PUWER Racking Inspection — Your Legal Obligations Explained

Pallet racking is classified as "work equipment" under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). That puts every UK employer with racking under a clear legal duty: have it inspected at suitable intervals by a competent person and keep written records. Rackstor UK Ltd delivers SEMA-aligned PUWER racking inspections nationwide.

PUWER 1998 and Pallet Racking as Work Equipment

PUWER 1998 defines "work equipment" extremely broadly — any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation used at work. HSE has confirmed in HSG76 and in published enforcement guidance that pallet racking falls squarely within scope. That means every duty PUWER places on work equipment applies to your racking: suitability, maintenance, inspection, information and training, and protection against specific hazards.

What PUWER Requires for Racking

• Regulation 4 — equipment must be suitable for its intended use and the conditions of use
• Regulation 5 — equipment must be maintained in efficient working order and good repair
• Regulation 6 — equipment must be inspected at suitable intervals by a competent person, and the inspection recorded
• Regulation 8 & 9 — operatives must have adequate information, instruction and training
• The inspection record must be kept available for HSE inspectors and insurers

Consequences of Non-Compliance

PUWER breaches are enforced by HSE under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Penalties following an incident range from improvement notices and prohibition notices through to unlimited fines and, where there has been a fatality, custodial sentences. Insurers routinely refuse claims where a current PUWER racking inspection record cannot be produced. A documented, in-date SEMA approved inspection report is the cheapest and clearest way to evidence compliance with PUWER Regulation 6 for racking.

How a PUWER Racking Inspection Differs from a General Inspection

A "general" or in-house visual inspection is what a trained PRRS (Person Responsible for Racking Safety) carries out weekly under SEMA guidance. It is essential but it does not on its own discharge PUWER Regulation 6. PUWER requires inspection by a competent person at suitable intervals — the racking industry standard for "competent person" is a SARI accredited SEMA inspector, and "suitable interval" is at least once every 12 months. Only an expert SEMA inspection produces the formal, signed, written record PUWER demands.

HSG76 — HSE Guidance on Warehousing

HSG76 ("Warehousing and storage: A guide to health and safety") is HSE's headline guidance for warehouse operators. It explicitly references the SEMA Code of Practice and confirms that expert racking inspections by a technically competent person should be carried out at least every 12 months. Following HSG76 is the most direct way to satisfy HSE that PUWER duties have been met.