (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Maintain equipment in good condition and keep maintenance logs up to dateEmployer
  • Maintain equipment in good repair and keep logs up to dateEmployer
  • Maintain work equipment in good repair and update maintenance logsEmployer
s.006 Inspection (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment is inspected and records keptEmployer
  • Inspect and record safety of work equipmentEmployer
  • Inspect mobile work equipment and keep recordsEmployer
  • Inspect, record and retain evidence of work equipment safetyEmployer
  • Inspect work equipment and keep inspection recordsEmployer
s.007 Specific risks (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Designate and train staff to use and maintain hazardous equipmentEmployer
  • Restrict equipment use and maintenance to designated, trained staffEmployer
  • Restrict equipment use to trained, designated personsEmployer
  • Restrict use and maintenance of high‑risk equipment to designated, trained staffEmployer
s.008 Information and instructions (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide health and safety information and written instructions for work equipmentEmployer
s.009 Training (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure all equipment users and supervisors receive health‑and‑safety trainingEmployer
  • Provide adequate health and safety training for equipment usersEmployer
  • Provide health and safety training for equipment users and supervisorsEmployer
s.010 Conformity with Community requirements (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment meets essential safety requirementsEmployer
  • Ensure work equipment meets safety design standardsEmployer
s.011 Dangerous parts of machinery (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Guard dangerous parts of machinery and stop movement before accessEmployer
  • Prevent access to dangerous machinery partsEmployer
  • Prevent access to dangerous parts of machineryEmployer
  • Provide and maintain guards for dangerous machinery partsEmployer
  • Provide effective guarding for dangerous parts of machineryEmployer
  • Provide guards and safety measures for dangerous machinery partsEmployer
s.012 Protection against specified hazards (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Protect people from falling objects, equipment failure, and fire risksEmployer
  • Protect people from specified machinery hazardsEmployer
  • Control specified hazards from work equipmentEmployer
  • Prevent or adequately control hazards from mobile work equipmentEmployer
  • Prevent or control hazards from work equipmentEmployer
s.013 High or very low temperature (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Protect equipment and substances at extreme temperaturesEmployer
  • Protect equipment that reaches extreme temperaturesEmployer
  • Protect people from extreme work equipment temperaturesEmployer
  • Protect people from hot or cold work equipmentEmployer
  • Protect workers from hot or cold equipmentEmployer
  • Provide protection for hot or cold work equipmentEmployer
s.014 Controls for starting or making a significant change in operating conditions (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment controls require deliberate action to start or changeEmployer
  • Fit deliberate-start and change controls on work equipmentEmployer
  • Fit work equipment with deliberate start and change controlsEmployer
  • Provide controls for starting and changing operating conditions of equipmentEmployer
  • Provide safe start‑up and change‑over controls on work equipmentEmployer
s.015 Stop controls (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Equip machinery with accessible and safe stop controlsEmployer
  • Provide accessible stop controls for work equipmentEmployer
s.016 Emergency stop controls (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Fit readily accessible emergency‑stop controls on work equipmentEmployer
  • Fit work equipment with accessible emergency‑stop controlsEmployer
s.017 Controls (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment controls are safe, visible, and identifiableEmployer
  • Ensure safe placement, visibility and warnings for equipment controlsEmployer
  • Ensure work equipment controls are visible, safe and give warningsEmployer
  • Ensure safe visibility and placement of equipment controlsEmployer
  • Ensure safe, visible controls and protection for work equipmentEmployer
  • Ensure work equipment controls are safe, visible and clearly markedEmployer
s.018 Control systems (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure control systems on work equipment are safeEmployer
  • Ensure equipment control systems are safe and resilientEmployer
  • Ensure safe control systems for work equipmentEmployer
s.019 Isolation from sources of energy (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide and maintain safe isolation of machinery from energy sourcesEmployer
  • Provide a safe way to isolate equipment from energy sourcesEmployer
  • Provide clear and accessible isolation for work equipmentEmployer
  • Provide clearly identifiable isolation devices and safe reconnection proceduresEmployer
  • Provide safe energy isolation for work equipmentEmployer
  • Provide safe isolation of energy sources for mobile equipmentEmployer
s.020 Stability (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment is stable and secureEmployer
  • Stabilise work equipment for health and safetyEmployer
  • Stabilise work equipment to prevent movementEmployer
s.021 Lighting (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide suitable lighting for work equipment areasEmployer
s.022 Maintenance operations (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure equipment is safe for maintenance workEmployer
  • Ensure maintenance can be carried out safely on work equipmentEmployer
  • Ensure safe design and adaptation of equipment for maintenanceEmployer
  • Ensure safe maintenance of work equipmentEmployer
s.023 Markings (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure visible health‑and‑safety markings on work equipmentEmployer
  • Ensure work equipment has visible health and safety markingsEmployer
  • Mark work equipment clearly for health and safetyEmployer
  • Mark work equipment with visible health‑and‑safety signsEmployer
s.024 Warnings (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure work equipment has clear and effective safety warningsEmployer
  • Fit appropriate health & safety warnings on all work equipmentEmployer
  • Fit clear warnings on all work equipmentEmployer
  • Fit work equipment with clear, appropriate warningsEmployer
  • Fit work equipment with clear, unambiguous warningsEmployer
  • Provide clear, unambiguous warnings on all work equipmentEmployer
Part 3

