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MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY FEATURE
HARNESSING PUWER POWER
PUWER ensures the provision of safe
work equipment and its safe use. Meeting its requirements can be complex,
P
UWER applies to all work equipment regardless of its age, or of the machinery being CE or UKCA marked or not. This covers any machine, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work (whether exclusively or not). It describes what an employer needs to do to protect employees in the workplace and is applicable to all work equipment. While meeting the requirements of PUWER can be complex, if a logical and practicable approach is adopted it doesn’t have to be unworkable. The primary objective of PUWER is to ensure
standards and not the standards that were applicable when a machine was first brought into service.
Darren Hugheston-Roberts
PUWER REQUIREMENTS Regulation 6 of PUWER also requires that inspections must be repeated ‘at suitable intervals’ if machines are exposed to conditions that may lead to deterioration. In reality, every machine is exposed to conditions that will lead to deterioration, so the requirement effectively means that they must all be periodically inspected. The results of these inspections have
the provision of safe work equipment and its safe use. This has several components which are interlinked: • The Regulations are made under the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 (HSW Act), and apply to all users and the self-employed covered by that Act in Great Britain, including offshore activities but excludes the crews of sea-going ships. • The Regulations implement European Community (EC) Directive 89/655/EEC, amended by the non-lifting aspects of the Work Equipment Directive (AUWED). • These regulations place a requirement to carry out a risk assessment on all existing equipment.
• Work equipment should not give rise to risks to health and safety, irrespective of its age or place of origin. • The regulations ask that the electrical system, the control system, guarding and other possible hazards be assessed and corrected if required. PUWER therefore requires users of work equipment to carry out a risk assessment and provide work equipment that is suitable for its intended use, and which can be used without putting persons at risk. A PUWER assessment is an ongoing process that must be repeated at appropriate intervals, so always refer to the latest
to be documented and kept until the next subsequent inspection is recorded. This means that there should be a current inspection report kept on file at all times. PUWER also requires machine users to ensure that the CE or UKCA marking process has been properly carried out through Regulation 10 of PUWER, therefore any equipment subject to a Product Directive or Regulation should meet all applicable Essential Health and Safety Requirements (ESHRs) that apply to it. If a machine is ‘significantly modified’ then the machine owner should review if the original conformity assessment is still valid, or if there needs to be a new conformity assessment of the machine which takes account of the ‘significant modification’. If so, this should be done before putting the machine back into service. There are 37 PUWER regulations. While some of them are rather lengthy, it is possible to construct a simple checklist to determine the necessary actions for compliance. If this process reveals that a potential hazard exists, then a risk assessment must be carried out, with the implementation of appropriate control measures recorded. Software is available to help you automate this checklist process, and the suppliers of the best packages will be happy to adapt them as necessary to deal with special requirements. It should store results locally or in the cloud and produce appropriate reports to confirm
but taking a logical approach will be
beneficial, as Darren Hugheston-Roberts, senior manager for Digital and Industry Solutions at TÜV SÜD, explains
that the work has been carried out with due diligence, as well as generate a list of any outstanding action points. Machinery safety is one of the most significant
issues facing organisations today. It is equally as important as productivity and is essential for the wellbeing of everyone involved. While it is a complex process, the guidance that is widely available means that there is no excuse for getting PUWER wrong. A thorough and correct risk assessment should therefore be completed before any new machinery goes into operation and if substantial modifications are made, to ensure that machinery meets all requirements.
REGULAR ASSESSMENTS As PUWER assessments are an ongoing process they should be done periodically. We recommend at least every five years, or sooner if the equipment is susceptible to increased deterioration, is modified, moved or if it has a near-miss or accident. During the assessment you must always refer to the latest standards and not to the standards that were applicable when a machine was first brought into service. This ensures that ‘the state of the art’ is maintained.
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/uk
APRIL 2025 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 17
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