Under PUWER (Provision and
Use of Work Equipment Regulations), any piece of equipment being operated
within the work environment must be safe to use. It must also be kept in a safe
state through out its life.
As a minimum the equipment must be
regularly inspected. A PPM system will show that you are carrying out those
inspections and that you have a history of doing so. This information is paramount if
you unfortunately require a ‘due diligence’ defence at any time.
Having a PPM system will show that you
are maintaining your site in a professional manor. Being able to demonstrate your maintenance programmes is required by the
law, major retailers C.O.P.’s and the BRC.
It is well documented that regular
inspections and replacement of worn parts, following a planned programme or
predictive regime, gives a more dependable, reliable and safe plant.
A properly run and maintained
PPM system will prevent unexpected plant failure. The ability to plan for
downtime, allows the site to manage it staffing levels within a maintenance
window, saving on overheads.
Unexpected downtime is costly
both on overheads and your reputation with your customer’s.
