PSSR Inspections And Written Schemes Of Examination Across the UK
Pressure Systems Inspections
Pressure systems need a written scheme of examination in place before they run, and examination in line with it. We write the schemes and carry out the examinations. Send us your equipment list and the site postcode and we aim to come back with a quote within 48 hours.
Get Your FREE PSSR Inspection Quote
Tell us what pressure equipment you have and where it is. A quote usually follows within 48 hours.
PSSR Inspections And Written Schemes Of Examination Across the UK
Pressure Systems Inspections
Written scheme lapsed, missing, or inherited with the plant? Send your equipment list and we will price it up.
Which Pressure Equipment PSSR Actually Covers
PSSR doesn’t apply to everything under pressure. Hydraulic systems are explicitly excluded, however high their operating pressure runs, because they don’t store energy the way a compressed air or steam system does. What does count is any system holding steam at any pressure, or a gas or liquid exerting more than 0.5 bar above atmospheric, where the pressure multiplied by the volume works out at 250 bar-litres or more. In practice, that covers air receivers and compressors, steam boilers, autoclaves, refrigeration and air conditioning plant with a compressor motor over 25kW — and, more often than businesses expect, the pressurised coffee boilers found in commercial kitchens and cafés. If you’re not sure whether your equipment qualifies, send us a description and we’ll tell you plainly rather than push you toward a survey you may not need.
Written Schemes Of Examination, Written And Certified
What A Written Scheme Has To Do, And Who Can Draw One Up
Regulation 8 of PSSR is unusually firm about sequence. A qualifying pressure system must not be operated at all until a written scheme of examination is in place, drawn up or certified by a competent person, and that applies before first use however new the equipment is. The scheme identifies the parts to be examined, the nature of each examination, the maximum interval between them, and any preparation needed to examine the system safely.
PSSR sets no single fixed interval. The scheme decides, and it has to match the plant actually installed rather than a generic list. That is the part most often out of step, usually where equipment has been added, replaced or taken out since the scheme was drawn up, or where a scheme arrived with a site under previous ownership.
We write and certify schemes as well as examining against them. If you have no scheme, we can draw one up. If you have one and are not confident it still describes your plant, we will review it and tell you plainly.
Pressure Equipment We Examine Across The UK
We examine the full range of pressure equipment found across UK industry, from a single air compressor to multi-vessel process plant.
Compressed Air Systems
- Air receivers
- Air compressors
- Airline pipework and fittings
- Pressure switches and gauges
Steam & Process Plant
- Steam boilers
- Autoclaves
- Process vessels
- Heat exchangers
Refrigeration & Cooling
- Refrigeration plant
- Air conditioning over 25kW
- Chillers
- Cold store plant
Hospitality & Catering
- Commercial coffee boilers
- Steam ovens
- Combi-steamers
- Catering pressure equipment
Transport & Mobile Systems
- Bulk road tankers
- Mobile compressors
- Vehicle air receivers
- Tanker protective devices
Protective Devices
- Safety valves
- Bursting discs
- Pressure relief valves
- Pressure gauges and controllers
If your equipment isn’t listed here, get in touch. We work across manufacturing, food and drink production, engineering, waste and recycling, healthcare, education, energy, print and packaging, logistics, and hospitality — and most pressure systems we haven’t specifically mentioned still fall within scope. If you also need LEV testing for extraction systems on the same site, we can usually cover both in one visit.
GSB Inspections Reviews
Inspection Clients, In Their Own Words
Service, communication, support and advice has been excellent, Garry has gone out of his way to support our school with issues arisen from council maintenance, he has gone out of... read more
Miss H Morrey
Well what a great service Gary provides, always does a very thorough job, can't recommend enough, we always Gary really great guy.
Daz Griffiths
Excellent service, very thorough and practical
Kerry Callear
My first contact was with Gary and he dealt with my query and questions brilliantly. He explained the process, it was easy to sort and it went smoothly. Expected contact... read more
Mrs B
Gary has been doing our certifications for the last few years. Very professional and very reliable. A**
Rob Scanlan
Excellent service very competent knowledgeable and professional staff Would highly recommend
Carl Eades
Gary has been doing MPi ltd's lifting certifications, air compressor tank and roller shutter door inspections for a number of years now. I have always found him a pleasure to... read more
matt page
Been using GSB for a year, great service keeping all our plant and machinery in certification
James Plant
Great service. Would highly recommend and will use again.
Jade Furey
Great bloke, reliable, informative, pleasure to deal with.