MOBILE WORK EQUIPMENT

6 of 6 sections shown
s.025 Employees carried on mobile work equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure mobile work equipment is safe for carrying employeesEmployer
  • Ensure mobile work equipment used to carry employees is safeEmployer
  • Ensure safety of staff carried on mobile work equipmentEmployer
  • Only use mobile equipment that is suitable and fitted with safety features for carrying employeesEmployer
  • Use only suitable, safety‑rated mobile equipment for carrying staffEmployer
s.026 Rolling over of mobile work equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Minimise rolling‑over risk of mobile equipment and protect ridersEmployer
  • Minimise rollover risk for workers on mobile equipmentEmployer
  • Prevent rollover injuries on mobile work equipmentEmployer
  • Protect occupants of mobile equipment from roll-over risksEmployer
  • Protect workers from mobile equipment roll-oversEmployer
s.027 Overturning of fork-lift trucks (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Adapt or equip forklifts to minimise overturn riskEmployer
  • Equip forklifts to minimise risk of overturningEmployer
  • Equip fork-lift trucks to prevent injury from overturningEmployer
s.028 Self-propelled work equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure safety and security of self-propelled work equipmentEmployer
  • Ensure self-propelled work equipment meets safety and security standardsEmployer
  • Provide safety features for self‑propelled work equipmentEmployer
s.029 Remote-controlled self-propelled work equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure remote‑controlled equipment stops automatically and has crush guardsEmployer
  • Ensure remote‑controlled equipment stops out of range and has crush protectionEmployer
  • Ensure remote-controlled work equipment is safe and stops automaticallyEmployer
  • Ensure safe operation of remote‑controlled mobile equipmentEmployer
  • Ensure safety of remote-controlled self-propelled equipmentEmployer
  • Fit remote‑controlled equipment with automatic stop and guardingEmployer
s.030 Drive shafts (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and protect shafts on mobile equipmentEmployer
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and safeguard mobile equipment shaftsEmployer
  • Prevent drive‑shaft seizure and safeguard uncoupled shaftsEmployer
  • Protect drive shafts on mobile equipment from seizure or damageEmployer
  • Protect drive shafts on mobile work equipmentEmployer
  • Safeguard drive shafts on mobile work equipmentEmployer
Part 4

POWER PRESSES

4 of 5 sections shown
s.032 Thorough examination of power presses, guards and protection devices (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Carry out regular thorough examinations of power presses and guardsEmployer
  • Ensure thorough examinations of power presses and safety devicesEmployer
  • Inspect power presses, guards and protection devices and fix defectsEmployer
  • Thoroughly examine power presses and safety guardsEmployer
  • Thoroughly examine power presses, guards and protection devicesEmployer
s.033 Inspection of guards and protection devices (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Inspect and certify guards before using a power pressEmployer
  • Inspect and certify power press guards and protection devicesEmployer
  • Inspect and certify power press guards before useEmployer
s.034 Reports (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Notify your employer and the HSE of power press defectsEmployer
  • Report dangerous defects in power presses to employer and regulatorAny Person
  • Report defects in power presses and send copies to the authorityAny Person
  • Report findings of power press examinations and inspectionsEmployer
  • Report power‑press defects to employer and enforcing authorityEmployer
  • Report power press examinations and notify safety defectsAny Person
s.035 Keeping of information (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Keep equipment inspection reports and certificates availableEmployer
  • Keep power press inspection reports and certificatesEmployer
  • Keep safety reports and press certificates available for inspectionEmployer
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.031 Power presses to which Part IV does not apply (opens in a new tab)
Part 5

MISCELLANEOUS

0 of 4 sections shown
4 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.036 Exemption for the armed forces (opens in a new tab)
s.037 Transitional provision (opens in a new tab)
s.038 Repeal of enactment (opens in a new tab)
s.039 Revocation of instruments (opens in a new tab)
Schedules

Schedules

0 of 33 shown
33 other schedules
s.001 INSTRUMENTS WHICH GIVE EFFECT TO COMMUNITY DIRECTIVES CONCERNING THE SAFETY OF PRODUCTS (opens in a new tab)
s.003 INFORMATION TO BE CONTAINED IN A REPORT OF A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF A POWER PRESS, GUARD OR PROTECTION DEVICE (opens in a new tab)
s.004 REVOCATION OF INSTRUMENTS (opens in a new tab)
s.sch002 A power press for the working of hot metal.
s.sch002 An eyeletting machine.
s.sch002 A press-stud attaching machine.
s.sch002 A zip fastener bottom stop attaching machine.
s.sch002 A stapling machine.
s.sch002 A wire stitching machine.
s.sch002 A power press for the compacting of metal powders.
s.sch002 A power press not capable of a stroke greater than...
s.sch002 A guillotine.
s.sch002 A combination punching and shearing machine, turret punch press or...
s.sch002 A machine, other than a press brake, for bending steel...
s.sch002 A straightening machine.
s.sch002 An upsetting machine.
s.sch002 A heading machine.
s.sch002 A riveting machine.
s.sch003 The name of the employer for whom the thorough examination...
s.sch003 Any repair, renewal or alteration referred to in paragraph 7...
s.sch003 The date on which any defect referred to in paragraph...
s.sch003 The qualification and address of the person making the report;...
s.sch003 The date of the thorough examination.
s.sch003 The date of the report.
s.sch003 The name of the person making the report and where...
s.sch003 The address of the premises at which the thorough examination...
s.sch003 In relation to each item examined— (a) that it is...
s.sch003 In relation to the first thorough examination of a power...
s.sch003 In relation to a thorough examination of a power press...
s.sch003 In relation to a thorough examination of a guard or...
s.sch003 Any repair, renewal or alteration required to remedy a defect...
s.sch003 In the case of a defect which is not yet...
s.sch003 Any other defect which requires remedy.

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Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.