Work equipment policy

1 Introduction

Equipment used at work for a variety of purposes can pose a number of risks to both users of the equipment and to others in the vicinity of work being carried out. The Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 was introduced to reduce and control the risks to health and safety from work equipment. The regulations cover the operation of work equipment including starting and stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing and cleaning work equipment.

Although PUWER applies to all lifting equipment, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) provide more detailed information about the specific hazards and risks associated with lifting equipment and lifting operations.

PUWER requires that work equipment provided for use at work is:

suitable for its intended use
safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and inspected to ensure it is correctly installed and does not subsequently deteriorate
used only by staff who have received adequate information, instruction and training
where appropriate, accompanied by suitable and sufficient health and safety measures, such as protective devices and controls. These may include emergency stop devices, adequate means of isolation from sources of energy, clearly visible signage and markings and warning devices
used in accordance with other specific regulations and requirements, such as mobile work equipment and power presses

1.1 Definitions

Work equipment is all equipment used for work purposes ranging from hand tools, such as hammers, chisels and screwdrivers to more complex items of mechanised and or powered machinery.

Lifting equipment is work equipment used for the lifting or lowering of loads. It includes attachments used for supporting, anchoring or fixing loads. Examples include passenger and goods lifts, vehicle tail lifts and hoists and slings for lifting people.

Lifting accessory is work equipment used for attaching loads to lifting equipment such as ropes or hooks.

UKCA (UK conformity assessment) conformity is a new UK product marking that is used for goods placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales. It covers products that previously had the CE (Conformité Européenne) mark and demonstrates conformity with UK standards.

2 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that work equipment is provided, maintained and used safely in accordance with PUWER, LOLER and any other applicable regulations and codes of practice in order to minimise the risks to health and safety of staff, patients, service users, visitors and others.

3 Scope

This policy applies to all staff employed by the trust, to volunteers and to others in the trust who use work equipment, irrespective of whether the equipment is used in premises which are managed, owned or leased by the trust or owned by third parties. The policy also covers lifting equipment including hoists, passenger and goods lifts and mobile elevated work platforms, although lifting equipment must also meet the requirements of LOLER.

The PUWER regulations also apply any trust employees who bring work equipment from home or other areas for use at the trust. In this case the employee has a duty to inform the trust that they are using the equipment at work and the trust has a duty to make sure the work equipment in question complies with the regulations.

Some work equipment is subject to other health and safety legislation in addition to PUWER, for example, pressure equipment must meet the requirements of the pressure systems safety regulations (PSSR) and personal protective equipment must meet the requirements of the personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations. Therefore, some of the precautions associated with these other policies overlap with this policy.

Although patient hoists and slings are classed as medical devices when they are used at work, LOLER still applies to the testing, maintenance and storage of this equipment. Details about the use of patient hoists and slings is given in the trust’s hoist and sling for safer patient use policy. Where equipment is classed as a medical device reference should be made to the medical devices management policy.

Manual lifting, using only bodily force, is not covered by this policy. This can be found in the trust’s safer manual handling operations policy.

4 Responsibilities, accountabilities and duties

4.1 The chief executive

The chief executive has specific accountability to ensure that responsibilities for health and safety are effectively assigned, accepted and managed at all levels in the trust consistent with good practice. In practice the chief executive will discharge these responsibilities by delegation to executive directors and then through the line management structure.

4.2 Directors and senior managers

Directors and senior managers are responsible for ensuring that this policy is complied with and that any other managers and staff who are involved in obtaining, using or maintaining work equipment are made aware of the requirements of the policy, in particular the duties set out in section 5. They should ensure that equipment is safe and suitable for its proposed purpose before authorising its purchase.

4.3 Health and safety lead

Duties of the health and safety lead include, but are not limited to:

providing guidance and advice where required
developing policy for the trust
following up any related incidents and making appropriate recommendations
ensuring that any issues relating to work equipment arising from health and safety audits and inspections are highlighted to the relevant manager

4.4 Head of estates and facilities

The head of estates and facilities is responsible for ensuring that lifts in trust-owned premises and mobile elevated work platforms owned, operated by or under the control of the trust are serviced and inspected in line with the requirements of the legislation.

4.5 Purchasing department

The purchasing department is responsible for purchasing equipment. They should ensure that equipment is purchased from a reliable supplier and has been through an appropriate and robust approval process in terms of its suitability.

