If you already have a written scheme and need the annual inspection, this is the service that delivers the inspection, report and remedial recommendations.
If you need to understand whether your laboratory gas system falls under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and whether your written scheme, inspection records and training are in order, this is the place to start.
This service is for lab managers, health and safety managers and facilities leads who need to understand what PSSR requires and what records are missing.
Just heard about PSSR regulations for the first time
Insurance company does an annual visit but no formal paperwork exists
Preparing for an audit or HSE inspection
Took over a lab and inherited an unknown compliance position
New gas system installed but no written scheme in place
Not sure whether the documents you have actually meet the legal standard
Speck & Burke handle the full process: preparing your written scheme of examination, carrying out the scheduled examination against it and issuing a report that documents what was found. You get one point of contact and you receive a clear report showing what was examined, what was found and what action is needed.
Preparation of your written scheme of examination
Component-by-component tagging and identification
Annual written scheme of examination inspection
Pass/fail report with remedial recommendations where needed
Component replacement planning based on condition, age and inspection findings
Start with a free site survey - we'll tell you exactly what you have and what you need, at no cost and with no obligation to proceed.
Most labs that contact us aren't in crisis. They're trying to close a gap they've become aware of - sometimes through an audit, sometimes because a colleague raised it, sometimes because they took on a new role and found things hadn't been done. The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 exist because pressure equipment containing stored energy - gases under pressure, liquefied gas, compressed gas - can cause serious harm if a component fails. The regulation applies to any pressure system where those relevant fluids are present. The written scheme and examination report provide evidence that the system has been assessed and examined against documented safety requirements.
Audit or inspection coming up and paperwork isn't in order
Insurance company visit flagged a gap
Previous provider didn't maintain adequate records
Components out of date and no plan to address them
Lab manager or H&S manager needs evidence that everything's been done correctly
"You want to know that if something goes wrong, you've got the paperwork to show you did everything right. That's really what this is, it’s the evidence that you took it seriously."
"I took over as H&S manager and couldn't find any PSSR documentation for the lab gas system. Speck & Burke came out, surveyed the site, tagged everything and had a written scheme in place within a few weeks. For the first time we had a compliance record we could actually show an auditor."
Sarah Ling, Health & Safety Manager
"We'd assumed our annual insurance inspection was covering our PSSR obligations. It wasn't. Speck & Burke explained the difference clearly, prepared the written scheme and carried out the first proper examination against it. It's one of those things you don't want to find out about when someone's already asking for the paperwork."
David Murchie, Laboratory Manager
The written scheme of examination is a document specific to your pressure system - it identifies the parts of the system that need examination, including protective devices, pressure vessels and relevant pipework, and sets out the nature and frequency of examination. We prepare it from a site visit and when appointed as the competent person, draw it up or certify it as suitable under PSSR. That means it gives you a clear document to provide if an insurer, auditor or the Health and Safety Executive asks to review your records.
What PSSR compliance with Speck & Burke includes
We visit your lab, identify the relevant parts of your gas system that need to be included in the written scheme and tag each one with a unique identifier. This gives us a complete picture of what you have, including pressure vessels that may fall within scope, before we write a single line of your written scheme.
We prepare a written scheme of examination specific to your pressure system. It records the relevant parts of the system, which may include regulators, safety valves, bursting discs, pressure gauges, flexible hoses and pipework where they fall within scope. We sign it off as a competent person under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, so it stands as a legal document.
Each year, an engineer visits the site and carries out a pressure system inspection against your written scheme of examination. Every component is checked and recorded as pass or fail. Anything that fails is clearly noted and a remedial quotation follows.
After every pressure system inspection you receive a formal report documenting what was found. This supports your compliance record and helps show what was examined, what condition it was in and what action was required.
We track when your components are due for replacement and give you advance notice before each inspection. If something is going to fail on age, we'll tell you ahead of the visit, bring the parts and complete the remedial work on the same day.
