General duty relating to the supply of pressure equipment and
assemblies
10. Subject to regulation 11, no person, who is not a
responsible person, shall supply any pressure equipment or assembly unless that pressure
equipment or assembly is safe.
Exceptions to placing on the market or supply in respect of certain
pressure equipment and assemblies
11. For the purposes of regulation 7, 8, 9, or 10,
pressure equipment or an assembly shall not be regarded as being placed on the market or
supplied, as the case may be -
(a) where that pressure equipment or assembly -
(i) will be put into service in a country outside the Community; or
(ii) is imported into the Community for re-export to a country outside the Community,
save that this paragraph shall not apply if the CE marking, or any inscription liable
to be confused therewith, is affixed thereto; or
(b) by the exhibition at trade fairs and exhibitions of that pressure equipment or an
assembly, in respect of which the provisions of these Regulations are not satisfied,
if -
(i) a notice is displayed in relation to the pressure equipment or assembly in question
to the effect -
(aa) that it does not satisfy those provisions; and
(bb) that it may not be placed on the market or supplied until those provisions are
satisfied by the manufacturer of pressure equipment or assembly or his authorised
representative established within the Community; and
(ii) appropriate safety measures are taken when demonstrating such pressure equipment
or assembly to ensure the safety of persons.
Classification of pressure equipment
12. - (1) For the purposes of regulation 13,
pressure equipment referred to in regulation 7(2) shall be classified by category in
accordance with Schedule 3 according to ascending level of hazard.
(2) The appropriate table for pressure equipment coming within
regulation 7(2)(a) to (c) inclusive shall be as follows:
for pressure equipment coming within,
(a) regulation 7(2)(a)(i)(aa), table 1;
(b) regulation 7(2)(a)(i)(bb), table 2;
(c) regulation 7(2)(a)(ii)(aa), table 3;
(d) regulation 7(2)(a)(ii)(bb), table 4;
(e) regulation 7(2)(b), table 5;
(f) regulation 7(2)(c)(i)(aa), table 6;
(g) regulation 7(2)(c)(i)(bb), table 7;
(h) regulation 7(2)(c)(ii)(aa), table 8; or
(i) regulation 7(2)(c)(ii)(bb), table 9.
(3) For pressure equipment coming within regulation 7(2)(d),
the category shall be determined in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3 of Schedule 3.
(4) Where a vessel is composed of a number of chambers, it shall
be classified in the highest category applicable to the individual chambers and where a
chamber contains several fluids, classification shall be on the basis of the fluid which
requires the highest category.
Conformity assessment procedures for pressure equipment
13. - (1) For the purposes of regulation
7(3)(b), the appropriate conformity assessment procedure for pressure equipment shall be
one of the procedures set out in Schedule 4 as determined in accordance with paragraph
(3).
(2) The manufacturer shall apply either,
(i) one of the conformity assessment procedures which may be chosen from among those
laid down in paragraph (3) for the category in which the pressure equipment is classified,
or
(ii) one of the procedures which apply to a higher category of pressure equipment, if
available.
(3) The relevant conformity assessment procedures set out in
Schedule 4 to be applied for the various categories of pressure equipment determined in
accordance with regulation 12 above are as follows:
(i) for category I, module A;
(ii) for category II, any of the following modules:
- A1,
- D1, or
- E1;
(iii) for category III, any of the following modules:
- B1 plus D,
- B1 plus F,
- B plus E,
- B plus C1, or
- H;
(iv) for category IV, any of the following modules:
- B plus D,
- B plus F,
- G, or
- H1.