4.6 Staff who use work equipment

Staff who use work equipment must use it in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer and must:

not operate equipment without first undergoing suitable training in its use
visually check the equipment for any faults or defects before using it
report any defects or malfunctions without delay
take any damaged or unsafe equipment out of use and label it to ensure that it is not reused
report any incidents or near misses through completion of the trust incident form (IR1)
not use equipment for any other purpose than that for which it is intended to be used, including not lifting heavier loads than indicated by the safe working limit (SWL) indicated on the equipment

4.7 Staff who maintain work equipment

Staff who maintain work equipment have a responsibility to follow manufacturers maintenance procedures and schedules and to keep a suitable record of tests and any re-calibration. Staff should be suitably trained and competent to carry out equipment maintenance.

4.8 Contractors

The trust requires that all contractors working for the trust should not pose a health and safety risk to staff or others on trust sites. This includes ensuring that unsafe work equipment is not used and using work equipment in a safe manner. Details of the requirements are provided to contractors before coming onto trust sites and in the trust’s management and control of contractors policy.

5 Procedure or implementation

5.1 Equipment selection and suitability

Managers who are responsible for obtaining work equipment must consult with staff who will use the equipment. Work equipment and lifting equipment should not be purchased until the manager has:

carried out a risk assessment to determine the suitability of equipment. This should consider what the equipment will be used for, where it will be used, who will use it and how often as well as any additional risks the equipment may cause in the workplace, either when in use or when undergoing maintenance. For example, create noise or vibration
considered any ergonomic risks, such as operating position and reach distances
sought advice around suitable manufacturers and suppliers. All equipment purchased should be legally compliant. Compliant equipment will be marked with the UKCA conformity marking (following exit from the European Union in December 2020) or CE marking (until 31^st December 2021)
considered servicing and maintenance costs and training requirements

To obtain expert advice, consultation with specialist advisors may be required. These include the medical director, trust health and safety lead, manual handling advisor, fire safety advisor or external experts.

5.2 Receipt of new equipment

Checks should be carried out when equipment is first delivered to ensure that the equipment:

is complete and in good condition without visible defects
is in full working order
is marked with a UKCA conformity or CE conformity mark
is supplied with a declaration of conformity and user instructions in English

If equipment needs to be installed in a location, this should be done by a qualified and competent person and safety checks carried out before first use. It should be installed in a location where there is a suitable lighting level to be able to easily see any instruments needed to operate the equipment and to stop it in an emergency.

5.3 Maintenance and storage of equipment

Managers responsible for work equipment must ensure that the equipment is maintained in good condition and in efficient working order and repair, so that it is safe to use. Maintenance should be carried out in line with manufacturer’s recommendations. Under LOLER, all lifting equipment and accessories must undergo thorough examination:

at least every six months if it is used for lifting people, for example, passenger lifts or hoists
at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment
if the equipment has been used in exceptional circumstances that may compromise the safety of the equipment, for example, used in high winds or damaged whilst in use

The frequency of maintenance may need to be increased if the equipment is used intensively and often or in work environments where it is likely to deteriorate more quickly. For example, if regularly used outside or in dirty environments. For lifting equipment this may mean that inspections are required between the thorough examinations.

Where work equipment has been provided with a log book, this should be used and kept up to date. In order to do this effectively, work equipment should be given a unique identification number that can be specifically quoted during the recording of maintenance.

Maintenance includes ensuring that moving parts are kept free of contamination and may include cleaning equipment so that it continues to work properly. This should only be done by following manufacturer’s guidance. Where equipment is used for patients (generally classed as medical equipment) cleaning is required to reduce the risk of patient infection.

Reference should be made to trust’s infection prevention and control manual.

Where equipment is hired the terms of agreement between the hirer and the hiring company should make it clear who is responsible for equipment maintenance and checks.

Equipment should be stored in such a way as to avoid deterioration when it is not in use. This includes not storing items where they may suffer damage from moving equipment or vehicles or be exposed to extremes of temperature or humidity. In the case of lifting equipment

5.4 Training and information

Managers must ensure that all persons who use any work equipment are provided with suitable and sufficient health and safety information including, where appropriate, written instructions for use of the equipment. Managers also need to take into account supervision of any person using work equipment and ensure that they are provided with suitable and sufficient information which should include any foreseeable abnormal situations which may occur. The information should be comprehensible to all users, giving special consideration to staff with language difficulties or disabilities.

