In many organisations, machinery safety is still viewed as a compliance exercise, undertaken only when a customer, auditor or regulator requests evidence of conformity. This approach fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). For machinery end users, a PUWER assessment is not merely a legal obligation. It is a structured safety and engineering review that verifies whether equipment can be operated, adjusted, cleaned, maintained and repaired without exposing personnel to unacceptable levels of risk. The End User Owns the Risk A common misconception within industry is that purchasing CE Marked or UKCA Marked machinery automatically satisfies legal requirements. In reality, machinery conformity at the point of manufacture does not remove the end user’s responsibility under PUWER. Employers

Introduction For many years, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC provided the principal EU legal framework governing the safety of machinery placed on the European market. Its objectives were to ensure a high level of protection for health and safety and to facilitate the free movement of machinery within the EU internal market. Experience gained from its application, combined with significant technological progress particularly in software, connectivity, and automation revealed limitations in the directive’s structure and scope. As a result, the European Union adopted Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, which repeals and replaces the Machinery Directive. The new legislation entered into force in July 2023 and will apply fully from 20 January 2027. This article explains the key legal and technical differences between the two instruments,

PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) ACOP – L22 The Safemach Ultimate Guide to PUWER is a great resource for those who need to improve the PUWER knowledge prior to reading the PUWER ACOP and / or attending a PUWER training course. The guide details the PUWER requirements and will set you on your path to PUWER compliance. Where required, carrying out a PUWER assessment on your work equipment is a legal requirement and not a ‘nice to have’. 1. What Is PUWER PUWER is a set of UK regulations requiring that work equipment is: Suitable for its intended use Safe to use and maintain Maintained in a safe condition Inspected at suitable intervals Used only by trained & competent personnel The

We are often asked what are the key machinery safety standards, whether Harmonised to the Machinery Directive or Designated to the Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations. So we thought we would add a list. Obviously, this is not the full list, however it is a good place to start for frequently used machinery safety standards. Click on the following links for full lists of Designated and Harmonised Standards: Machinery Designated Standards. Machinery Harmonised Standards. The standards below have not been dated, as there are a lot of new versions of standards waiting to be published in the Official Journal, and the list of actual Harmonised Standards may update soon. Other countries will have a different leading prefix referencing their National Standards Body, the UK is

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and guidance. This Approved Code of Practice and guidance is for those that work with any equipment provided at work or for the use of people at work, those who employ such people, those that represent them and those people who act as a competent person in the examination of lifting equipment. It sets out what you should do to comply with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). LOLER applies to lifting equipment and builds on the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). The latest edition brings the document up to date with regulatory and other changes. The guidance clarifies which equipment is subject to the

The PUWER Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance is aimed at employers, duty holders and anyone who has responsibility for the safe use of work equipment, such as managers and supervisors. It sets out what is needed to comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The Regulations, commonly known as PUWER, place duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over work equipment. PUWER also places responsibilities on businesses and organisations whose employees use work equipment, whether owned by them or not. The PUWER ACOP has been approved by the Health and Safety Executive, with the consent of the Secretary of State. It gives practical advice on how to comply with the law. If you follow the