Deadline December 5th 2002

All mobile plant equipment such as fork lift trucks, dumpers and tractors which have been provided for use before 5th December 1998 must have been brought into compliance with part 111 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98) by 5th December 2002.

In real terms this has a major impact on Employers, the self employed or anyone in control 'to any extent' of mobile work equipment. It means that all relevant parties must ensure that their equipment is safe to use by preventing or controlling risks. This is not a completely new concept as the requirement of the regulations has been in effect for new equipment since the 5th December 1998.

The are many risks involved in the use of mobile work equipment. But some of the most common risks are, being struck by the vehicle, the equipment tipping or rolling over, the operator of the equipment falling from the vehicle, the operator being  struck by falling objects, unauthorised operation and use of the vehicle by untrained persons, braking systems not being maintained to correct and safe standards and bad or restricted driver visibility.

PUWER 98 addresses these risks in part 111 by insisting that employers now take adequate measures to ensure that all work equipment in particular plant equipment is safe to use. There are many ways in which this can be achieved but one of the main areas to be addressed is:

The fitting of restraining systems (seat belts, lap belts, etc)

PUWER 98 states under regulation 27 the requirement for 'provision of restraining systems to prevent crushing of the operator between the truck and the ground where there is a foreseeable risk of overturning' Due to the nature of a lift truck, all situations during use could constitute a risk of overturning therefore all Forklift trucks must be fitted with restraining devices of some kind by 5th December 2002 (further information on Fitting and use of restraining systems on lift trucks can be obtained  by calling Us on 01536 517889 or in the HSE information sheet MISC241)

It is a fact that unsafe work equipment is a major factor in a very large percentage of deaths and injuries every year. The statistics for 2001 alone show that three people were killed and 67 were seriously injured when they were struck by Industrial Lift Trucks. The changes in the regulations are evidence of the commitment of the Health and Safety Executive, to address this worryingly high amount of  incident and injury