Written Schemes of Examination (WSE) are an important part of meeting the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) and the following industry best practise. The legislation is clear on this, equipment falling under PSSR means that

“The user of an installed system and owner of a mobile system shall not operate the system, or allow it to be operated unless he has a written scheme for the periodic examination, by a competent person”- PSSR Reg 8.1.

To ensure that you don’t fall foul of these regulatory standards the important questions are:

• Does the equipment your using fall under PSSRs – are you sure?
• If not, are you following best practice -EEMUA 231?
• Do you have your Written Schemes of Examination in place?
• Are they correct?
• Have they been drawn up and signed by competent people?
• Are they reviewed at regular intervals by a competent person?
• Did you know that your WSE should be reviewed after every inspection and be authorised before the equipment can go back into service?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all of the questions then you are most likely doing all the right things. The WSE’s that are produced are vital and they are used to;

• Define the examinations that will be carried out.
• Tell you when the examinations will be carried out by setting the interval between inspections.
• Set out the preparatory work that needs to be done in order for the inspection to take place
• Take into consideration all compliance requirements i.e. The Pressure Systems Safety Regulation (PSSR), The Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations and Power and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), for example.

 Sometimes, and from our recent experiences, too many companies will answer ‘no’ to more than one of these questions and in some cases to most. Often this is due to a lack of clarity around which equipment falls under the PSSR’s and also whether a WSE is actually needed for their equipment.

What if a WSE is Needed?

TesTex are able to help you with trained and competent persons who can produce and sign the WSE. Should you require any support, there is a process to follow which;

• Agrees the content of the WSE, based on:
  • Fluid service.
  • Vessel design.
  • Vessel materials.

• Highlights any preparatory work that has been completed. We are then able to conduct the inspection properly, using the techniques identified.

At the end of the inspection process, once the WSE has done its job, a final report will be produced and presented. This will contain clear details of;

• The extent of the inspection. It will cover all examinations, tests and their results
• Any defects identified and will specify those requiring immediate attention/repair and define any time limits for reparation.
• The assets and their fitness for service, all deterioration will be recorded, as will all remaining life calculations and any re-rating.
• Any revisions to inspection periods and any amendments will be made to the WSE.

If you need any help. Or are simply unsure if your equipment falls under the PSSR’s then e-mail or call us with your query we’d be happy to talk to you.