PUWER 1998: What It Means for Plant and Work Equipment
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) place duties on employers, the self-employed and anyone who controls the use of work equipment — including virtually all mobile plant, lifting attachments, and powered machinery used on construction sites, farms, quarries and yards across Aberdeenshire. PUWER's core idea is simple: equipment must be suitable for the job, properly maintained, inspected where necessary, and used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training. It sits alongside LOLER (which covers lifting equipment specifically) and works hand-in-hand with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which sets the general duty of care that PUWER makes specific for equipment.
What it requires
- Equipment must be suitable for the purpose and conditions in which it's used (Regulation 4)
- Equipment must be maintained in an efficient state, working order and good repair, with maintenance logs kept where appropriate (Regulation 5)
- Equipment exposed to conditions causing deterioration must be inspected at suitable intervals (Regulation 6)
- Specific risks must be controlled by restricting use to designated, competent people (Regulation 8/9)
- Operators must receive adequate training, information and instruction, including on foreseeable abnormal situations (Regulation 9)
- Controls, stability, stop functions, guarding and warnings must meet specified standards (Regulations 11-24)
Who it applies to
PUWER applies to virtually every employer and self-employed person providing or controlling work equipment for others to use — from a farm supplying a telehandler to a contract driver, to a principal contractor providing excavators to subcontractors on a housebuilding site. It covers owned, hired and borrowed equipment alike; the duty follows whoever controls its use, not just who owns it.
Duties touching plant training & competence
- Operators of forklifts, telehandlers, excavators, MEWPs and other mobile plant must be trained to a standard appropriate to the specific machine and attachment before unsupervised use
- Training must cover foreseeable abnormal or emergency situations, not just routine operation
- New or transferring operators (different machine, different site conditions) need training refreshed for that specific context, even if previously ticketed on a similar category
- Supervisors need enough understanding of PUWER to recognise unsuitable equipment or untrained use and to intervene
What inspectors & client auditors look for
- Whether operators hold evidence of training specific to the machine category and attachment in use
- Maintenance and pre-use inspection records for plant on-site
- Whether machines have appropriate guarding, warning devices and functioning controls
- Whether untrained or unsupervised staff have access to controls or keys for plant they're not competent to operate
Courses that map to PUWER 1998
FAQs
Does PUWER apply to hired plant?
Yes. The duty follows whoever controls the equipment's use on-site, so a company hiring in a telehandler still has PUWER duties around suitability, maintenance checks and operator competence, even though they don't own the machine.
How is PUWER different from LOLER?
PUWER covers work equipment generally; LOLER 1998 is a more specific set of duties for lifting equipment and lifting accessories, including thorough examination requirements that go beyond PUWER's general maintenance duty.
What counts as 'adequate training' under PUWER?
Training proportionate to the equipment's risk and the operator's role — for most mobile plant this means a recognised accredited course (CPCS, NPORS or equivalent) covering the specific machine category, plus site-specific induction.
Can an experienced operator skip formal training under PUWER?
Experience alone doesn't satisfy the regulation — PUWER expects demonstrable, adequate training and instruction, which in practice means a formal assessment even for long-serving operators moving to a new machine type.
This page provides general guidance for site managers and duty holders and does not constitute legal advice. Always refer to the current legislation, associated Approved Codes of Practice and HSE guidance, or seek professional legal advice for your specific circumstances.
Need training that maps to PUWER 1998?
Call Chris directly or request a quote — most bookings across Aberdeenshire mobilise inside a week.