Inspection records for hire companies
PAT, LOLER and PUWER records, on the asset and out with the hire.
When kit leaves your depot, the paperwork has to go with it. RiQ (pronounced “Rick”) keeps inspection and examination records on each asset, and the Certificates & Inspections app sends them to the customer with every hire. Fully cloud-based, with nothing to install on your premises. This page sets out what the regulations say, with links to the text, and what RiQ does about it.
PUWER: evidence of the last inspection leaves with the kit
Regulation 6 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) covers work equipment exposed to conditions that cause deterioration liable to result in dangerous situations. It must be inspected at suitable intervals, the result must be recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded (regulation 6(3)), and the equipment must not leave your undertaking unless it is accompanied by physical evidence that the last inspection was carried out (regulation 6(4)). Regulation 6 does not apply to equipment for lifting loads or people, which LOLER covers.
- Inspection records on the asset
- Certificates sent with the hire
- Workshop, servicing and inspection records
- Certificates & Inspections app
LOLER: the last thorough examination goes out with lifting gear
Under regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), lifting equipment must not leave your undertaking unless it is accompanied by physical evidence of its last thorough examination (regulation 9(4)). Where it is exposed to deterioration, LOLER sets a thorough examination at least every 6 months for lifting accessories and equipment for lifting people, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, unless an examination scheme sets other intervals. RiQ keeps the examination reports on each asset and sends them with the hire.
- LOLER, PUWER and PAT records on the asset
- Certificates sent with the hire
- Self-Service Portal: invoices and certificates for your customers
PAT: what HSE recommends for tool hire
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems to be maintained, as may be necessary to prevent danger, so far as is reasonably practicable (regulation 4(2)). HSE says those regulations do not make portable appliance testing a legal requirement in itself or set how often it is done. For tool hire businesses, HSE strongly recommends that equipment is formally inspected and tested before each hire. HSE also notes there is no legal requirement to keep PAT records, but that records are a useful way to show a maintenance scheme exists.
- PAT records on the asset
- Inspections logged against the asset at off-hire
- Condition Photos app: timestamped before and after photos
Checked in, inspected, ready to go back out
At off-hire, drivers capture photos, condition and signatures, and inspections are logged against the asset. Workshop and servicing records sit on the same asset, so your team can see what’s ready to go back out. The Barcode / RFID Scanning app checks kit out and back in by phone or scanner, and PIPA records for inflatables sit on the asset in the same way.
- Driver photos, condition and signatures
- Barcode / RFID Scanning app
- Workshop Pro: parts, labour, job cards and downtime cost
- PIPA records on the asset
Sources
- The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), regulation 6
- The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), regulation 9
- The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4
- HSE: Portable appliance testing FAQs
Checked 21 Oct 2026. This page summarises the regulations and HSE guidance and is not legal advice. Check the full text and the HSE guidance for how they apply to your equipment.
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