PUWER 1998 Compliance

No. PUWER 1998 covers all work equipment — suitability, maintenance and operator training. LOLER 1998 layers on top of PUWER specifically for equipment used to lift loads or people, adding the statutory Thorough Examination. Most lifting plant has to satisfy both.

Not for the lifting equipment itself: PUWER's inspection duty does not apply to equipment for lifting loads, which is examined under LOLER instead. For other work equipment, PUWER sets no fixed interval the way LOLER does, but it does require inspection at suitable intervals where equipment can deteriorate dangerously, alongside the ongoing duties to maintain it and train the people who use it — which we flag as part of every LOLER survey we carry out. Power presses are the exception: PUWER Regulations 32 to 35 set fixed statutory examination intervals, similar in structure to a LOLER thorough examination, and we inspect these as a dedicated service.

Anything used at work that isn't lifting plant — escalators, power presses, woodworking machinery, abrasive wheels, guillotines and press brakes are common examples. These fall under PUWER 1998 rather than LOLER, and we now offer dedicated inspection services for each.

The record of every inspection PUWER Regulation 6 requires, kept until the next one is recorded; an up-to-date maintenance log for any machinery that has one; training records; and the risk assessment that sets inspection intervals and controls, whose significant findings must be written down if you employ five or more people. This is the documentation an HSE or local authority inspector, or an insurer, will ask to see, separate from your LOLER report.