Conformity assessment procedure for assemblies
14. For the purposes of regulation 8(3)(a)(ii), the
relevant conformity assessment procedure to be applied by the manufacturer in respect of
the assembly shall be a global conformity assessment procedure comprising:
(a) assessment of each item of pressure equipment making up the assembly and referred
to in regulation 7(2)(a) to (d) which has not been previously subjected to a conformity
assessment procedure and to a separate CE marking; the assessment procedure shall be
determined by the category of each item of equipment;
(b) the assessment of the integration of the various components of the assembly as
referred to in paragraphs 2.3, 2.8 and 2.9 of Schedule 2 which shall be determined by the
highest category applicable to the equipment concerned other than that applicable to any
safety accessories;
(c) the assessment of the protection of an assembly against exceeding the permissible
operating limits as referred to in paragraphs 2.10 and 3.2.3 of Schedule 2 shall be
conducted in the light of the highest category applicable to the items of equipment to be
protected.
Exclusion for pressure equipment and assemblies for use for
experimentation
15. - (1) Regulations 13 and 14 shall not apply
to an item of pressure equipment or an assembly the use of which is in the interests of
experimentation.
(2) For the purpose of this regulation "experimentation"
means pressure equipment or an assembly designed or adapted for the purpose only of
conducting any test or measurement in relation to that pressure equipment or assembly.
CE marking
16. - (1) The CE marking shall be accompanied
by the identification number of the notified body involved at the production control
phase.
(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the CE marking shall be affixed in a
visible, easily legible and indelible fashion to each item of pressure equipment referred
to in regulation 7, or assembly referred to in regulation 8 which is complete or is in a
state permitting final assessment as described in paragraph 3.2 of Schedule 2.
(3) It is not necessary for the CE marking to be affixed to each
individual item of pressure equipment making up an assembly as referred to in regulation 8
but individual items of pressure equipment already bearing the CE marking when
incorporated into the assembly shall continue to bear that marking.
(4) Subject to paragraph (5), where the pressure equipment or
assembly is subject to other Directives covering other aspects which provide for the
affixing of the CE marking, the latter shall indicate that the pressure equipment or
assembly in question is also presumed to conform to the provisions of those other
Directives.
(5) Where one or more of the other Directives referred to in
paragraph (4) allow the manufacturer, during a transitional period, to choose which
arrangements to apply, the CE marking shall indicate conformity only with the Directives
applied by the manufacturer, and in this case, particulars of the Directives applied, as
published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, must be given in the
documents, notices or instructions required by the Directives and accompanying the
pressure equipment or assembly.
(6) The affixing of markings on pressure equipment or an assembly
which are likely to mislead third parties as to the meaning or form of the CE marking is
prohibited.
(7) Any other marking may be affixed to pressure equipment or an
assembly provided that the visibility and legibility of the CE marking is not thereby
reduced.
European approval for materials
17. European approval for materials shall be issued, at
the request of one or more manufacturers of materials or equipment, by one of the notified
bodies referred to in regulation 18 specifically designated for that task and in
accordance with the procedures set out in Schedule 7.
Notified bodies
18. For the purposes of these Regulations, a notified body
is a body which has been appointed to carry out one or more of the conformity assessment
procedures mentioned or referred to in regulation 13 or 14 or to issue a European approval
for materials as referred to in regulation 17 and which has been -
(a) appointed as a notified body in the United Kingdom pursuant to regulation 20; or
(b) appointed by a member State other than the United Kingdom, and has been notified by
the member State concerned to the Commission and the other member States pursuant to
Article 12 of the Pressure Equipment Directive.
Recognised third-party organisations
19. For the purposes of these Regulations, a recognised
third-party organisation, is an organisation which has been appointed for the purposes of
carrying out the tasks referred to in paragraphs 3.1.2[11] and 3.1.3 of Schedule 2, and which has
been -
(a) appointed as a recognised third-party organisation in the United Kingdom pursuant
to regulation 20; or
(b) appointed by a member State other than the United Kingdom, and has been notified by
the member State concerned to the Commission and the other member States pursuant to
Article 12 of the Pressure Equipment Directive.
Notified bodies and recognised third-party organisations appointed by
the Secretary of State
20. - (1) The Secretary of State may from time
to time appoint such persons as he thinks fit to be notified bodies or recognised
third-party organisations for the purposes of these Regulations.
