HSE leads charge on non-compliant kit clampdown

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has written to all UK buyers of non-CE marked equipment purchased at the recent Euro Auction to remind them that the machines must be made compliant before they can be used.

In addition, the HSE said its counterparts in Ireland are taking similar steps and that the authorities in Finland are also checking to see whether any non-approved machinery has entered the country.

In the UK, the HSE confirmed that no spot-checks have yet been undertaken and said there was particular concern about machines being sold at auction, but added: "There are bigger issues here and we need to see if there are any loopholes."

The HSE said it is adopting a multi-agency approach involving the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is investigating whether any noise regulations are being breached, and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Euro Auctions general manager Jonathan Keys said: "The HSE is getting anything it asks for and we have offered to help it with training in identifying various types of machinery."

Tim Faithful of the plant manufacturers' association, the CEA, welcomed the HSE's moves, but warned there are thousands of non-CE marked, post-1995 machines in the UK and that many could be being used unwittingly.

He advised owners and operators to check their machinery for a CE plate. He said if there is no plate or the instructions are in a foreign language, then the machine is unlikely to conform.