Page 317 - IGC BOOK

9.1 General Requirements for Work Equipment

General Requirements for Work Equipment

Work equipment’ is almost any equipment used by a worker while at work including:
Work equipment used widely in the

• Hand Tools - chisels, hammer, screwdrivers, knives, hand saws and meat cleavers

• Power Tools – Portable electric drill, circular saws, chain saw
• Machinery – Pedestal drill, CNC, photocopiers, mowing machines, tractors, dumper trucks and
power presses.
• Access Equipment – Ladders, MEWPs.

Suitability

The equipment must be selected carefully, it must be suitable for intended job as well as suitable
for the environment in which it being used. Risk can be reduced when a right equipment is used
for the right task.

When selecting the equipment consider the following factors

• The equipment must be appropriate to the work and used in accordance with manufacturer’s
recommendations and instructions, it must be suitable for intended purpose.
• The environment in which the equipment is used must be considered for any risks, e.g. portable
grinding machine used in a flammable atmosphere.
CE Marking on the Equipment

CE Marking on a product is a declaration from the
manufacturer that the product complies with
European Health, Safety and Environmental
protection legislation, to prove this the manufactures
must fix CE Mark on the product.

When purchasing the equipment, the employer must
look for CE Mark, if the equipment is imported into
Europe then the CE Mark is mandatory to confirm that
it conforms to relevant standards.

The CE mark is not a quality mark, nor a guarantee that the product meets all of the requirements
of relevant EU product safety law. Suppliers and users should make physical checks before using
the equipment.

ENSIGN | Unit IG2 – Element 9 – Work 1
Equipment