(2) An appointment -
(a) may relate to all descriptions of pressure equipment or assemblies or such
descriptions (which may be framed by reference to any circumstances whatsoever) of
pressure equipment or assemblies as the Secretary of State may from time to time
determine;
(b) may be made subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may from time to time
determine, and such conditions may include conditions which are to apply upon or following
termination of the appointment;
(c) shall, without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (b) and subject to
paragraph (4), require that body to carry out the procedures and specific tasks for which
it has been appointed including (where so provided as part of those procedures)
surveillance to ensure that the manufacturer of the pressure equipment or assemblies or
his authorised representative established within the Community or the importer, as the
case may be, duly fulfils the obligations arising out of the relevant conformity
assessment procedure;
(d) shall be terminated upon 90 days' notice in writing to the Secretary of State at the
request of the notified body or recognised third-party organisation; and
(e) may be terminated if it appears to the Secretary of State that any of the conditions
of the appointment are not complied with.
(3) Subject to paragraphs (2)(d) and (e), an appointment under
this regulation may be for the time being or for such period as may be specified in the
appointment.
(4) A notified body or recognised third-party organisation
appointed by the Secretary of State shall not be required to carry out the functions
referred to in paragraph (2)(c) if -
(a) the documents submitted to it in relation to carrying out such functions are not in
English or another language acceptable to that body;
(b) the person making the application has not submitted with his application the amount of
the fee which the body requires to be submitted with the application pursuant to
regulation 21; or
(c) the body reasonably believes that, having regard to the number of applications made to
it in relation to its appointment under these Regulations which are outstanding, it will
be unable to commence the required work within three months of receiving the application.
(5) If for any reason the appointment of a notified body or
recognised third-party organisation is terminated under this regulation, the Secretary of
State may -
(a) give such directions (either to the body the subject of the termination or to
another notified body or recognised third-party organisation) for the purpose of making
such arrangements for the determination of outstanding applications as he considers
appropriate; and
(b) without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, authorise another notified body
or recognised third-party organisation to take over its functions in respect of such cases
as he may specify.
(6) Where a notified body is minded to refuse to issue an EC
type-examination certificate or EC design-examination certificate[12] it shall -
(a) give notice in writing to the applicant of the reasons why it is minded to do so;
and
(b) give the applicant the opportunity to make representations within a period of 28 days
of the said notice being given and consider any representations made within that period by
the applicant.
(7) In the framework of quality assurance procedures for
pressure equipment in categories III and IV referred to in regulations (2)(a)(i) and
(ii)(aa) and (b) the notified body shall,
(a) when performing unexpected visits, take a sample of equipment from the
manufacturing or storage premises in order to perform, or have performed, the final
assessment as referred to in paragraph 3.2.2 of Schedule 2 and to this end, the
manufacturer shall inform the notified body of the intended schedule of production, and
(b) shall carry out at least two visits during the first year of manufacturing, the
frequency of subsequent visits being determined by the notified body on the basis of the
criteria set out in section 4.4 of the relevant modules.
(8) In the case of one-off production of vessels and pressure
equipment in category III referred to in regulation 7(2)(b) under the module H procedure,
the notified body shall perform or have performed the final assessment, as referred to in
paragraph 3.2.2 of Schedule 2, for each unit and to this end, the manufacturer shall
communicate the intended schedule of production to the notified body.
Fees
21. - (1) Without prejudice to the power of the
Secretary of State, where he is appointed as a notified body in the United Kingdom, to
charge fees pursuant to regulations made under section 56 of the Finance Act 1973[13] and subject to paragraph (2), a
notified body or recognised third-party organisation appointed by the Secretary of State
may charge such fees in connection with, or incidental to, carrying out its duties in
relation to the functions referred to in regulation 20(2)(c) as it may determine; provided
that such fees shall not exceed the sum of the following -
(a) the costs incurred or to be incurred by the notified body or recognised third-party
organisation in performing the relevant function; and
(b) an amount on account of profit which is reasonable in the circumstances having regard
to -
(i) the character and extent of the work done or to be done by the body on behalf of
the applicant; and
(ii) the commercial rate normally charged on account of profit for that work or similar
work.
