If you operate work equipment in the UK, three sets of regulations almost certainly apply to your business: LOLER 1998, PUWER 1998 and PSSR 2000. They overlap in places and people often confuse them, but each one targets a distinct risk and triggers a different inspection regime. This guide explains where the boundaries fall, with examples drawn from the kit we examine every week.
Quick summary
PUWER covers all work equipment — anything used at work, from bench drills to forklifts. LOLER covers the subset of work equipment used for lifting — cranes, hoists, slings, MEWPs. PSSR covers pressure systems — vessels, pipework, protective devices for steam, gas or fluids stored under pressure.
A single piece of equipment can be in scope of more than one regulation. A vacuum-lifting beam used to move steel sheets, for example, is work equipment (PUWER), is used for lifting (LOLER), and contains a pressure circuit (PSSR).
PUWER 1998 — the baseline for all work equipment
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 set the floor. They require employers to make sure work equipment is suitable for its intended use, maintained in safe working condition, used by trained operators, and inspected at suitable intervals to detect deterioration.
PUWER does not prescribe a fixed inspection interval. The duty holder must decide intervals based on a risk assessment — informed by manufacturer guidance, intensity of use, environment, and the consequences of failure. For most production machinery, an annual PUWER thorough examination is the practical default; high-risk or heavily-used equipment is examined more often.
- Bench drills, lathes, milling machines, presses
- Conveyors, mixers, packaging lines
- Hand tools, ladders, racking
- Vehicles used at work (with road-traffic exceptions)
LOLER 1998 — lifting equipment and lifting operations
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 sit on top of PUWER for any equipment used to lift loads — including the load-attaching accessories. Where PUWER asks 'is the machine safe?', LOLER asks 'is the lifting operation planned and supervised, and the equipment fit for that lift?'
LOLER prescribes statutory minimum inspection intervals. A thorough examination by a competent person is required:
- Every 6 months for equipment used to lift people (passenger lifts, MEWPs, cradles)
- Every 6 months for accessories (slings, chains, eyebolts)
- Every 12 months for other lifting equipment (overhead cranes, fork-lift trucks, vehicle lifts)
- After substantial repair or modification, and after exceptional events such as a shock loading
PSSR 2000 — pressure systems
The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 cover relevant fluids stored under pressure: steam, compressed air, gases, and any liquid that exceeds 0.5 bar above atmospheric. The headline duty is the Written Scheme of Examination — a documented engineering plan, certified by a competent person, that names which parts of the system must be examined and when.
Without a Written Scheme, the system cannot legally be operated. Once the Scheme is in place, examinations follow its prescribed intervals — often 14 months for a typical air receiver, but always engineered to the specific system. Our PSSR examinations include both Scheme drafting and recurring examination.
Worked examples
Forklift truck
A forklift is work equipment (PUWER), and is used to lift loads (LOLER). It needs a 12-monthly LOLER thorough examination. Its forks and any attached accessories are also LOLER scope. The truck's hydraulic circuit is generally below the PSSR threshold, so PSSR does not apply.
Compressed-air receiver feeding a workshop
The receiver is a pressure system: PSSR applies. A Written Scheme of Examination must name the vessel, the pipework, and the protective devices (safety valve, pressure switch). The compressor itself is PUWER scope and may be examined at the same time for convenience.
Vacuum lifter on a gantry crane
Three regimes: PUWER for the lifter as work equipment; LOLER for the lifting beam, the gantry crane, and any slings or hooks used; PSSR for the vacuum generator if it operates above the pressure threshold. All three sets of records need to align.
Frequency at a glance
- PUWER — risk-based interval, typically 12 months for production machinery
- LOLER — 6 months for people-lifting and accessories; 12 months for other lifting equipment
- PSSR — interval is set by the Written Scheme; commonly 14 to 26 months for air receivers, shorter for steam
Where competent-person examinations fit in
All three regimes require the examiner to be a 'competent person' — someone with appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge of the equipment, free from operational pressure to overlook defects. In practice, this is an external statutory inspection engineer. We carry the certifications, the indemnity cover, and the independence the regulations expect, and our reports are accepted by the HSE and major insurers.