PSSR 2000 · County coverage

PSSR examination and certification in County Durham

Written Schemes of Examination and certified pressure system examinations by an independent competent person

County Durham built its name on engineering, and steam boilers, compressors and air receivers still work daily through its rail depots and manufacturing plants. Wherever a system holds steam or a fluid under pressure, PSSR 2000 applies, examined by a competent person to a certified written scheme.

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  • Independent & impartial
  • Competent engineer surveyors
  • County-wide coverage
What we cover

PSSR pressure system examinations across County Durham

A pressure system covers the boiler or compressor, the receivers, the pipework and the safety valves and gauges that protect it, and across the county that means steam-raising plant, compressed-air systems, process vessels and the autoclaves and heat exchangers around them. All of it can fall within scope.

The Regulations are unusual in biting before a system is even used: a Written Scheme of Examination must be in place, certified by a competent person, before the system is first operated, and again before any modified or repaired part is put back into service. On established sites the common gap is a system that has run for years on no current scheme at all. We draw up the scheme, examine each system to it, and bring the whole estate onto one arrangement so nothing runs without a valid scheme behind it.

Why businesses choose SEIS

  • Independent and impartial: we examine, we do not sell or maintain the equipment
  • Competent engineer surveyors with real field experience
  • Clear reports issued promptly, with the next due date flagged
  • One item or a whole site, one town or the whole county
Towns we cover

PSSR examinations across County Durham

We provide PSSR examinations to businesses right across County Durham. Choose your town below for local detail, or call us and we will arrange a visit to suit your schedule.

PSSR examinations in DarlingtonView Darlington →
PSSR FAQs

PSSR examination, written schemes and certification: common questions

Do you carry out PSSR examinations across County Durham?
Yes. Our engineer surveyors cover County Durham, from the rail and manufacturing sites to the engineering works across the former coalfield, and act as your competent person on every kind of pressure system. Call us and we will arrange a visit.
How soon can you get to a site in County Durham?
We cover County Durham from end to end, usually on site within a few working days and faster after a repair or re-installation. Call 0330 043 8191 to arrange a visit.
What is a Written Scheme of Examination, and do I need one?
It is the legal document at the heart of PSSR: a scheme drawn up and certified by a competent person that sets out which parts of a pressure system are examined, how, and how often. A system within scope must not be operated without one, and the HSE sets the minimum content in its pressure systems guidance.
Is PSSR a legal requirement, and what does it cover?
Yes. PSSR 2000 applies to systems holding steam at any pressure, or other fluids above roughly 250 bar litres, so steam boilers, air receivers, compressors, autoclaves and many process vessels are caught. The duty sits with the user of an installed system or the owner of a mobile one.
How often must a pressure system be examined?
There is no single interval fixed in law. The competent person sets the frequency for each item in the Written Scheme of Examination, judged on the system, its contents and its duty, with many items examined around every 12 months. The examination report is issued within 28 days and carries the next due date.
Who can be the competent person for PSSR?
Someone with the right combination of training, skill, experience and knowledge for the system in question, and independent enough to judge it fairly. The competent person both draws up or certifies the scheme and carries out the examinations it sets.
Does servicing the equipment count as a PSSR examination?
No. A PSSR examination is a formal statutory examination of the system's integrity against its written scheme, and it is separate from routine maintenance. Maintenance keeps a system running; it does not satisfy the legal duty to examine it.
What happens if the examination finds a defect?
The report records the defect, any limit on continued use and the date the next examination is due. Where the competent person finds a risk of imminent danger, the system must be taken out of use at once and the enforcing authority notified, so a problem is acted on rather than filed.

Need a PSSR examination or written scheme in County Durham?

Talk to an engineer surveyor, get a quote and book your inspection anywhere in County Durham.

0330 043 8191 Request a quote