Gary Jackson
Inspected transferable winch units with, greatly appreciated, additional guidance covering separate requirements for accompanying D shackles and inspection schedule. Very diligent service and great value.
Andrew Piekarczyk
Excellent service & communications
Gary Jackson
Prompt and professional friendly service.
Apples & Pears Nursery
Who Enforces PSSR, And What That Means For Your Business
PSSR is enforced jointly by the Health and Safety Executive and Local Authority environmental health officers, and which one you’re dealing with typically depends on your setting rather than your industry as such. HSE tends to lead at manufacturing and industrial sites, while Local Authority officers more often cover lower-risk premises. It’s a distinction most inspection providers don’t bother explaining, but it matters: if a defect found during examination could give rise to danger, we’re required under Regulation 10 to send a copy of our report to whichever authority covers your premises within 14 days, on top of notifying you immediately. Knowing which authority applies to your business — and why — is part of understanding your actual PSSR risk, not just ticking a compliance box.
What Happens On The Day Of Your Examination
You’ll know roughly what to expect before our engineer arrives, whether it’s an in-service or out-of-service visit.
1
Sight Of Scheme
Our engineer will want sight of your written scheme of examination and any previous reports before starting.
2
Examination
The system is examined in or out of service as specified in the scheme, with functional testing of protective devices where required.
3
Defect Reporting
Anything that could give rise to danger is reported to you immediately, not held back for the final paperwork.
4
Written Report
You’ll receive a full report of examination, with separate next examination dates where in-service and out-of-service intervals differ.
Our Commitment To Your Safety
We Are A Proud Associate Member Of The Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed)
GSB Inspections is an associate member of the Safety Assessment Federation, the trade body for independent engineering inspection in the UK. Our pressure system work follows SAFed’s published technical guidance alongside the PSSR Approved Code of Practice L122. It commits us to examining against a published standard rather than an in-house checklist.
What Your PSSR Report Of Examination Contains
Regulation 9 requires a written report of examination, and ours covers the type of examination carried out (in-service, out-of-service, or intermediate), the condition of external and internal surfaces and protective devices, and any parts not examined or inaccessible. Where action is needed, we split it clearly into required actions with a completion date, other defects that need rectifying as soon as reasonably practicable, and general observations. The report states the result of examination and, because in-service and out-of-service intervals can differ for the same item, gives next examination dates for each separately. Our reports are authenticated by qualified engineers, including CEng-qualified staff, and any defect that could give rise to danger is reported to you immediately rather than held for the final paperwork.
Changing Your PSSR Inspection Body, And Why You Can
A great many pressure systems in this country are examined by an engineer surveyor arranged through an insurer, and that arrangement often stays in place for years because there is no obvious prompt to review it. There is no requirement to keep it. The competent person carrying out examinations under a written scheme does not have to be the same competent person who certified that scheme, which means the inspection body can change without the scheme being torn up and started again.
That matters if your examinations are slipping, if the surveyor covering your area has changed three times in two years, or if you simply want the work done by people you can reach directly. Below is what you get by moving it to us.
Your Written Scheme Stays Valid
Changing who examines your pressure systems does not invalidate the scheme they are examined against. We pick up the existing scheme, check it still describes the plant on site, and carry on from the dates already recorded.
We Write Schemes, Not Just Examine Against Them
Where there is no scheme, or where the one you hold no longer matches the equipment installed, we draw up or certify a new one. A competent person has to do this under Regulation 8, and it is work we do rather than send elsewhere.
Five Engineers, Not One Regional Surveyor
Our engineers act as competent persons for both duties PSSR creates: drawing up or certifying the written scheme under Regulation 8, and carrying out the examinations under Regulation 9.
SAFed Associate Membership
There are a great many pressure systems in the UK and relatively few people qualified to examine them, which is why dates slip. We field five engineers and take on multi-site contracts across every UK location a customer operates, keeping the examination dates aligned between sites.
Reports An Inspector Can Read
A report of examination per item, identifying the plant, recording safe operating limits, stating what was found and when the next examination falls due. Written to be handed to an insurer, an auditor or an HSE inspector without explanation.
We are associate members of the Safety Assessment Federation and examine to its published technical guidance, alongside the PSSR Approved Code of Practice L122. Ask any provider what they hold; competence in this trade is largely self-declared.
What A PSSR Inspection Costs, And What Moves The Figure
We do not publish a rate, because the work is scoped to your plant and your site and a headline figure would mislead more readers than it helped. What follows is what we price on, what a complete quote should cover, and what we do not do, so you can budget before you speak to anybody, ourselves included.
