Work Equipment ACoPs

Following the HSE review of ACoPs, prompted by the Löfstedt review of health and safety regulation (see page 19), Safe use of work equipment Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Approved Code of Practice and guidance, was revised and reissued in November 2014. It can be downloaded from the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l22.pdf.

Material supporting Regulation 6, which deals with inspection, clarifies that inspection requirements for work equipment used for work at height are provided by Regulation 12 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR), rather than Regulation 6 of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). In addition, the material supporting Regulation 9, which deals with training, was reviewed to provide further advice on refresher training for chainsaw operators, and the material supporting Regulation 7, dealing with specific risks, was also clarified and updated.

The scope of the ACoP, Safe use of power presses Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (as applied to power presses), Approved Code of Practice and guidance (L112) (www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l112.pdf), was reviewed to remove anomalies and ambiguity, particularly in the types of machine included and the materials being used.

The ACoP, Safe use of woodworking machinery Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (as applied to woodworking machinery), Approved Code of Practice and guidance (L114) (www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l114.pdf), was also amended and reissued.

Advice on common issues, for example, on young people, temporary workers and migrant workers and guidance in relation to information, instruction, training and worker consultation and representation requirements, was rationalised across all three ACoPs and references to other relevant legislation and guidance was updated.