Free · Validity guide · Great Britain
How often does PUWER require equipment to be inspected?
At suitable intervals
PUWER regulation 6 sets no fixed period. Equipment whose safety depends on installation must be inspected after installation, and equipment exposed to conditions that can cause dangerous deterioration must be inspected at suitable intervals set by risk, with every result recorded until the next inspection.
Work out your PUWER inspection expiry date
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The law requires suitable intervals but does not set them. Base them on the manufacturer’s instructions, how hard the equipment is used and your risk assessment. 12 months is only a placeholder.
Enter a date to see when it expires, how many days are left, when to book the renewal, and to add reminders to your calendar.
Who needs a PUWER inspection
Employers who provide work equipment, from machine tools and woodworking machinery to ladders, power tools and vehicles used at work. Lifting equipment is examined under LOLER instead, and some construction and work-at-height equipment under its own regulations.
What happens if it expires
- There is no expiry date, but if an inspection falls behind the interval you set, you cannot show the equipment was kept safe.
- Equipment leaving your business, or brought in from another, must come with physical evidence that the last required inspection was done.
How to renew
Decide which equipment needs inspecting
Anything whose safety depends on installation or that can deteriorate dangerously.
Set an interval per item
Use the manufacturer’s instructions and your risk assessment.
Use a competent person
Someone with the knowledge and experience to spot defects on that equipment.
Record the result
Keep each inspection record until the next one is recorded.
When to book
2
weeks
Two weeks’ notice is usually enough for in-house inspections. This is our suggestion.
A simple reminder plan: 30 days, 14 days, 7 days before the expiry date. The calculator above puts these in your calendar.
Evidence to keep
- Inspection records per item, kept until the next is recorded.
- The reason for each interval.
- Evidence of inspection travelling with hired or loaned equipment.
Common mistakes
- Assuming PUWER needs an annual certificate for everything.
- No written reason for the interval chosen.
- Treating lifting equipment under PUWER instead of LOLER.
For teams and managers
Inspection intervals for hundreds of items?
Give each item its own interval and owner in ExpiryEdge. Inspectors complete a checklist with photo and signature, and the next due date rolls forward automatically.
See plant and equipment inspection trackingExpiryEdge · Tracked item
Pillar drill · Workshop B
ValidOwner
Maintenance supervisor
Expires
1 year after issue
Reminders before expiry
30d
14d
7d
Due
PUWER inspection questions, answered
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They require work equipment to be suitable, maintained and, where needed, inspected.
At suitable intervals set by the employer, based on risk, the manufacturer’s instructions and how the equipment is used. The law does not set a fixed period.
PUWER covers all work equipment and requires inspection at suitable intervals. LOLER covers lifting equipment and sets maximum intervals for thorough examination: 6 or 12 months.
Sources
Every rule on this page comes from these official sources.
1.
PUWER 1998 regulation 6: inspectionlegislation.gov.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
2.
Maintenance of work equipmentHSE · hse.gov.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
Guidance, not legal advice. This covers Great Britain and reflects the sources as checked on 25 Oct 2026. Check the official source or take professional advice for your situation.