PSSR isn't a one-off task. The written scheme stays in place, but the pressure system inspection has to happen every year - and keeping track of that falls to whoever owns the system. We manage the renewal cycle for you. Quotations go out threeF months before your contract renewal date and we arrange the inspection visit around your schedule. We manage the renewal process so inspections are not missed.
Annual inspection reminder and renewal quotation in advance
Inspection scheduled at a time that suits your lab
Parts identified and brought on the day where replacements are needed
Full compliance record maintained and accessible year on year
Multi-year cost forecasting available on request
A competent person under PSSR needs the right skills, knowledge, experience and independence. Our engineers can draw up or certify written schemes for laboratory gas pressure systems where we are appointed in that role. We work exclusively in laboratory gas pressure equipment, so we know what we're looking at and the workplace safety standards that apply. The ACOP (Approved Code of Practice) for the safety of pressure systems sets out what competency means in practice. Our engineers meet it and we can show you that in writing.
Confidence that your written scheme will stand up to scrutiny
A compliance record you can present at any audit
No need to chase your provider for renewals or paperwork
Cover across the UK from engineers based in Scotland and England
Insurance companies inspect to verify that you've maintained your pressure system, so they can justify continuing to provide cover. They may not be conducting a PSSR examination against a written scheme of examination. The key question is whether you have a suitable written scheme and an examination report completed against it by a competent person. The two visits look similar but serve very different purposes. A case we know of at a university found this out when a new insurance inspector arrived and asked where the gas inspection paperwork was - the lab had assumed the insurance visit covered it.
A written scheme does not automatically expire, but it should be reviewed and updated if the pressure system changes or if the competent person recommends changes. If you've replaced a regulator, changed the gas type, or altered the system in any way, the WSE needs updating. If the system is unchanged, the document should still be valid, but it must still be inspected against annually. Risk reduction only works if the inspection actually happens.
You can, but the pressure system safety regulations require it to be prepared or certified by a competent person. A document prepared internally still needs to be drawn up or certified as suitable by a competent person. A written scheme prepared without proper sign-off is unlikely to satisfy the Health & Safety Executive and may not be suitable for PSSR purposes.
You'll get a report listing everything that failed, with a remedial quotation. It's then your decision how to proceed. If a competent person identifies imminent danger, formal reporting duties may apply and the affected system or part should not be operated until the required action has been taken. If budget is tight, we can help you work out a realistic plan.
Yes. Installation is separate from compliance. Where the new installation is qualifying pressure equipment under PSSR, a suitable written scheme must be in place and the required examination completed before it is operated. The installation company may not have provided one, or may have provided a document that doesn't meet the required standard.
PSSR applies to any pressure system that presents a risk - which includes most laboratory gas systems with regulators, pressure gauges, pipework and protective devices such as safety valves. Size doesn't determine scope. If you have gases under pressure connected to a system with pressure-controlling components, you're likely within scope. A free site survey is the quickest way to know for certain.
The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 cover any pressure system containing relevant fluids - gases under pressure, liquefied gas and in some cases pressurised liquids. That means the regulation can also apply to other pressure equipment in a lab environment beyond gas cylinders, including small pressure vessels. If you're unsure whether something on your site falls within scope, we can assess it as part of a site survey. PUWER inspections and related legislation may also apply to certain equipment - we can help you work out what applies to what.
Call us and you'll speak to an engineer the same day - we'll tell you what you need and what it involves.
If you already have a written scheme and need the annual inspection, this is the service that delivers the inspection, report and remedial recommendations.
When an inspection flags components that need replacing, we carry out the remedial work - often on the same visit to avoid a return trip.
HSE guidance expects appropriate training so people who operate, maintain, repair, inspect or test pressure equipment have the necessary skills and knowledge to do the job safely.
If your lab doesn't have a gas system yet, or you're extending an existing one, we design and install systems built around what your instruments actually need.