Your legal obligations

All employers have a general duty of care to ensure that work equipment and systems are safe, under the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974. There are more specific requirements under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

Examples of equipment covered by these sets of regulations include:

• Passenger lifts
• Escalators
• Scissor lifts
• Lift trucks
• Cranes
• Lifting tackle (ropes, chains, slings)Four-post vehicle lifts etc
• Air receivers/compressors
• Power presses

In addition to plant that requires a statutory examination, you have a legal duty to arrange inspection and maintenance of ALL items of plant and equipment. This extends to items such as ladders and other access equipment, storage facilities, powered and non-powered hand tools etc.

You may have a service contract in place for your plant and equipment, or perhaps there is an in-house maintenance team. However, for the purposes of the relevant legislation, routine servicing does not replace the need for statutory examination.

In summary, all work equipment must be suitable for purpose, regularly maintained and inspected and, where applicable, subject to statutory examination. Contact Inspection Services UK Limited to ensure that you stay the right side of the law!