PUWER 1998: what it requires

PUWER is the short name for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The regulations require work equipment to be suitable, and to stay in efficient working order. They also require training for anyone who uses it, including the people who supervise its use.

What it actually says

Anyone who uses the equipment is covered: “Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken”

Regulation 9(1), PUWER 1998, on legislation.gov.ukThe regulation names what the training has to cover: the method, the risk and the precaution. A course that only demonstrates the method does not meet it.

Statutory InstrumentApplies to: Any employer whose staff use work equipment, from hand tools to machinery.

Courses that cover PUWER 1998

These 3 ProCompliance courses name PUWER 1998 as their governing framework. They are the training this law asks for. Each course page states its own accreditation.

Abrasive Wheels Safety TrainingIOSH approvedCPD accreditedAbrasive wheels are among the most dangerous pieces of equipment in a workshop.View info Free trial

Lock Out Tag Out TrainingCPD accreditedMachinery that starts unexpectedly during maintenance causes some of the most severe workplace injuries.View info Free trial

PUWER TrainingIOSH approvedCPD accreditedWork equipment must be suitable, maintained, inspected and used only by people trained to use it.View info Free trial

Read our guides: PUWER in the workplace, Lockout tagout procedures and Abrasive wheels: types and safety.

What PUWER 1998 requires

Regulation 9(1)

Employers must ensure “all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety”. That training covers the methods people may use, any risks, and the precautions to take.

Regulation 9(2)

The same duty applies to “any of his employees who supervises or manages the use of work equipment”.

Read the official text on legislation.gov.uk

What PUWER 1998 means for work equipment training

In practice PUWER is explicit that supervisors and managers need the training as well as the operators. That is the part most often missed.

Common questions

Does PUWER require training for managers as well as operators?

Yes. Regulation 9(2) requires adequate training for any employee who supervises or manages the use of work equipment. It covers the same methods, risks and precautions as the operators receive.

What must PUWER training actually cover?

Regulation 9(1) names three things. The training must cover the methods for using the equipment. It must also cover the risks that use may entail, and the precautions people need to take. The training therefore follows the equipment in front of the person. A general induction does not cover it.

Does PUWER cover hand tools as well as machinery?

Yes. Regulation 2(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 defines work equipment widely. It covers “any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work”. The same regulation defines use just as widely. It covers starting, stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing and cleaning. Therefore cleaning a machine counts as using it.

This plain English summary is not legal advice. The wording above comes from the official text. This page links to that text, and you should rely on it instead. Some duties depend on your own risk assessment, so only that assessment can tell you what they mean.