Equipment inspection log

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• The law expects your kit to be safe and maintained. Under the work equipment rules, anything you provide for work must be suitable, kept in good repair, and safe to use. Regular checks — and a record of them — are how you show you're on top of it. Your health and safety policy promises this; the log proves it.
• Follow the maker's instructions. The manufacturer's guidance is your starting point for how often to check and service something. Keep to it, and note it here.
• Some things need a proper, competent inspection — not just a look. Certain equipment must be formally examined by someone competent at set intervals: lifting equipment, pressure systems, and gas appliances (Gas Safe registered) are the big ones. Portable electrical items are usually checked/tested on a risk-based schedule (often called PAT). Ladders need a quick check before each use and a more thorough periodic inspection. Book these in and file the certificates with this log.
• A pre-use glance counts too. Not every check is a formal one. Encourage staff to give tools, ladders and machines a quick once-over before using them, and to flag anything that looks wrong.
• Take faulty kit out of use — visibly. If something's not safe, don't just make a note to fix it later — stop it being used. Unplug it, tag it "do not use", or lock it away, so nobody grabs it by mistake.
• Keep the records. A run of dated checks is exactly what an insurer or inspector wants to see, and it helps you spot the thing that keeps needing repair (which is usually cheaper to replace).
• Across the UK. The duty to maintain safe work equipment applies throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the same competent-inspection expectations for the higher-risk items.