Six things move the figure. How many items are on the scheme, since each is examined in turn. What those items are, because an air receiver is not a steam boiler. Which intervals the scheme sets, as shorter intervals come round more often across a year. Access and preparation, including whether a system is examined in or out of service, and any isolation, cooling, cleaning or stripping needed first. Where the site is. And what else is on site, because examining your pressure systems, lifting equipment, work equipment and LEV on one planned visit is more efficient than four separate trips.
1
What A Complete Quote Covers
The competent person’s time on site, a written report of examination per item with defects and timescales, the next examination date, documentation you can give an insurer or an HSE inspector, and travel. Where a written scheme is being drawn up or certified, that is stated separately rather than assumed.
2
What To Compare Between Quotes
Ask every firm the same three things, ours included. Who carries out the work and on what basis they are a competent person. Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance. And exactly what is included, in writing. A cheaper quote usually differs on one of those rather than on the work itself.
3
What We Do Not Do
We examine and report. We do not carry out repairs, servicing, remedial work or pressure testing arising from a report, and we do not run a 24/7 emergency callout. Visits are planned, including out of hours where that is what gets a system off line safely.
PSSR Inspections And Written Schemes: Your Questions Answered
Yes. The competent person examining under a written scheme does not have to be the one who certified the scheme, so the examination work can move to a different inspection body without the scheme being redrawn. An insurer-arranged surveyor is one route to compliance rather than the only one available.
Yes. Regulation 8 of PSSR says a qualifying system must not be operated until a written scheme of examination is in place, drawn up or certified by a competent person. That applies before first use, regardless of how new the equipment is, and it applies to the user of an installed system and the owner of a mobile one.
PSSR sets no single fixed interval. The written scheme decides, item by item, based on the plant and how it is used. Twelve months is common for many systems, but the scheme is the authority, not a rule of thumb, and a competent person sets the intervals when drawing it up.
A scheme has to describe the equipment actually installed, so one that lists plant you no longer have, or omits plant you have added, is not doing its job. We review existing schemes and tell you plainly whether it still fits, then certify a revised one where it does not.
No. Maintenance keeps a system running. Examination is the statutory check by a competent person, carried out in line with the written scheme and producing a written report under Regulation 9. A well-maintained system with no valid report is still non-compliant.
Generally not. PSSR applies to systems containing a relevant fluid, which means steam, or a gas or liquid under pressure above the thresholds in the regulations. Hydraulic systems usually fall outside it and sit under PUWER instead. If you are unsure which applies to a particular system, send us the details and we will tell you.
It is split by the main activity at the premises. HSE enforces in manufacturing, engineering and similar; the local authority enforces in warehousing, distribution, retail, offices, hotels and catering. Both have the same powers to serve improvement and prohibition notices, and your duty under PSSR is identical either way.
Yes, both. Drawing up or certifying the scheme is a Regulation 8 duty and examining against it is a Regulation 9 duty, and our engineers act as competent persons for each. Where you have no scheme we will draw one up rather than ask you to source it elsewhere.
Yes. We hold multi-site contracts where we examine across every UK location a customer operates and coordinate the dates so examinations stay aligned rather than drifting apart site by site. Five engineers makes that practical alongside single-item work for smaller operators.
Anything that could give rise to danger is reported to you immediately rather than held for the paperwork, and confirmed in the written report with the timescale for putting it right. Acting within that timescale is your duty as dutyholder. We have no part in the repair.
No. We sell inspections and written schemes, nothing else, so a defect recorded on your report carries no quotation behind it. Whatever remedial work a report calls for goes to whoever maintains your plant.
Yes. For a mobile system the duty sits with the owner, and the user of hired or leased equipment should make sure a written scheme is in place and the examination record is current. Tell us what is hired when you send the equipment list and we will take account of it.
GSB Inspection Services
PSSR Inspection Service Areas
Not an exhaustive list. We examine pressure systems UK-wide and the counties below are simply where we are asked most often. If your site is not shown, send the equipment list anyway and we will tell you plainly whether we can cover it.
Need A PSSR Inspection Or Written Scheme?
Straight through to the people doing the work, with nothing to sell you off the back of what we find.
Send your equipment list and site postcode using the form below, or email info@gsbinspections.co.uk. Tell us whether a written scheme already exists and we will come back with a price.
info@gsbinspections.co.uk
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