(2) The power in paragraph (1) includes the power to require
the payment of fees or a reasonable estimate thereof in advance of carrying out the work
requested by the applicant.
User inspectorates
22. - (1) For the purposes of these
Regulations, a user inspectorate is a body which has been appointed to carry out one or
more of the conformity assessment procedures referred to in regulations 13 and 14 and as
more specifically defined in paragraph (7) and, which has been -
(a) appointed in the United Kingdom pursuant to paragraph (2); or,
(b) appointed by a member State other than the United Kingdom, and has been notified by
the member State concerned to the Commission and other member States pursuant to Article
12 of the Pressure Equipment Directive.
(2) The Secretary of State may from time to time appoint such
persons and on such conditions as he thinks fit to be a user inspectorate.
(3) No body shall be appointed under this regulation unless the
Secretary of State is satisfied that the group of which the user inspectorate is part
applies a common safety policy as regards the technical specifications for the design,
manufacture, inspection, maintenance and use of pressure equipment and assemblies.
(4) An appointment -
(a) may relate to all descriptions of pressure equipment or assemblies or such
descriptions (which may be framed by reference to any circumstances whatsoever) of
pressure equipment or assemblies as the Secretary of State may from time to time
determine;
(b) may be made subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may from time to time
determine, and such conditions may include conditions which are to apply upon or following
termination of the appointment;
(c) shall, without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (b) above, require that
body, subject to paragraph (10), to carry out the procedures and specific tasks for which
it has been appointed including (where so provided as part of those procedures)
surveillance to ensure that the manufacturer of the pressure equipment or assemblies or
his authorised representative established within the Community or the importer, as the
case may be, duly fulfils the obligations arising out of the relevant conformity
assessment procedure;
(d) shall be terminated upon 90 days' notice in writing to the Secretary of State at the
request of the user inspectorate; and
(e) may be terminated if it appears to the Secretary of State that any of the conditions
of the appointment are not complied with.
(5) Subject to paragraphs (4)(d) and (e), an appointment under
this regulation may be for the time being or for such period as may be specified in the
appointment.
(6) The user inspectorates shall act exclusively for the group of
which they are part.
(7) The conformity assessment procedures applicable by user
inspectorates shall be modules A1, C1, F and G, as described in Schedule 4 and for this
purpose references in those modules to "notified body" shall be read as if they
are references to "user inspectorate".
(8) The pressure equipment and assemblies to which the application
relates may be used only in establishments operated by the group of which the user
inspectorate is part.
(9) The pressure equipment and assembly, the conformity of which
has been assessed by a user inspectorate, shall not bear the CE marking.
(10) A user inspectorate appointed by the Secretary of State shall
not be required to carry out the functions referred to in paragraph (4)(c) if the
documents submitted to it in relation to carrying out such functions are not in English or
another language acceptable to that body.
Conditions for pressure equipment and assemblies being taken to conform
with the provisions of these Regulations
23. - (1) Subject to paragraph (2), any
pressure equipment or assembly which -
(a) bears the CE marking in accordance with regulation 7(3)(c) or 8(3)(a)(iii); and
(b) is accompanied by an EC declaration of conformity in accordance with regulation
7(3)(d) or 8(3)(a)(iv),
shall be taken to conform with all the provisions of these Regulations which apply to
it, including the appropriate conformity assessment procedure specified in regulation 13,
unless there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that it does not so conform.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in relation to an enforcement
authority where a person fails or refuses to make available to the enforcement authority
the documentation which he is required, by the conformity assessment procedure which
applies to that pressure equipment or assembly, to retain a copy thereof.
Notes:
[11] There is an error in the English text of the Pressure Equipment
Directive. The text uses "3.2.2" instead of "3.1.2".back
[12] Module B and Module B1 in Schedule 4, respectively, concern the
application for and issue of an EC type examination certificate and an EC
design-examination certificate.back
[13] 1973 c.51.back
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