PUWER Explained: The Work Equipment Regulations
PUWER is the general duty that sits underneath almost every piece of plant in a building. Where LOLER covers lifting specifically, PUWER covers work equipment broadly — and it applies to far more of an estate than most teams assume. This guide explains what it requires and where it overlaps with the regimes you already run.
In short
PUWER is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It requires that equipment provided for use at work is suitable for its purpose, kept in good repair, inspected where safety depends on installation or condition, and used only by people who have been adequately trained and informed.
What counts as work equipment
The definition is deliberately wide: any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool, or installation used at work. In a building services context that captures plant most people would expect — air handling units, pumps, compressors, generators, workshop machinery — and a great deal that people do not, including access equipment, powered doors and gates, and the hand tools an in-house team uses.
The practical consequence is that PUWER is rarely the reason a specific inspection happens, but it is frequently the reason one is required. Where no more specific regime applies, PUWER is the fallback duty, and 'no specific regulation covers it' is not a defence for equipment that is unsuitable, unmaintained, or operated by untrained people.
- Machinery, appliances, apparatus, tools, and installations used at work
- Includes plant, access equipment, powered doors and gates, and hand tools
- Applies whether the equipment is owned, leased, or provided by a contractor
- Acts as the fallback duty where no more specific regime applies
The four core duties
PUWER breaks down into a small number of practical obligations. Equipment must be suitable for the work and the conditions it is used in — the right machine for the job, in an environment it can tolerate. It must be maintained in efficient working order and good repair, with a maintenance log where one is appropriate. It must be inspected where its safety depends on installation conditions or where it is exposed to conditions causing deterioration. And it must only be used by people who have had adequate training, information, and instruction.
Those duties sit on top of specific protections around dangerous parts, controls, isolation, stability, lighting, and warnings. For an FM team the practical reading is that PUWER is what turns a maintenance regime from good practice into a legal expectation, and what makes the maintenance record itself matter — the duty is not just to maintain but to be able to show it.
- Suitable for the work and the environment it is used in
- Maintained in efficient working order and good repair
- Inspected where safety depends on installation or condition
- Used only by trained, informed, and instructed people
PUWER, LOLER, and PSSR together
These three regimes overlap deliberately rather than competing. PUWER is the general duty covering all work equipment. LOLER adds specific requirements for lifting equipment on top of PUWER — a passenger lift is subject to both, with LOLER supplying the thorough examination regime. PSSR adds specific requirements for pressure systems, again on top of PUWER, supplying the written scheme of examination.
The test to apply is: what is the equipment doing? If it lifts, LOLER also applies. If it contains a relevant fluid under pressure, PSSR also applies. If neither, PUWER alone governs — which still means suitable, maintained, inspected, and operated by trained people. Getting this mapping right across an asset register is what stops equipment falling between regimes, which is the usual way a gap appears in a compliance schedule.
Related topics
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Free tools for this
Related inspection checklists
Further reading
Compliance & CAFM
Keep every statutory duty on one register
PM Assist sets up the compliance register for each building from its property type, then plans the maintenance and inspections that keep it current.
- Each duty sits on the compliance register, showing when it was last done, when it is next due and the certificate behind it.
- Duties with no record held are listed as gaps, so nothing is missed just because nobody logged it.
- AI reads your certificates and proposes the dates and remedial actions; a person checks them against the source document before they count.
Sources
The regulatory positions on this page come from the following primary sources. Where guidance and legislation differ, the legislation governs — always confirm the requirements that apply to your own site and jurisdiction.
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 — legislation.gov.uk
- PUWER: using work equipment safely — Health and Safety Executive
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between PUWER and LOLER?
Does PUWER require a formal inspection?
Does PUWER apply to contractor equipment on my site?
What records does PUWER expect?
Make maintenance evidence retrievable
PUWER duties are only as good as the records behind them. Keep manuals, maintenance logs, and inspection records searchable so evidence is a question away.
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