If any equipment poses an inherent risk, suitable signage indicating the risk must be installed on and around the equipment. For example, if equipment is noisy enough to pose a risk to hearing, warning signs and an indication of the need for hearing protection to be worn should be displayed outside of the area.

Staff who use work equipment must have received adequate training in safe use of the equipment. Additional training will be needed if new equipment is introduced or new risks are introduced because of a change in working tasks.

5.5 Safe use of lifting equipment

Sections 5.1 to 5.4 also apply to the selection and maintenance of lifting equipment.

Where people are present when a lifting operation is carried out there must be arrangements in place to protect people from falling items and to prevent people from falling from height. A risk assessment should be carried out and adequate precautions put in place. These will include, but are not limited to:

ensuring that all lifting operations are planned by a competent person, supervised and carried out safely
assessing the weight and size of the load
selecting the correct lifting equipment for the operation with sufficient weight capacity for the load and any packing or lifting accessories contained in the load
preventing loose loads from breaking apart by securing them, for example, secure with plastic sheeting or straps
checking that the ground where the lifting operation will be carried out will bear the weight of the load and lifting equipment
avoiding overhead cabling or power lines
ensuring sufficient clearance around buildings
ensuring that the area beneath the lift is cordoned off to prevent unauthorised people walking beneath the lifted load
where persons will be lifted to carry out work, for example when using an elevated platform, there must be edge protection, including toe board, guard rail and mid rail. Where there is a gate or barrier this must open inwards

6 Training implications

Managers will ensure that training is given to all persons who are involved with or use work equipment. The training needs to include any specific health and safety risks which may arise during use, adjustments or servicing. In cases where training is a simple demonstration, managers must obtain a dated certificate for all staff attending from the supplier or manufacturer. If the demonstration is given by in-house staff it should be formally recorded.

7 Monitoring arrangements

7.1 Maintenance of equipment, log books and record keeping

How: Audit of records, check that audit has taken place.
Who: Manager and Health and Safety Inspection team.
Reported to: Care group quality meetings building manager.
Frequency: Annually.

7.2 Safety of lifts

How: Review of records, inspection of equipment
equipment servicing.
Who: External company.
Reported to: Health and safety forum (annual CHAS accreditation), contract manager and, estates manager
Frequency: Annually, 4 times a year.

7.3 Equipment safety and safe operation

How: Review of relevant incidents.
Who: Health and Safety team.
Reported to: Health and safety forum
Frequency: Annually, 4 times a year.

8 Equality impact assessment screening

To access the equality impact assessment for this policy, please email rdash.equalityanddiversity@nhs.net to request the document.

8.1 Privacy, Dignity and Respect

The NHS Constitution states that all patients should feel that their privacy and dignity are respected while they are in hospital. High Quality Care for All (2008), Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS, identifies the need to organise care around the individual, ‘not just clinically but in terms of dignity and respect’.

As a consequence the trust is required to articulate its intent to deliver care with privacy and dignity that treats all service users with respect. Therefore, all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant, to reflect the requirement to treat everyone with privacy, dignity and respect, (when appropriate this should also include how same sex accommodation is provided).

8.1.1 How this will be met

There are no additional requirements in relation to privacy, dignity and respect.

8.2 Mental Capacity Act 2005

Central to any aspect of care delivered to adults and young people aged 16 years or over will be the consideration of the individuals capacity to participate in the decision making process. Consequently, no intervention should be carried out without either the individual’s informed consent, or the powers included in a legal framework, or by order of the court.

Therefore, the trust is required to make sure that all staff working with individuals who use our service are familiar with the provisions within the Mental Capacity Act(2005). For this reason all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant to reflect the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) to ensure that the rights of individual are protected and they are supported to make their own decisions where possible and that any decisions made on their behalf when they lack capacity are made in their best interests and least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.

8.2.1 How this will be met

All individuals involved in the implementation of this policy should do so in accordance with the guiding principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (section 1).

9 Links to any associated documents

This policy should be read and implemented in association with the following Trust policies:

10 References

Document control

Version: 5.
Approved by: Corporate policy approval group.
Date approved: 21 January 2021.
Name of originator or author: Health and safety lead.
Name of responsible individual: Health, safety and security forum and executive director of nursing and allied health professions or deputy CEO.
Unique reference number: 232.
Date issued: 8 February 2021.
Review date: January 2024.
Target audience: All staff.

Page last reviewed: April 30, 2024
Next review due: April 30, 2025

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