The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 require employers to ensure work equipment is safe, suitable and inspected at suitable intervals. Mobile shelving is in scope — and a relocation resets the compliance clock. This is our single, complete guide to PUWER for mobile shelving, before and after a move.
What a compliant inspection covers
- Track levelness and end-stop integrity
- Carriage running clearance & bearing wear
- Anti-tip and braking mechanism function
- Aisle-lock / safety-lock operation
- Shelf beam load condition & visual fatigue checks
- End-panel fixings & finger-trap guards
- Load notices showing the safe working load
How often?
HSE guidance and most insurers require a 12-monthly inspection on mechanical-assist systems and at minimum 24-monthly on manual systems. Heavy-use environments (clinical, library, archive) often warrant 6-monthly.
Why a new certificate is required after relocation
A relocated system is effectively a new installation. The original certificate is not valid at the new address: the inspection must confirm the system has been correctly reassembled in its new position, with tracks level within BS EN 15095 tolerance, carriages running true, and every safety device reinstated and functioning. Any defect must be rectified before the system is loaded.
Documents to keep on file after a move
- Pre-move condition survey — proof the system was working when dismantled
- RAMS — method statement and risk assessment for the move
- Component-label register — dismantle and reinstall sequencing
- Track-level test sheet — point-by-point sub-floor readings
- Brake and anti-tip test record
- PUWER certificate — signed by a SEMA-aligned inspector and retained by the duty-holder
Common compliance failures we see
Non-specialist removal firms sometimes reinstall a system, take photographs and call it done. PUWER demands the inspection happens — with a competent assessor — and the certificate is retained. Without it, employer's-liability insurers can decline a claim.
What we include as standard
Every relocation we deliver finishes with a written post-installation PUWER inspection report, signed by a SEMA-aligned inspector, emailed within five working days and lodged with the duty-holder. The system also needs its next annual inspection within 12 months of reinstallation.
Standalone annual PUWER and BS EN 15095 inspections — where no relocation is involved — are delivered by our sister company Rack Safety Inspections.