This policy procedure sets out how work equipment is provided, checked before use, maintained and inspected, and what employees must and must not do when using it.

Effective Policy Templates

This policy template is supplied in fully editable MS Word format and can be easily customised and edited. The document uses pre-defined style formatting throughout, with all text in Calibri font for improved readability.
The following document labelling is included in the footer:

• Policy number and title
• Information-classification
• Version
• Page number / total pages

alphaZ documents - beautifully designed, tried and tested policy templates. No junk, jargon or unnecessary content. Simple and usable policy templates developed over 25 years through practical use in the real world.

Further Reading

Further guidance on work equipment:

• Management of Work Equipment
• Safeguarding and Machine Guarding
• Electrical Safety at Work
• Managing Equipment and Premises knowledge base

Logo Update Service *

Download this policy with your company name and logo already added!
Document Preparation available with all document toolkits.

How to Download

To get access to this file please click on Add to Cart to purchase for immediate download. If you have an alphaZ Subscription just click on Download Files to view all the files available to download.

Need Help Implementing?

If you'd like hands-on help setting up your equipment register and maintenance schedules, our remote support services provide direct expert input from our team, by the day, by project, or on an ongoing basis.

Safe Use of Equipment Policy Procedure Template

The Safe Use of Equipment Policy Procedure is a Word template that sets out how a business provides, checks and maintains work equipment. It covers what counts as work equipment, the conditions new equipment must meet, an equipment register of checks, company and employee responsibilities, pre-start inspection, schedules of maintenance and training for anyone operating equipment.

The document control block has Title, File Location, Issue No, Issue Date, Controlled By and Approved By fields, with an Amendment Record that only the person named in Controlled By may change. The footer carries a Business Use information classification.

What the Policy Covers

• Amendment record, summary, scope and applicability - the purpose of the policy, its scope across all company activities and locations, who it applies to and how guidance sections are marked
• Risk management and company responsibility - periodic risk assessment of equipment use, the company duty to manage work equipment and a pointer to the legal register for the law that applies
• Definition and provision of equipment - what counts as work equipment and its use, the conditions equipment must meet in use and the checks on new equipment such as CE marking
• Equipment register - a register of all equipment needing checks, maintenance or inspection, with who is responsible, last and next check dates and quarantine of unchecked items
• Company and employee responsibilities - what the company is responsible for, and what employees must and must not do, from visual checks and fault reporting to unauthorised repairs
• Inspection, maintenance and training - pre-start checks each shift, schedules of maintenance for items such as lifting equipment, air receivers, boilers and alarms, retained records and recorded training

Built for Safe Work Equipment

• An equipment register showing who is responsible, who completes checks, and when each check was last done and is next due
• Unchecked equipment marked Do not Use or moved to a quarantine area
• New equipment checked for CE marking, a certificate of conformity and instructions in English
• A pre-start checklist completed at the start of every shift where one has been provided
• No tools brought in from home unless approved, and no repairs or modifications without authority

Who Needs a Safe Use of Equipment Policy Procedure?

Any business that provides machinery, tools, appliances or other equipment for use at work, including equipment employees provide for their own use. It is written for the people who buy, maintain and check equipment and for those who operate it.

Using the Policy

Edit the equipment examples, pre-start check arrangements and maintenance schedule to match the equipment your business uses, and set out who keeps the equipment register. Name the person in the Controlled By field, give it top level approval and brief employees before they operate equipment.

Related Documents

The GG-7-02 Safe Use of Equipment Guidance and TT-7-02 Safe Use of Equipment Training Talk can be used to brief employees on using work equipment safely.