PUWER

SafeMech can carry out PUWER compliance surveys and produce PUWER compliance reports.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 gives a general duty to employers to ensure that any equipment used in the workplace is safe in intended and foreseen use.

There is some synergy between The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC implemented in the UK by Supply of Machinery Regulations 2008. (SOMR). SOMR places obligations on Manufacturers, PUWER places obligations on users.

Equipment which meets the requirements of the Machinery Directive can be expected to meet the requirements of PUWER if used as the manufacturer intends.

The difference between PUWER and SOMR is that PUWER covers all work equipment, including, for example, hand tools or static work suppports, which would not fall within the scope of the Machinery Directive. PUWER considers equipment in its actual working context, so, for example, a machine with fume extraction might carry a Machinery Directive CE marking but PUWER compliance would check that the machine had a CE marking but would further consider whether the fume extraction system was adequate for the task in which it was being used and whether it was actually installed and working correctly.