If you buy, hire or manufacture steel stillages, cages or metal pallets, one question comes up again and again: which regulations actually apply, and what does compliant equipment look like? It is an important question. A stillage is not just a storage box – it is work equipment, it is often a lifted load, and in many cases it is a product placed on the market that must carry the correct conformity marking. Get it wrong and you expose your business to safety risk, failed audits and potential liability.
This guide explains the main pieces of UK legislation and product-marking that apply to stillages and cages, in plain English. It covers the difference between UKCA and CE marking after Brexit, where LOLER and PUWER fit in, and the practical steps buyers and operators should take. Wherever a topic deserves more depth, we have linked to a dedicated Lowe guide.
Two different things: product marking vs. workplace duties
A common source of confusion is that “compliance” actually spans two separate areas, and a stillage can sit in either or both:
- Product conformity marking – rules that govern equipment placed on the market, such as UKCA and CE marking, and the standards behind them. This is largely the manufacturer’s responsibility.
- Workplace and lifting duties – how equipment must be selected, maintained, inspected and used once it is in service. This falls under legislation such as PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998, and the duty sits mainly with the employer or user.
Which rules apply to you depends on what the stillage does. A plain static storage stillage that is only ever pushed around a warehouse has a different compliance footprint to a load-tested lifting stillage that is craned or hoisted between vehicles and floors.
UKCA and CE marking: the current position
Since the UK left the EU, product conformity marking in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is provided by the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark. UKCA is the British counterpart to CE marking. For many product categories the technical requirements behind the two marks are closely aligned, but the mark you need depends on where the product is being placed on the market.
- Great Britain: UKCA is the recognised conformity marking. The UK government has confirmed that CE marking will continue to be accepted in GB for many product areas indefinitely, so in practice a great deal of equipment carries both marks.
- Northern Ireland: different rules apply under the Windsor Framework, where CE (and where relevant the UKNI marking) remains the route.
- EU market: if you are exporting into the EU, CE marking and EU conformity assessment still apply.
The key point for buyers is not the letters on the label but what sits behind them: a genuine declaration of conformity, the right standards, and evidence the equipment was designed and tested to be safe. For the detail of how UK product marking evolved and what it means for steel fabrication, see our CE Accreditation and NSSS 7th Edition explainer.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the foundation of UK workplace safety law. Section 6 places duties on anyone who designs, manufactures, imports or supplies an article for use at work. In summary, a supplier must, so far as is reasonably practicable:
- Ensure the article is designed and constructed to be safe and without risks to health when properly used.
- Carry out (or arrange) any testing and examination needed to demonstrate that.
- Provide adequate information about safe use and any conditions necessary to keep it safe.
For a stillage manufacturer this means the equipment should be fit for purpose, load-rated, and supplied with the information a customer needs to use it safely – including safe working loads and, for lifting stillages, test certification.
PUWER 1998: using the equipment safely
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 1998) apply once a stillage is in use in your workplace. A stillage is work equipment, so PUWER duties fall on the employer. The regulations most relevant to stillages include:
- Regulation 4 – Suitability: the equipment must be suitable for the task and the conditions it is used in.
- Regulation 5 – Maintenance: it must be kept in good repair and in efficient working order.
- Regulation 6 – Inspection: where safety depends on installation or conditions, it must be inspected at suitable intervals.
- Regulation 7 – Specific risks: use may need to be restricted to trained personnel.
- Regulation 8/9 – Information, instruction and training: operators must have what they need to use the equipment safely.
- Regulation 23 – Markings: equipment must carry appropriate markings, such as safe working load.
For the full picture of how PUWER applies to stillages, including handling, transport and noise, read our practical PUWER and stillages guide.
LOLER 1998: when a stillage is a lifted load
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER 1998) apply whenever a stillage is used for lifting – for example a load-tested stillage craned between floors, or a bin lifted by forklift attachment. LOLER sits alongside PUWER and adds specific duties around the strength, marking and thorough examination of lifting equipment and accessories.
Regulation 4 requires that lifting equipment (and every part of the load involved in lifting) is of adequate strength and stability. In stillage terms this covers lifting lugs, eyes and pockets that become part of the lifting operation. Practically, that means:
- Lifting points form part of the load and must be strong enough for the rated load, with a proven safety factor.
- Lifting points and welds should be checked routinely for damage, wear or corrosion.
- Where appropriate, lifting points such as welded lugs should be proof-tested.
- Lifting equipment used to lift people, and lifting accessories, require thorough examination at defined intervals (typically 6 or 12 months) by a competent person.
If you need lifting-rated equipment, our certified lifting stillages are load-tested and supplied with certification. For more on how safe working loads are established, see our guide to stillage load capacity and LOLER and the pillar LOLER compliance guide for lifting operations.
Machinery legislation and standards
You may see the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC referenced in older material. Buyers should be aware this has moved on: in the EU it has been replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which becomes applicable in January 2027. In Great Britain, machinery is covered by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. Most standard stillages are not “machinery” in the regulatory sense, but bespoke handling equipment with moving or powered parts may be, so it is worth checking during design.
Underneath the marking sits the technical detail – the steel grades, welding standards and design calculations that prove a stillage will do its job. Our overviews of steel definitions and why we carry out load testing explain how that evidence is built.
A practical checklist for buyers and operators
To work out which rules apply to your equipment and whether you are meeting them, work through the following:
- What does the stillage do? Static storage, moved by trolley, forklift-handled, or genuinely lifted (crane/hoist)? This determines whether LOLER applies.
- Where is it going? GB, Northern Ireland or the EU – this drives UKCA vs. CE requirements.
- Is it load-rated? Confirm the safe working load is documented and marked on the equipment.
- Is there certification? For lifting stillages, insist on test certificates and a declaration of conformity.
- How will it be maintained and inspected? Build PUWER inspection and LOLER thorough examination into your schedule from day one.
- Are operators trained? Handling, stacking and reporting all sit under your duty of care – see our stillage safety guide and safe stacking and stability guide.
If you are specifying new equipment, our buyer’s and design guide and the guide on giving us the right technical information for an accurate quote will help you get compliance built in from the start.
How Lowe helps you stay compliant
As a UK manufacturer, Lowe Stillages & Cages designs and builds steel stillages, cages and pallets to the correct standards, load-tests lifting equipment, and supplies the certification and documentation your safety and quality systems need. If you are unsure which regulations apply to your operation, or you need equipment specified to meet them, we can help.
Talk to our team for compliance-ready equipment. Request a quote or contact Lowe on 01889 563244 to discuss your requirements.