Garage Equipment Compliance
Understanding LOLER, PSSR, and PUWER in the Motor Trade
In the fast-paced world of the motor trade industry, compliance with LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), PSSR (Pressure Systems Safety Regulations), and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) is paramount. As a garage owner or supplier of garage equipment, ensuring the safety and functionality of your equipment is not only crucial for employee safety but these regulations place legal duties on you and your company. Much like an MOT, lifting and pressure plant in the workplace require periodic safety testing and certification. In this blog, we will explain the what, why and when of these regulations. LiftTech Inspection Services Ltd is here to guide you through the complexities of compliance while offering impartial inspection services tailored to your needs.
LOLER Compliance
LOLER regulations require regular thorough examinations of lifting equipment such as vehicle lifts (ramps), jacks and lifting equipment by an impartial Competent Person. This is someone with appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to make informed decisions about condition of equipment. Testing should not be carried out by the same person performing installation, maintenance or servicing as they are in effect marking their own homework. Testing must also be ‘free from fear or favour’ so instructing a specialist third-party inspection company is the guarantee of an impartial examination.
Jacks and engine cranes require inspection every 12 months. On the other hand, due to the risk of working beneath a suspended load, vehicle lifts (1 post, 2 post, 4 post, scissor etc) require a LOLER test every 6 months. When a vehicle lift is installed, or moved location, BS7980 states that it should undergo a proof load test and initial LOLER Thorough Examination to prove assembly and floor fixings. This is seldom carried out.
It is really important to note that under LOLER Reg 9 (2) (a) & (b), ‘Every employer shall ensure that, where the safety of the lifting equipment depends on the installation conditions, it is Thoroughly Examined’. That means if the installation paperwork does not include a LOLER report of Thorough Examination and a proof load test certificate, you are not compliant and at risk even if the commissioning paperwork says, ‘installed in accordance with BS7980’.
Typical Lifting Equipment and inspection intervals
Vehicle Lifts - 6 monthly
Scissor Lifts - 6 monthly
Chain Slings/Shackles/Strops - 6 monthly
Motorbike Lifts - 12 monthly
Jib Cranes/Engine Cranes - 12 monthly
Beam Jacks - 12 monthly
Trolley Jacks - 12 monthly
Transmission Jacks - 12 monthly
Bottle Jacks / pneumatic air jacks - 12 monthly
HGV/Agricultural Wheel Lifters - 12 monthly
Vehicle Transporters - 12 monthly
Tilt and Slide Flatbeds - 12 monthly
Spectacle Lifts - 12 monthly
Winches - 12 monthly
PSSR Compliance
Pressure systems, including air receivers, compressor pressure vessels and some tyre cheetahs, fall under the scope of PSSR regulations. These regulations mandate that pressure systems undergo regular thorough examinations and testing of protective devices to ensure they are safe to operate. Most pressure vessels need a 12 monthly working inspection and a bi-annual Thorough Examination where the internal condition is checked, NDT ultrasonic thickness measurements are taken and protective devices are tested.
It is again important to note that each pressure system requires a Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) documenting and certifying by a competent person PRIOR TO FIRST USE. This document lays out which items are in the system, how each vessel is protected and how/when they are to be examined. No pressure system should be operated without the employer possessing a WSE and this is one of the first things that the Health and Safety Executive ask to see when they visit.
Typical plant
Air Receivers / Compressors
Air/Oil Receivers
Safety Valves
Pressure Gauges
Tyre bead seaters / cheetahs / cheaters
Pressure vessels /buffer vessels on tyre changing equipment
PUWER Compliance
PUWER regulations apply to all work equipment used in garage and body shop environments and requires equipment to be safe for use, properly maintained, and used only by trained personnel. Regular inspection of equipment is essential to meet your PUWER Regulation 5 obligations to ensure items are safe/fit for purpose and in a good state of repair. To discover if items are in a good state of repair, regular documented inspections must be carried out under Regulation 6. Where items pose specific risks, it is prudent to have these inspections carried out by expert impartial engineers.
Typical equipment
Axle Stands / Trestles
Engine Stands
Hydraulic Presses
Mechanical Spring Compressors
Machinery Guarding
At LiftTech Inspection Services Ltd, we understand the importance of compliance in the motor industry. We also understand how busy you are and how compliance inspection should minimise disruption to your workload. We offer full guidance on how to meet your legal obligations to protect your staff and your business and book inspections at times that suit your diary, not ours. We can certify all lifting AND pressure equipment meaning you don’t have to find multiple companies with only one specialist area. You will receive same-day electronic reports, with images, available via our client portal and we will contact you well in advance of report expiry to arrange the next visit.
LiftTech Inspection Services Ltd are the perfect alternative to expensive national insurance company offerings. Remember, you can instruct any third-party to carry out your compliance testing, it does not have to be who your Insurance company suggest.
If you are a garage equipment sales or service agent, see here how a synergy with LiftTech Inspection Services Ltd can create a new revenue stream by offering compliance testing to your existing client portfolios in a robust and compliant manner through total impartiality. We are successfully delivering this service for multiple service companies at present and receive brilliant feedback from them and their clients about how agile and efficient we are.
Contact LiftTech Inspection Services Ltd today to learn more about how we can help you achieve compliance and peace of mind in the motor trade industry.