The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

1.  These Regulations re-enact with amendments the Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers Regulations 1989 (“the 1989 Regulations”) as amended. The 1989 Regulations imposed safety requirements with respect to pressure systems which are used or intended to be used at work. They also imposed safety requirements to prevent certain vessels from becoming pressurised. The Regulations specified a number of exceptions. In addition to minor and drafting amendments, these Regulations make the following changes of substance.

2.  These Regulations modify and extend provision for sending, keeping and passing on in electronic form reports of examinations. Paragraphs (1) to (3) of regulation 13 (keeping of records, etc.) of the 1989 Regulations contained requirements for the keeping of specified “documents” or copies thereof and, on a change of user or owner, for passing them to the new user or owner; paragraphs (4) to (7) allowed a person making a written report of an examination under regulation 9(3) of those Regulations to do so in electronic form, and a user to keep the report in such form, rather than as a document. Paragraph (2) of regulation 2 is new. It provides that references to anything in writing or written includes its being in a form in which it is capable of being reproduced as a written copy; regulation 9(3) no longer requires a report to be signed; and regulation 14, in re-enacting regulation 13(1) to (3) of the 1989 Regulations, requires information to be kept and passed on, whether or not it has been supplied as a document.

3.  Pressure systems to which the Medical Devices Regulations 1994 apply, other than those which contain or are liable to contain steam, and pressure equipment and assemblies to which certain of the Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999 apply, are excluded from the application of regulations 4 (design and construction) and 5(1) and (4) (provision of information and marking) (regulation 3(2) and paragraph 1 of Part II of Schedule 1).

4.  The relief from regulations 5(4), 8 to 10 and 14 afforded by paragraph 2(1) of Part II of Schedule 1 (paragraph 1 of that Part in the 1989 Regulations) applies if the product of the pressure and internal volume of each of the pressure vessels of a pressure system (rather than, as formerly, of its largest vessel) is less than 250 bar litres; paragraph 2(1) does not (as did paragraph 1 aforesaid) afford relief from regulation 11 (operation); paragraph 2(2) contains transitional provision.

5.  A copy of the regulatory impact assessment prepared in respect of these Regulations may be obtained from the Economic Adviser’s Unit, Health and Safety Executive, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS. Copies have been placed in the Library of each House of Parliament.