![\"puwer\"](\"http:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/puwer-300x124.jpg\")
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (or “PUWER” for short) was brought in to ensure that all equipment used in most work environments meets a minimum standard of safety. It also requires that the equipment is safely maintained by employers.<\/p>\n
What falls within PUWER?<\/strong><\/p>\n PUWER has a very wide remit and includes employers which provide equipment for their employees to carry out their work. It includes local councils, businesses and charities. The equipment which falls within the remit is similarly wide in scope. It includes any machinery, appliance, apparatus, or a combination of components which form a common end but work as one. This is an extremely wide list of employers and equipment but it is necessary keep the employers providing equipment in its remit. If it breaks and injures you, who is at fault?<\/strong><\/p>\n There is a something which, in legal terms, is called \u201cstrict liability\u201d. In the instance of PUWER this means that the employer can be liable for the injury which their employees have sustained from the equipment without the incident actually being their fault. If for example there was nothing that the employer could have done to have prevented the equipment breaking and injures someone, they can still be held liable.<\/p>\n This is important as it puts an important responsibility on the employer to ensure that the work equipment is maintained correctly. It also provides employees with a safety net so that they can feel safe in the knowledge that the machinery should be maintained to a high standard and, if not, they can be compensated if they are injured.<\/p>\n Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n