Construction

Employers have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. Periodic inspections and/or thorough examinations on their plant and equipment form part of this vital duty, whilst also ensuring employer conformity to applicable health and safety legislation.

All construction sites depend on a variety of construction plant and equipment (CPE) for day-to-day operations. This could involve, for example, piling, earth moving, load lifting and material handling; using different types of CPE ranging from large tower cranes to forklift trucks to small air compressors.

CPE needs to be examined and properly maintained to ensure it is safe to operate, and that it complies with applicable health and safety legislation; requiring statutory examinations at specific intervals, which exist outside normal equipment maintenance and servicing procedures.

Regular inspections may also serve as a good preventative maintenance programme to ensure the integrity of plant and equipment; helping to minimise machinery breakdowns and production downtime.

Inspection frequencies

Different types and categories of equipment have varying inspection frequencies according to applicable health and safety legislation. Typical equipment and installations found within the construction industry are listed below, together with the applicable legislation.