PUWER stands for the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. These UK regulations require risks to people’s health and safety, from equipment they use at work, to be prevented and controlled. They require that equipment for use at work be:

Suitable for the intended use;
Safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and, in certain circumstances, inspected to ensure this remains the case;
Used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training;
Accompanied by suitable safety measures, e.g. protective devices, markings, warnings

PUWER came into force in the UK in 1992, with further changes made to the regulations in 1998.

LOLER - Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations 1998, extends the duties placed on employers for work equipment under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and must be read in conjunction with that Regulation. It applies to all lifting equipment designed to lift or lower loads, and includes its attachments for anchoring, fixing or supporting the load. “Load” can include a person, or persons.

Examples of Lifting Equipment and operations are:- Fork Lift Trucks, cranes, lifts & hoists,
chains, slings, hooks, shackles and eyebolts, passenger lifts, vacuum lifting crane, scissors lift,
vehicle inspection hoist, front-end loader on a tractor, loader crane on lorries, refuse vehicle
loading arm (skip loaders), vehicle recovery equipment and vehicle tail lifts.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 applies to all work at height where there is a risk of injury from falling. It also covers injuries from falling objects. There is not as yet any guidance on what constitutes ‘height’ but the regulation does apply at ground level and underground if a person could be injured falling from height. A fall from height can occur when a person is moving around a workplace and / or accessing a place of work at height but does not cover a fall down a flight of permanent stairs.  There is now no distinction between an accident that occurs at height in a workplace and one that occurs on a construction site. Both are covered by this regulation.