| Engineering inspections are vital to ensure the safety of plant, machinery and the people using it Regular inspections of certain items of equipment are also required under health and safety law. |
| Businesses have a duty to ensure that every item of equipment they are responsible for is in good condition – for the safety of employees, customers and members of the public. However, there are also specific statutory requirements for certain pieces of equipment, which often include an obligation to inspect them at defined intervals. Engineering inspections – the nuts and bolts Engineering inspections are essential for owners and duty holders to help ensure the safety of machinery, systems and those persons who interact with them, whether in an industrial, agricultural, construction, commercial, retail or even domestic environment. Items requiring inspection range from lifting equipment, such as lifts, cranes, fork lift trucks and lifting appliances, to pressure systems, for example heating boilers, coffee boilers, and air receivers, and other items such as extraction systems, power presses and electrical installations and equipment. Are regular engineering inspections necessary? First and foremost, many inspections are mandatory in order to comply with health and safety legislation. For example, LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) stipulate inspections usually as frequently as every six or 12 months. Around 99% of our inspections are statutory. They are the MOT for plant and machinery. The Impact of Fee for Intervention If serious defects are brought to the attention of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), organisations run the risk of costly fines. In addition, under the HSE’s Fee for Intervention (FFI) cost recovery scheme, any organisation found to be in material breach of health and safety law will be asked to pay for the time spent investigating the breach and taking enforcement action. FFI is charged on an hourly rate, which in April 2019, increased from £129 to £154. ‘Speak to us as early as possible’ Engineering inspections are crucial from a legal, safety and a financial perspective. For help, advice and a quotation for Engineering Inspection – contact Neil Willies Insurance Brokers Limited by calling Justin on 0800 542 0672 or email us at sales@neilwillies.co.uk. |