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32 Summer 2022 THE HUMBLE VACUUM Why the often-overlooked cleaner is a good example of our health and safety duties in the workplace. T he humble vacuum cleaner – we all use them at least weekly at home, but these seemingly insignificant things are left in cupboards until we plug them in, and they then spring to life making our floors and carpets free from pet hair and grime (where does all that dirt actually come from?). No, we haven’t taken up a new vocation in life selling the virtues of the vacuum cleaner, but it’s a good example of work equipment to support the following advice feature. Work equipment is any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool, or installation for use at work (whether exclusively or not). This includes equipment which employees provide for their own use at work. The scope of work equipment is therefore extremely wide. The use of work equipment is also very widely interpreted and it covers any activity involving work equipment including starting, stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing, and cleaning. SO, WHAT MUST YOU DO? The majority of the regulations listed below apply to a vacuum cleaner (in a diluted manner), but of course cover all kinds of equipment, including machinery. It’s a long list, but all makes perfect sense… • Ensure the equipment is constructed or adapted to be suitable for the purpose it is used or provided for. • Take account of the working conditions and health and safety risks in the workplace when selecting work equipment. • Ensure work equipment is only used for suitable purposes. • Ensure work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. • Where a machine has a maintenance log, keep this up to date. • Where the safety of work equipment depends on the manner of installation, it must be inspected after installation and before being put into use. • Where work equipment is exposed to deteriorating conditions liable to result in dangerous situations, it must be inspected to ensure faults are detected in good time so the risk to health and safety is managed. • Ensure that all people using, supervising, or managing the use of work equipment are provided with adequate, clear health and safety information. This will include, where necessary, written instructions on its use and suitable equipment markings and warnings. • Ensure that all people who use, supervise, or manage the use of work equipment have received adequate training, which should include the correct use of the equipment, the risks that may arise from its use and the precautions to take. • Where the use of work equipment is likely to involve a specific risk to health and safety (eg woodworking machinery), ensure that the use of the equipment is restricted to those people trained and appointed to use it. • Where the use of work equipment is likely to involve a specific risk to health and safety, take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. This will normally be by fixed guarding, but where routine access is needed, interlocked guards (sometimes with guard locking) may be needed to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person can reach the danger zone. Where this is not possible, such as with the blade of a circular saw, it must be protected as far as possible, and a safe system of work used.